| Reef Builders Forums » Saltwater Aquariums » New to the Hobby (Getting Started/Setting Up) » Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitate; All high |
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05-27-2007, 08:38 PM
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 Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitate; All high Well, just started my 44 gallon tank with 60 lbs. of live rock. I understand that they cycling takes time but I have been reading how the cycling works and I seem to be having different readings. All my Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate readings are high. Does anyone know why?  |
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05-28-2007, 12:26 AM
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| Re: Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitate; All high During your cycle the amount of die-off on your live rock will directly, and proportionally impact the severity of the cycle. This is not a bad thing, it just means you may have more die-off on your live rock then most. It happens. I would be worried if your parameters continue reading this high for several weeks. In the next week to 10 days you should see a significant drop-off of your ammonia and nitrites. Your nitrates may still be high but they should fall as well until you're at 0ppm for all three. If this isn't the case, well, post back and we'll determine what is the problem from there.
__________________ Join a local club! http://www.cdmas.org/ http://www.hvreef.org/ |
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05-28-2007, 09:09 AM
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| Re: Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitate; All high Thanks for your reply. I will keep on testing and if there are any more problems I'll be sure to post. |
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05-28-2007, 09:13 AM
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| Re: Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitate; All high As a suggestion. Don't test everyday! Ammonia and nitrites drop slower than nitrates during the first parts of your initial cycle. This means that testing every day for a week or two is futile and expensive. Now that you know your nitrogen cycle parameters are high, test in about a week. Then once you see your ammonia drop off, test every three days, then when your nitrites drop off, test every other day until you get 0ppm for all three parameters.
__________________ Join a local club! http://www.cdmas.org/ http://www.hvreef.org/ |
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05-28-2007, 03:47 PM
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| Re: Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitate; All high Is 60 lbs of live rock a lot for a 44 gallon tank? Maybe a normal die off will impact a smaller tank like that due to the smaller volume of water? |
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05-28-2007, 05:09 PM
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| Re: Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitate; All high 60 lbs is a great amount for a 44 gallon tank !!! You'll have really good natural filtration  |
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05-28-2007, 07:47 PM
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| Re: Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitate; All high You are fine. As stated by other posters you had some immediate die off which caused the ammonia spike, the fact your nitrite is spiking lets you know the ammonia converting bacteria are in there doing their job, and the fact the nitrates are high lets you know the nitrite converting bacteria are doing their job as well. Just relax and be patient, the worst thing you can do is rush things. All these bacteria are multiplying right now and will soon get control of the situation. They will all bottom out and you will be reef ready.
__________________ "It was the Law of the Sea, they said. Civilization ends at the waterline. Beyond that, we all enter the food chain, and not always right at the top." Hunter S. Thompson |
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05-29-2007, 04:29 PM
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| Re: Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitate; All high Thank you all for all your information. I will wait until all levels are low.  |
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