I am looking to see what bacteria is in your Colony product. I live in Hawaii and work at Petco. Microorganisms are highly regulated here and the list of what is acceptable to import is small. Is the scientific name of the beneficial bacteria listed somewhere?
kent.payne.33@facebook.com
on March 6, 2013 at 5:43 pm
Yes cycling a 40 gallon breeder. Used Colony to start two weekend ago. Two weeks later Ammonia 1.0 ppm, ph 8.2, nitrites 0, nitrates 5 ppm. Seems slow. Can I shoot another 8 oz in the. Tank? I have two juvenile Malawi peacocks in the tank.
Freshwater nitrifying bacteria function at their optimum conversion between 7.2-8.0. So at 8.2 they have been inhibited a bit. That explains why with Colony you’re getting full conversion to nitrate but its a little sluggish.
Another 8oz of Colony will pick up the slack for the inhibited batch currently in there and if you drop the pH to around 7.9-8.0 you’ll be really rockin’.
Keep us posted.
kent
on March 10, 2013 at 4:33 pm
72 hours after another 16 oz ( doubled it because of the ph difficulty to lower just .2) colony we got 1.0 pp ammonia, 0.0 nitrite 5- 10 nitrate. We had a nitrite spike yesterday . 5 ppm. We want to add our full fish load in sooner than later but do not want to put the fish at risk. Any suggestions. Also, our base tap water test shows 1 ppm ammonia so could something be giving me false readings? We did condition the water before we put in. we have done any water changes. We are still using API master test kit. Ps. My 10 year asked me to write y’all since Brett says we can cycle the tank instantly.
ATM Shark
on March 10, 2013 at 4:49 pm
Hey Kent, It looks like you’re pretty much cycled. When you’re getting the kind of nitrate readings you’re getting you have already the conversion that hobbyists have waited weeks and weeks for, historically. It is possible you could be getting readings of ammonia off the chloramine in the tap water. Typically tap water doesn’t come out with that much ammonia, or if any, because there are strict regulations on ammonia levels in municipal water. Many hobbyists will have spikes they can never get rid of, yet the fish always remain healthy pointing to a false positive of some sort. How do the fish look? Are they swimming around and happy? Are they eating right? Stop feeding for three days and do no water changes and at the end lets look at two things: 1.) If nitrate has risen, and 2.) If so see if the ammonia went down relatively. Keep us posted! It looks like you have done this very well.
kent
on March 10, 2013 at 5:00 pm
Fish look great. We fed them by hand ( yes they eat out of hand pretty cool.) we will get two More and see how they do. If it works out we will fully stock next weekend. Since we were so conservative at the beginning, should we hit anther 8 onzes when we fully load? We are just trying to get the fish in the tank fast to control aggression. I promise I will not bother you again.
ATM Shark
on March 10, 2013 at 5:20 pm
Hey kent no worries that’s what we’re here for! Let me kind of shed some light on what you’ve got with Colony. Each bottle is fit for a full, appropriately stocked system. I know it seems scary and backwards, but to keep the full population that Colony provides there needs to be an adequate amount of food and fish to provide it. Let me explain this dynamic. You have about two weeks to keep that full population that Colony offers. What I mean by that is that un-fed nitrifying bacteria will start dying at that point, so if you have only two fish you will only have a size colony of bacteria for two fish. I would like to see a few more fish go in immediately so we’re feeding all that bacteria so it doesn’t die back to a smaller, two-fish colony. After a couple of days add more. Keep your feeding extremely light over this time. This will keep low spikes while still feeding the bacteria. Like I said, its okay to go slower if you like but don’t go too slow with Colony or you shrink the bio-filter and it kind of defeats the purpose.
Let me know if you have any questions on this.
