Is the salt slowing down the cycle?

**Lauren** · 03-11-2006, 1:36 PM

It's been two 1/2 weeks since I set up my tank. I brought over filter material, decorations, a plant, even some of the little ceramic filter median from my 45 gallon fresh and still my ammonia is at 25ppm, and everything else is zero. Does salt slow it down? I'm getting frustrated. I'm feeding the tank food every day, I brought over enough bacteria to establish the tank very quickly, but I think the salt migh have killed it off. I know 2 1/2 weeks isn't THAT long, but I've never had a seeded cycle take this long to take off. I'm about ready to add a platy and try to speed it up (but I like them too much to put them in this tank).

**LittlePuff** · 03-11-2006, 4:27 PM

The salt killed the freshwater bacteria. You'll get different bacteria for brackish. Gotta re-cycle.

Kim

**RTR** · 03-11-2006, 4:50 PM

What is the specific gravity of the BW tank? Changes in density of greater than 0.002 per week ( for example, 1.000 to 1.002) can damage the bacteria themselves.

A titer of 25 ppm ammonia can kill the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. I doubt that you have any left. Try again again after several high-volume water changes to get the ammonia down to or below 5 ppm. An ammonia titer beyound about 8 is high risk, 5 shouild be the max. As with many biological systems, this is not a case where more is better.

HTH

**Lauren** · 03-14-2006, 11:55 AM

I'm sorry, it's POINT 25, .25, not 25. Specific gravity is 1.010, I've been slowing increasing it through out the week, because I didn't want to damage the bacteria, I guess I should have just dumped it all in when I got it and got it to the specific gravity I wanted it at in the first place.

Woho! Nitrites! FINALLY! Tank now has .50ppm ammonia, and .25ppm and 10ppm of nitrates? Is my test kit off? I didn't think I could have all three. I even retested.

**LittlePuff** · 03-14-2006, 3:02 PM

you'll need to go slower than that, no more than .002 About the extra ammonia: Have you added anything else, or did something die?

Kim

**RTR** · 03-14-2006, 5:43 PM

Of course you can all three metabolites present in newish tanks, why ever could you not?

But 0.25 ppm is a bit low for cycling, that is not much bioload.