Max Levels During Cycle?

Discussion in 'Water Chemistry' started by Laslo_777, Jul 3, 2011.

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  1. Laslo_777

    Laslo_777 Astrea Snail

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    I have been running my cycle for about 10 days now (20 lbs of dry rock from BRS (pukani) and 5 lbs of nice cured live rick from LFS)....and my parms are really spiking now.

    ammonia= 1.5 ppm
    nitrite = 5 to 7 ppm
    nitrate = 20 ppm

    My question is:

    Can ammonia or nitrite get too high? I see mixed reviews on water changes. I jst want to make sure sitting tight is still ok right now.
     
    Laslo_777, Jul 3, 2011
    Laslo_777, Jul 3, 2011
    #1

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  2. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

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    There is a belief that ammonia and nitrite above 5ppm will slow down the cycle due to the bacteria being shut down or killed when the numbers are above 5ppm. Nitrate is not an issue.
     
    2in10, Jul 3, 2011
    2in10, Jul 3, 2011
    #2
  3. Ron P

    Ron P Astrea Snail

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    That all depends on what's in your tank. Critters have a hard time dealing with high levels of ammonia and nitrite.

    When I cycled my tank I decided that I didn't want to harm any hitchhikers that might be hidden in the rock so I did a small 1-2 gallon water change every time the ammonia hit 1ppm. This ended up being about every other day and lasted about 4 weeks. At that point the ammonia would hit .5 about every other day or so. I kept up the small water changes for the next week. By the end of that week I stopped all water changes and simply tested the water every day. This was the beginning of week 6 of cycling. At the end of week 6 the tank finished cycling and had no readings of ammonia. I never did have any nitrites and still don't. Ammonia never went over 1ppm for me.

    A lot of people say that the magic doesn't happen until the readings hit over 8ppm. Since I never allowed my readings to get that high it's not strictly necessary.

    There does seem to be a little bit of debate over this though. At least from what I've read.
     
    Ron P, Jul 3, 2011
    Ron P, Jul 3, 2011
    #3
  4. Laslo_777

    Laslo_777 Astrea Snail

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    thanks for the input....I really appreciate it.

    I do not have anything in the tank except the dry and live rock...so no harm to any critters. (fairly certain I have no hitchhickers on the LFS live rock)

    I am going to let it run for a couple of days and if my ammonia and nitrites get any higher, I may start a series of 3-4 gallon water changes to help keep the ammonia in the 1 ppm range. I have been concerned if it gets too high I may actually begin to kill some of the good bacteria.

    again...thanks..could not have started without this forum!
     
    Laslo_777, Jul 3, 2011
    Laslo_777, Jul 3, 2011
    #4