Colin
on November 7, 2013 at 6:20 am
Hi, was wondering if you could help?? Recently set up my first saltwater aquarium. It’s a 65 gallon fish only tank, which I filled and began to cycle with fish (on the advice I my local fish store) 2 weeks on fish are fine and feeding well and seem healthy enough but cycle is still not complete. So I purchased some of your colony product and it should arrive tomorrow. I was just wondering if its still safe to use this two weeks in to the cycle, and if so how should I go about it, I.e water change first or not? An does this product get added directly to the tank or the filter area? Thanks for any advice
Thanks for the question. Yes, Colony will jump start your cycle whether you start it from scratch or weeks in. I would recommend doing a water change prior to adding Colony if you have any dangerous levels or ammonia and nitrite. Colony is going to work pretty fast, so I would recommend stop feeding for now. Make sure you shake the bottle well, turn off UV and protein skimmer and no water changes for 4 days. Slowly resume feeding to normal levels again when you see nitrate and nitrite levels have gone to at or near zero. That’s how you cycle quickly and keep the fish safe. Please refer to our field guide if you have any other questions. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fza4_ZtPFt20OzsZH5GdKwIKKQc8kBUPq9haEph0s_0/edit Keep me posted on this please!
Gary
on October 28, 2015 at 2:55 pm
When first using colony should I have my skimmer on?.. What is the process involved?.. Should I wait a certain amount of time before I turn my skimmer on?
Thanks for getting in touch. You will need to shut the protein skimmer off for four days while Colony attaches to filtration media. After this point it will be out of the water column and the skimmer can go back on.
Neil
on November 30, 2015 at 1:06 pm
Hi put colony in a new salt water tank filled with pre mixed salt water added 4 fish today after adding colony and have got readings of
Ph 8
Ammonia 0.25
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 5.0
Big concerned about the ammonia and nitrates please can you advise
Thanks for getting in touch with us. It looks like Colony is doing what it is supposed to do. Can you tell me what day you introduced Colony and what day you introduced the fish?
Thanks!
Stacey
Josh
on June 25, 2016 at 11:48 am
Hi i need some help i have salt water tank 55gal and i used your colony along with a pair of clown fishes ive been water testing every single day and all the readings i had was 0.25 ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate , and im on my 3rd day now, ive applied colony on a wednesday night along with the fishes and its already saturday any help and advises? Shall i buy a small bottle of colony to help it out? And ive been topping off the water too with RO water to correct salinity, help please?
Thanks for reaching out. Please reach me at stacey @ acrylictankmanufacturing . com (take out the spaces).
Rebecca
on July 13, 2016 at 12:34 pm
I’ve bin putting trust the shark in my tank I’ve bin going for my water tested regular it is still really high on ammonia nitrite and nitrate does anyone no how long it takes to clear the tank I’ve started doing a water change every week
Can you tell me a bit about your tank? I it freshwater, saltwater, how long has it been up?
Thanks!
Darren Pattinson
on August 6, 2016 at 10:20 am
Hi I added some of your marine colony to my tank last Sunday afternoon and added a few fish I fed on first day then haven’t fed since it’s now Saturday been a week since adding colony and my readings are ammonia 0 nitrite is still at 2 and nitrate is 50 . Skimmer is still switched off and I haven’t done a water change . Is there any reason why my nitrite hasn’t gone down yet
Hey thanks for reaching out. Do you have live rock in this tank?
Darren Pattinson
on August 7, 2016 at 9:57 am
No I use dry macro rock and dry crushed coral sand
ATM Shark
on August 7, 2016 at 1:18 pm
Okay, I see. 50 nitrate after just six days is a ton of conversion. I’m suspicious that the nitrite reading is a bit exaggerated due to nitrogen interference. Based on the enormous amount of nitrite that has already been converted, the rate vs. reading doesn’t add up. It isn’t unusual for this to happen with consumer grade test kits. If this isn’t the case then the most likely cause would be fluctuating or dropping pH recently. What has the pH been?
