Quick Ammonia Spike

dfm34

Member
I just started cycling a new tank (60Gal) this morning by adding 65# of uncured LR. As of about 10 min ago my Ammonia was 5.0. I was wondering if I should do a water change. My thought was that Ammonia that high will kill any life on the rocks but I was afraid the water change would slow down the cycle??? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
 

saltwater8

Member
Go out and get 2 products RIGHT AWAY

One called STABILITY and the other called PRIME, they are both made by SEACHEM.
Follow the directions on each bottle for cycling an aquarium.
You will thank me...

***)
 

saltwater8

Member
YES,
From the Stability bottle:

Stability™ will rapidly and safely establish the aquarium biofilter in freshwater and marine systems, thereby preventing the #1 cause of fish death: "new tank syndrome". Stability™ is formulated specifically for the aquarium and contains a synergistic blend of aerobic, anaerobic, and facultative bacteria which facilitate the breakdown of waste organics, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Unlike competing products, the bacteria employed by Stability™ are non-sulfur fixing and will not produce toxic hydrogen sulfide. Stability™ is completely harmless to all aquatic organisms as well as aquatic plants, thus there is no danger of over use. Stability™ is the culmination of nearly a decade of research and development and represents the current state of the art in natural biological management.
DIRECTIONS: Use 1 capful (5 mL) for each 40 L (10 gallons*) on the first day with a new aquarium. Then use 1 capful for each 80 L (20 gallons*) daily for 7 days. Fish and other aquatic species may be introduced at any time as long as dosage is maintained for 7 days. For optimum biofilter performance use 1 capful for each 40 L (10 gallons*) once a month or with each water change and whenever introducing new fish or whenever medicating an aquarium.
From the Prime Bottle:

Prime™ is the complete and concentrated conditioner for both fresh and salt water. Prime™ removes chlorine, chloramine and ammonia. Prime™ converts ammonia into a safe, non-toxic form that is readily removed by the tank’s biofilter. Prime™ may be used during tank cycling to alleviate ammonia/nitrite toxicity. Prime™ detoxifies nitrite and nitrate, allowing the biofilter to more efficiently remove them. It will also detoxify any heavy metals found in the tap water at typical concentration levels.Prime™ also promotes the production and regeneration of the natural slime coat. Prime™ is non-acidic and will not impact pH. Prime™ will not overactivate skimmers. Use at start-up and whenever adding or replacing water.
DIRECTIONS: Use 1 capful (5 mL) for each 200 L (50 gallons*) of new water. For smaller doses, please note each cap thread is approx. 1 mL). This dose removes approximately 0.6 mg/L ammonia, 3 mg/L chloramine, or 4 mg/L chlorine. May be added to aquarium directly, but better if added to new water first. If adding directly to aquarium, base dose on aquarium volume. Sulfur odor is normal. For exceptionally high chloramine concentrations, a double dose may be used safely. To detoxify nitrite in an emergency, up to 5 times normal dose may be used. If temperature is > 30 °C (86 °F) and chlorine or ammonia levels are low, use a half dose.
Even though it says you can add fish during the cycle, I would wait until the cycle is complete.

:happyfish
 

jcarroll

Member
I strongly disagree with the above advice, no disrespect at all.
You just started cycling your tank and you've got an excellent start by using uncured rock. It will jumpstart your cycle for you.
Test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Each of them will go up and then go back down to zero. Once your ammonia and nitrite reach zero, you can do a 10-20% water change to help with your nitrates, which will probably not get down lower than 10 for a brand new tank at first, and then add your clean up crew. The cycle can take anywhere from a week to 6 -8 weeks. With the uncured rock though, I bet it will cycle in a week or two. I tested my water everyday during the cycle and recorded it in a notebook just for reference. Don't add any unnecessary chemicals like the start right. It still has to run its cycle even with the start right.
 

