Ammonia spike 8.0 for 4 days

ok... am I crazy or what...... In my 75 gallon, my ammonia is now down to zero...and I got so excited and felt like I needed to tell someone lol .. nitrites are up.... looks like I am making progress. I am going to have a fish in that aquarium someday yet... Got my 125 gallon up and running today too....

 

Your tank is doing what it should be doing- just a little more patience and then add your livestock s-l-o-w-l-y!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This will give your new eco system time to adjust to each new bioload!

 

What do you have in there ? Its a few weeks away from fish expect a single yellow tailed damsel if you chose to cycle with a fish Just one . You have a coup,e of months before the tank is ready for much of anything.. Hell we started this 180 in end of Aug 1st of September 06 and I'm just starting the lights I have a few fish and some corals so the lights are getting built this week. I call it motivation some call it being lazy LOL But I always cycle a tank with one fish for 3 months and at the end of the cycle when I start to see see coralline I then move on as the tank is ready.. Give it a few months now and it will last a long time with less problems down the road a few yrs..And as for the Ammonis falling off ? It can come and proberaly will return again just as fast. Its not done yet you still have nitrites and nitrates to vist yet.

 

Yes, I know I have a long way to go.... and know that its a sloooooooooooooooooooow process...... I just lost my damsel, right before the ammonia went to zero, so I have nothing in their but live rock at the moment.... the lack of funds after getting these up and running will help me go slow...lol

 

LOL just give it time slow is the best way unless you are rich.. then thats another story I see more money thrown at a system and they think it will fix it.. Nope can't bribe nature it works in its own time..It will settle in every couple of days add a pinch of food to keep the cycle going not much just a pinch NO2 or nitrites are next about 20 days in they will start to climb Live rock may help keep them lower ? Don't waste you cash on anymore L/R just use dead dry base rock from here on out. L/R is no magic special bullet.ll rock will colonize and become live with bacteria in a few weeks . You'll get there we all went through this

 

Ok, the ammonia spiked and went down, the nitrites spiked and went down... both are at 0 the nitrates were high, did a 10 water change on the 75 gallon, however nitrates are still high after two days ... should i do another water change ?

 

Don't do water changes until the cycle is complete. Once your nitrates drop down to zero, I would leave the tank be for another few weeks then do a water change if you feel the need to

 

I read this stuff to let your tank cycle for months on end...good thing I have a small tank!

I got things going in under a month.

 

NO3 is 20ppm

Need some advice, I have had my salt water tank since 93'. Fish and live rock are easy, moved so much never got into reefs until.....last November (retired)
Increased lighting for my 40 gallon to 200 watts. Algae grows great but having trouble with anything other than fish.

Did a 10% water change on 2/23, test results today:
calcium: 520 mg/l
KH: 10
PH: 0
No3: 20

Shouldn't my NO3 be 0? If so how do I get it to drop? When and what should I add first?

Thanks
kwc