Mark
on August 16, 2016 at 2:22 am
Hi our tanks has been running for around 12 weeks and was cycled old school with a prawn everything went fine and cycled OK then we made our first mistake put to much in in a short time wich in turn kicked off another cycle so we added your marine colony with after 2 days brought ammonia nitrite back down 0 we turned off the skimmer etc and just run with the return pump it’s been 6 days now I have just turned on the skimmer and fitted the filter sock when is it best to do a water change because it’s not had one now for 12 days
Hello Mark, you are clear to do a water change whenever you like. The only it is recommended to not perform a water change is within the first 4 days of dosing Colony as it might still be free floating in the water column. I hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions.
Sam
on May 18, 2020 at 2:05 pm
Hi,
3 days ago I used colony in a new 30 gallon reef tank. I have 2 clowns in the tank feeding very light with brine shrimp. My ammonia is 1.0ppm nitrite 0ppm and nitrate still 0ppm.
I used live sand and ocean dry rock. My temperature is 79 and oh 8.1/8.2 ish. Have been using seachem prime to detoxify ammonia, skimmer and UV are both switched off.
Is there any reason why I’m not seeing any nitrite yet?
Thanks
Stacey Blood
on May 19, 2020 at 8:08 am
Hello Sam,
If you will please provide me with the born-on date on the bottle. It should be a five digit number on a sticker, usually the bottom.
Thanks!
Jamie
on October 23, 2016 at 11:40 am
Hi I have a 50gall tank with dry rock and dry sand I have 2 189l bottles of marine colony have many fish am I going to need to get a good cycle
Yes, indeed. Make sure you follow the instructions exactly and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask!
Sam
on May 20, 2020 at 11:33 am
It says 19204
Stacey Blood
on May 20, 2020 at 11:58 am
Great, thanks for that. It looks like the product is still in date. If you will, please reach out to support@acrylictankmanufacturing.com. We can help you get sorted.
Best regards!
Jon
on November 30, 2016 at 12:56 am
Hi,
I restarted my tank on Sunday, added all my fish along with one and a half bottles of ATM colony (bottles suited for 100 gallons). Tank volume is approx 475 litres and has 10 fish (some large). As of today my Ammonia is reading 1ppm (increasing every day) nitrites are 0 and nitrate is 0. Water parameters are temp 25 degrees, ph stable at around 8.0 – 8.02 and DKH 8. Shouldn’t I have seen some conversion by now or is it still too early?
Thanks for getting in touch. How quickly is the ammonia increasing? And are you currently feeding? Do you have live rock?
Thanks!
Jon
on November 30, 2016 at 12:01 pm
Hi,
Not feeding at all (since the first light feed as per instructions), no live rock as restarted with completely new dry Marco Rock about 60 – 80 kg total. Ammonia was .25 on Monday, .50 yesterday and 1ppm this morning. Will be checking again this evening.
ATM Shark
on November 30, 2016 at 7:41 pm
Hey Jon,
We should be seeing conversion from ammonia probably any minute. I am concerned about the raising ammonia. It is doubling about every day. We should find the source of this incoming ammonia and deal with that. Can you tell me the lot number of the bottle of your product?
Jon
on December 1, 2016 at 12:28 am
Hi,
Thanks for he reply.
Really not sure what may be causing the Ammonia as everything that went into the tank was new (other than the fish etc)
Not sure where the batch number can be found however the code at the bottom of the barcode label is: 7031700416 there is also a small sticky label on the bottom of the bottle with the following numbers printed on it: 16097. Unfortunately I only have one of the bottles as I threw the other away once I had dosed the tank.
The Ammonia has stayed level at 1ppm when tested this morning but still no conversion to either Nitrite or Nitrate.
It’s hard to interpret what is going on here. What is the level of the nitrite? To answer your question, after 4 days you are in good shape to do any water changes you like.
Kelly
on December 20, 2016 at 5:59 pm
Hi i put atm in tank sunday. Afternoon. And add fish same day i show ammonia. Nitrite and nitrates. Is it now i need to do a water change has i showing reading. On all i showed. My local fish store my results. He advised a 20% water change also have diatoms. In the sump tank
Kinds regards Kelly
I added colony on the 18th of December today day 4
ATM Shark
on December 21, 2016 at 10:43 am
That is a lot of nitrogenous compounds! You are clear to do water changes now as the bacteria is well established. How are the fishes?