jcarroll

Member
I forgot to say that you're going to have die off from your rocks anyway, since they're curing right now in your tank. This means you don't have to worry about ammonia hurting them. You're still going to have the bacteria that makes your rocks live in there. You may lose a little life, but most everyone has live rock in their tank while it's cycling, so don't worry.
 

dfm34

Member
Thank you both for the advice. I was just shocked at how fast the Ammonia jumped and wasnt sure if it could get too high during a cycle. I dont think I will add anything Chems to the tank though.
 

jcarroll

Member
No problem. The reason your ammonia spiked so quickly is because uncured rock is going to have a lot of die off while it's curing. Ammonia is the first thing that shows up when things die like that, hence why some people put in a raw shrimp to get a cycle going. I used uncured rock when I cycled a tank once and I swear, my cycle was super quick. Tomorrow or the next day your nitrites will spike also. Then come your trates, but don't do a water change until your ammonia and nitrites are at zero. Then, have fun picking out your cleanup crew!!!
 

maxalmon

Active Member
I agree, there is no product on the market that makes ammonia safe, it's simply masks it, it's still there, simply converts it and your test kit can't detect it. Bacteria is bacteria, doesn't matter where you get it, you'll get the spike then the bloom. Did you scrub the Lr to remove any surface matter, thats about the only way to speed it up. You will have die off, if your curing the LR no chemical will speed it up, you simply have to let nature do it's thing.
.
Think of it this way, if there was a product that removed Am, every reefer on this site would have a gallon of it on hand, just in case. They will also reek havoc on yor protein skimmer.
Here is a link to a little experiment i'm doing, might find it interesting, might not.
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=219304
 

saltwater8

Member
I am just giving you advice as to what has worked for me...
It is obviously up to you as to what you want to do with your tank...
 

milomlo

Active Member
Doing a water change will help you keep what is alive on your rock. I personally do not recommend adding any bottled chemical to the tank.
You can not always trust what a bottle says :thinking:
:happyfish
 

ophiura

Active Member
Originally Posted by Jcarroll
I strongly disagree with the above advice, no disrespect at all.
You just started cycling your tank and you've got an excellent start by using uncured rock. It will jumpstart your cycle for you.
Test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Each of them will go up and then go back down to zero. Once your ammonia and nitrite reach zero, you can do a 10-20% water change to help with your nitrates, which will probably not get down lower than 10 for a brand new tank at first, and then add your clean up crew. The cycle can take anywhere from a week to 6 -8 weeks. With the uncured rock though, I bet it will cycle in a week or two. I tested my water everyday during the cycle and recorded it in a notebook just for reference. Don't add any unnecessary chemicals like the start right. It still has to run its cycle even with the start right.


Patience, dear friend, patience. You do not need a bottled product. You spent money on LR which was the right thing to do!!
Now, if you are actually reading levels that high (may want to double check it at an LFS) then you might wish to consider a small water change to keep levels somewhat in check. It is the difference between a "hard cycle" and one that is not so hard. With LR, the levels will probably come down pretty quickly anyway.
Do not, IMO, go home with anything other than more LR if they try to sell you something. LR is the single best investment, IMO, that you can make. Great for decor, and for natural grazing in a tank...and a fantastic source of critters and
{edit - Dang, second reply to a relatively "older" post today!! I need more
}
 

dfm34

Member
Just a quick update Day 5 since adding the LR:
Ammonia is.25
Trites .3
Trates 50
I have not done a water change yet but think i will this weekend. Since I have not yet should I just continue to wait it out?
 

milomlo

Active Member
Originally Posted by dfm34
Just a quick update Day 5 since adding the LR:
Ammonia is.25
Trites .3
Trates 50
I have not done a water change yet but think i will this weekend. Since I have not yet should I just continue to wait it out?
Doing a water change is not going to hurt u at all. The beneficial bacteria that u are trying to build lives in the sand and the live rock, not the water column. To preserve life in your rock I would keep your ammonia as low as possible.
 
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