Ammonia in new Saltwater tank

[Chirag96]

Hi everyone, I have setup an new Saltwater tank 52 litres and have been adding the seachem stability nitrifying bacteria for more than a week but the ammonia level is still at 0.25, it won't go down no matter how much bacteria I add. I don't have any fish or corals added at all yet the ammonia level wouldn't go down. PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[w0walana]

Hi everyone, I have setup an new Saltwater tank 52 litres and have been adding the seachem stability nitrifying bacteria for more than a week but the ammonia level is still at 0.25, it won't go down no matter how much bacteria I add. I don't have any fish or corals added at all yet the ammonia level wouldn't go down. PLEASE HELP!!!

You’re probably getting false positive. You can dump the whole bottle of bacteria into the tank as well. I recommend using biospira for saltwater tanks.

 

[Chirag96]

You’re probably getting false positive. You can dump the whole bottle of bacteria into the tank as well. I recommend using biospira for saltwater tanks.

Thank you. I will try that

 

[Zach72202]

Have you done some research on the nitrogen cycle? It is the process that naturally happens when bacteria convert ammonia to nitrates. Adding a bottle of something store-bought isn't foolproof. The best way is to let it mature naturally.

To test if it is cycled you should test your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates first, let some food decompose in the tank to produce ammonia, then in a day test the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates again, and that should inform you of where your cycle is. If there is little to no ammonia and all nitrates, your cycle is good to go.

 

[Chirag96]

Have you done some research on the nitrogen cycle? It is the process that naturally happens when bacteria convert ammonia to nitrates. Adding a bottle of something store-bought isn't foolproof. The best way is to let it mature naturally.

To test if it is cycled you should test your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates first, let some food decompose in the tank to produce ammonia, then in a day test the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates again, and that should inform you of where your cycle is. If there is little to no ammonia and all nitrates, your cycle is good to go.

I am testing almost every 5 hours. The ammonia is constantly at 0.25 there is little nitrite but barely any nitrates

 

[Zach72202]

Every 5 hours? Thats a bit excessive. It typically takes 2-3 weeks to get a complete cycle going. I would do once a day and give an ammonia source like fish food in the tank to decompose.

 

[Azedenkae]

I am testing almost every 5 hours. The ammonia is constantly at 0.25 there is little nitrite but barely any nitrates

Try adding a bunch of ammonia (preferably by dosing it directly, such as via ammonium chloride). If it decreases but only to 0.25ppm no matter what, you know it is a false positive reading then.

Also, for future references there is an actual saltwater section here on this forum.

 

[Jesterrace]

It generally takes 30-60 days for a cycle to complete (dry rock is often over 30 days), so you are definitely still in the early stages of the cycle. That said, if you are using API, they are very prone to .25 false positives for Ammonia. Personally I recommend Red Sea or Salifert for test kits when it comes to saltwater.