Kelly
on December 21, 2016 at 1:25 pm
Hi it a breeding setup 4 50 litres tanks and then a 3 ft sump which take a 100 litres I can’t believe how quick it established I have pair of black ice clowns a pair of piccasos and a pair of snowflakes clown and a pair of common black and whites I done a 20% water change today the fish all swimming and doing what they should be so they ok was concerned about levels has it seems to took ok I have loads of volcanic rock in sump with filter floss and lots of other filter sponges has well has ceramic noodles and protein skimmer
Hi I did a water change on Monday did a water test today and ammonia is 0.25 ppm nitrite 0.5 ppm nitrate 10.0 ppm and I was told to put more colony in to me tank to bring these levels down is this correct?
Thanks Chris. Yes, Colony will help you out a lot finishing the cycle. If you have any other questions just holler.
Chris
on February 3, 2017 at 12:32 pm
Will it bring nitrate down aswell?
ATM Shark
on February 3, 2017 at 12:34 pm
Hey Chris,
Colony will actually create nitrate as it converts the ammonia and nitrite. You’ll need to deal with nitrate through different means, typically through water changes or alternative filtration methods.
Chris
on February 3, 2017 at 12:38 pm
I put colony in yesterday so when would you do a Water Change? My nitrate is 10.0 ppm
ATM Shark
on February 3, 2017 at 12:54 pm
You’ll want to do water changes starting on Monday evening. We need four days to make sure the bacteria is attached in the media and still not in the water column.
Chris
on February 3, 2017 at 12:59 pm
This is the second time I have used colony should I do a water change tonight?
ATM Shark
on February 3, 2017 at 2:17 pm
No if you put Colony in just yesterday then you will be pulling a lot of it out with the water change.
Frank
on February 3, 2017 at 10:49 am
Hi ATM,
Cycling a 300 gal reef total volume about 420gals …dumped 1 gal colony 4 days ago
Ammonia 2.0
Nitrate 25-30ppm
Nitrite 6.0ppm
No fish death…should i do a water change and if so how much?
BTW, just in case if more colony is needed you guys already shipped it.
Hey Frank, can you tell me a little more about your system? How long ago did you set it up and did you add live rock?
Frank
on February 3, 2017 at 12:51 pm
Its a brand new system. Started up on Sunday and added Colony on Monday. It has dead rock.
ATM Shark
on February 3, 2017 at 12:53 pm
Hey Frank, if this is rock that was alive at some point you could probably have ammonia coming from it which is giving you so much nitrogenous compounds after only a few days. No feeding until numbers balance out and you might want to hit the ammonia with an ammonia remover such as ATM Triage. If you are only feeding lightly as per instructions this excess ammonia likely is coming from the rock.
Frank
on February 3, 2017 at 1:08 pm
Sorry meant to say Dry Rock. To be exact Pukani, Tonga shelves, tonga brances. Should I add more Colony and perhaps water change? I have 100 gallons ready to go if needed.
ATM Shark
on February 3, 2017 at 2:17 pm
Oh okay. I think right now we should find the source of the excess ammonia. At this point you shouldn’t have anything close to this. You have converted 8.5 ammonia and still have 2ppm sitting there. After 4 days with Colony you should be more in the .25 and under range for ammonia with the single light feeding on day one.
Frank
on February 3, 2017 at 4:27 pm
I will do readings tonight when I get home. The readings i did was at 5AM this morning. Did I use enough Colony?
Looks good but that pH dropping is likely the cause of your nitrite hanging around. You probably have CO2 build-up in the tank. This happens when it isn’t being gassed off properly.
Frank
on February 4, 2017 at 8:03 pm
Everything is the same but PH bounced back to 8.1
Ammonia 0.2
Nitrate 30
Nitrite 2
ALK 9.2
Temp 79
PH up to 8.1
BTW Im using Red sea test kits. what would you guys recommend?
