High ammonia

[alleyboy]

I had my tank about a month now and I started doing a fish in cycling but the ammonia spiked up and the fish was having trouble trying to get air so I took them out and started a fish less cycle. I been doing this for 2weeks now. My ammonia is at 4 nitrite 0 nitrate 0 ph 8.2 and my water is at 1.024 on a fluval sea. I have a 75 gallon tank all I have in it is some live rock and some fake plants. My temp is 80 degrees. I did a 80% water change add water conditioner, ammonia lock. What can I do to get my tank to cycle completely i add dr Tim to my tank and follow the instructions but they said if your ammonia is high you shouldn’t add the ammonia to feed the bacteria. So can someone help me.

 

[Sniperhank]

I suggest reading our articles on cycling a tank. You have described a million steps all at once but haven't mentioned much about live rock in the system and just trying to speed into the process of having a saltwater tank. This is how most people fail trying to enter the hobby.
Lets take a step back and can you tell us more about the setup to start? Take the fake plants out, the saltwater will chew them up and possibly add toxins to the water column. When cycling, you don't want to lock the ammonia. Let the cycle take its course. It needs an ammonia source to go, so either pure ammonia or something like a cocktail shrimp.
There is nothing fast about a cycle. Even with adding bacteria in a bottle, you don't know how long that bottle has been on the shelf, let alone if it is still an active bottle of bacteria.

 

[alleyboy]

That’s all I have in the tank is live rock and a few fake plants. I will remove the plants but since yesterday I start to see nitrite in my test now and im not trying to rush it I just want it to be right because I hate doing stuff wrong but I’m taking my time on this I’m not trying to rush it.

 

[Sniperhank]

Make sure you have about 1 lbs per gallon in your tank for rock. And when you can't detect any ammonia your cycle isn't done, you need to add more ammonia. It is when the ammonia is dosed up to 2 ppm and is no longer detectable in form of ammonia or nitrite is your cycle done and you can do water changes to lower your nitrates to prep for your first fish.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Make sure you have about 1 lbs per gallon in your tank for rock. And when you can't detect any ammonia your cycle isn't done, you need to add more ammonia. It is when the ammonia is dosed up to 2 ppm and is no longer detectable in form of ammonia or nitrite is your cycle done and you can do water changes to lower your nitrates to prep for your first fish.

.....2ppm and is no longer detectable 24 hours later, the same as freshwater?

 

[Sniperhank]

Nitrate cycle is still the nitrate cycle, just in a different salinity.

 

[alleyboy]

My ammonia level is 0 my nitrite level is 2.0ppm or 5.0ppm and my nitrate level is 20ppm. Should I just let it keep going the way it’s going or do I need to fix the nitrite my ph is 8.0

 

[Sniperhank]

Don't worry about your pH. As long as your have good water flow in the system it'll be fine.
When did you dose your ammonia? The goal is to dose up to 2 ppm ammonia and have the ammonia and nitrite levels at 0 in 24 hours. Once you accomplish that, then you can worry about your first water change.

 

[alleyboy]

I did it Saturday and check it Sunday there was 0 ammonia 2ppm of nitrite and 20ppm nitrate should I add another dose of ammonia today or wait till Tuesday to do it

 

[alleyboy]

I dose it with ammonia Saturday and I checked it Sunday my ammonia was 0 my nitrite was 2 or 5 and my nitrate is 40

 

[alleyboy]

Should I dose again today or wait till tomorrow to dose with the ammonia

 

[Sniperhank]

Dose again. Your nitrites weren't at 0 in 24 hours.