New Tank Advice Cycling And Such

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eatmorechicken

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Jul 13, 2020
Messages
6
Location
miami.Fl
just purchased this all in one AQUATOP RECIFE ECO SERIES 24G tank . i fell in love with the rimless design. when i was a teenager i had a successful 20 gallon tank but the was years ago and so much has changed. after seeing so many videos on tank cycling i decided to try to cycle my tank with 2 hardy fish. currently inside the tank i have
*20 pounds of live sand
*around 12 pounds carrib sea life rock
*saltwater purchased from local fish store
*2 clown fish (feeding every other day)
*tank heater
* thermometer tank stays 78degrees

i used dr tims all in one nitrifying bacteria when i added the clown fish. tank has been up and running for 13days i started it off in the beginning of july. I've been testing the water with the home kit every day and after the first week i saw my first spike in ammonia . yesterday i checked the water and my levels were
ammonia .50ppm
nitrites .50ppm
nitrate 5.0ppm
high range PH 7.8
phosphate .25

just did a 5gallon water change and added fritz turbo start 900 today this is my first time doing this method of cycling when can i expect these numbers to stabilize? i don't want to hurt my clown fish thank you guys in advance
 

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Since the 'all in one' didn't take care of the ammonia and nitrite levels, you'll need to make sure you keep doing water changes to keep those levels down and the clownfish healthy or return the fish and cycle the tank with pure ammonia or a cocktail shrimp. These magic bottles of bacteria are hit or miss...be it shelf life or whatever the case, but I am comfortable saying you didn't get your money's worth since those levels will burn your fish's gills.
In terms of how long it will take to cycle, an ammonia source will need to be continue to be provided. The fish and feeding it will take care of this, but you'll need to follow a fish in cycle. It could take a couple weeks or even the full cycle length time of around a month/month and a half.
 
Thanks for the reply, man for my first tank years ago I went with the non fish cycling / shrimp method. With so many years have gone by I came across mr saltwater aquarium YouTube channel and saw the quick cycling process and fill into trying it out. Crazy how unstable the nitrifying bacteria can be in shipping. Well now I have these fish and can’t return them since I bought them from liveaquaria.com. How many times should I change the water? And how much should I change on a 25g tank?
I ordered some fritz turbo start that’s been shipped with dry ice over night to allow for proper delivery temperature should I be adding a bottle when I change the water?
Thanks sniper hank
 
That would depend on what the instructions are telling you, but it sounds like you've thrown a lot of cash at the tank right away.
So, you'll want to do water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels at 0 until you get the fresh bottle. Follow the instructions and observe.
Other than that, I suggest slowing down and reading and asking questions before adding anything new to the system. It'll save you a lot of money in the long run.
 
Update:
I took my water to the LFS and had them test it and my ammonia and nitrites were low which I found strange since they have been high when I test. I rechecked my test kit and they are not expired so I couldn’t figure out why the different readings.

I did perform a 10 gallon water change yesterday Morning and tested At night and the following morning . Happy to say all my ammonia , nitrites and nitrates are all at or below .025 but my PH has spiked to 8.2 it was always at 7.8 at all my previous testing.

Possibly thinking of getting the digital test kits as I feel these matching to color charts test kits are not consistent. Any1 have any experience/ reviews on digital test kits?

I did a 10 gallon water change
 
Don't worry about pH. It flucuates naturally during the day. Don't try to dose to get it perfect. Just make sure you have a powerhead creating flow in the system and that there is a nice ripple at the water surface and your pH is fine.
And don't spend a lot of cash on cycling tests. It is more about the generals than the specifics. And if the bacteria in the tank consumed the ammonia, then it will easily test lower.
So, test today and see what your readings are. Dose up to 2 ppm...or just throw a cocktail shrimp in some panty hose and walk away. Keep up with redosing up to 2 ppm of pure ammonia until you get rid of 2 ppm of ammonia and nitrite in a 24 hour period.
 
Thanks sniper hank. I appreciate the help. I will look into a power head to create flow. My all in one has a return pump that’s pretty powerful can I aim this towards the surface to create the same affect as the power head? I was reading I would eventually need a power head for the flow for a reef tank so I might just grab one anyways. Thanks I’ll keep this thread updated. Thanks again hank
 
Tank UPDATE:

I’m pleased to say my little nano tank is thriving. After the last conversation with hank I realized my return pump was not providing adequate flow to my tank. So I have recently added a hygger wave maker And my tank has done a complete 180. Fish seem happier in the flow and my tanks water quality has gone up tremendously. I’m still trying to learn the controls on the wave maker but I am currently running the factory pre set cycles which change according to the time. I’ve also been consistently doing 20% water changes every Monday which has kept my tank looking beautiful. Thanks for the help . This hobby really sucks you in lol
 

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