ATM Shark
on February 5, 2017 at 10:41 am
Looks better. Try and keep that pH around 8.1. The fluctuation will matter less tot he bacteria as the bio-filter gets fully colonized. From my experience there isn’t a noticeable difference in consumer grade test kits. You’re okay with what you have.
Do I need a water change yet? If so how much? My total water volume is 420 gal
ATM Shark
on February 6, 2017 at 12:16 pm
Looking good! Yes you are free to do water changes. How much of a water change is up to you. I just don’t know enough about your system to be advising outside of use of ATM Products. Sorry.
Did a 50% water change as well before the tests.
Does this mean Im pretty much cycled? can I feed a bit more? When adding more fish should i pour more ATM Colony in? If so how much? Do you recommend any more ATM products to use as I go on?
Sorry for all these questions
ATM Shark
on February 18, 2017 at 12:49 pm
Hey Frank,
Sorry I didn’t catch your last response. Everything should be looking great about now. I would definitely recommend using Outbreak! as a weekly or bi-weekly regimen for organics control, Agent Green for phosphate control, and Supernova Living Carbon filtration media. All great tools! Also, keep a bottle of Triage First Response in case of any ammonia emergencies.
Best regards!
Frank
on February 27, 2017 at 1:41 pm
Im gonna be adding new fish but will be putting them in a QT tank first. Can I just add Colony to the QT tank. It has no substrate or rock in it, just some PVC pipe for the fish to hide, a hang on filter and a heater.
ATM Shark
on February 27, 2017 at 2:15 pm
Hey Frank,
You need to get some kind of media in the hang-on filter like carbon or something. The bacteria will need a place to colonize.
Tommy O'connor
on February 18, 2017 at 12:46 pm
Hi I’ve my tank set up 7 weeks now I waited 2 weeks then put in ATM conoly everything was great then got the fish in no problem. So everything was going great all readings good but I thought it’s 7 weeks and I haven’t done a water change and my lfs said I should do one. So I done a 20% water change and my nitrate spiked up and anroma went up a bit is there an ATM product I can use weekly to keep everything good
Your nitrates shouldn’t have gone up after a water change. I honestly don’t know how to account for a nitrate spike in this scenario. Ammonia spike can occur due to disturbed substrate releasing into the water column. A gravel vac might be in order if it is kicking up such ammonia (rotting sediment). I would recommend having Triage First Response handy for any ammonia emergencies and start with Outbreak! to mitigate decomposing organics that will cause problems.
If you have any other questions just holler!
Eric
on February 20, 2017 at 2:12 pm
Can you leave a carbon reactor on with Colony in a saltwater tank?
My current
Ph 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
45 Gal saltwater Tank
Forgot to unplug my carbon filter will this cause any problem during my cycle with ATM Colony? I only have two clowns, 5 snails and 5 herm Crabs
ATM Shark
on February 20, 2017 at 5:26 pm
Hey Eric,
No, leaving your carbon reactor on is okay. However, realize that the bacteria will want to reside there. So be careful when you are changing the media.
Eric Morissette
on February 20, 2017 at 5:11 pm
And i’m on Day 4
Eric
on February 20, 2017 at 5:35 pm
on day 4 do you think ill get a spike soon ? what is the norm
Eric
on February 20, 2017 at 5:45 pm
@ day 4 i just did a night test
Results where
My current
Ph 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5ppm (using API just a slight difference from 0ppm) how much of a spike would i need?
ATM Shark
on February 20, 2017 at 5:47 pm
5 ppm is great. That means the bacteria have converted the ammonia through nitrite to nitrate. Tomorrow give another light feeding and watch your levels.
Eric Morissette
on February 20, 2017 at 5:50 pm
when would you recommend a water change and turning on the skimmer? Nitrate should be at what ppm?, i’m new at this youtube video say like 25ppm
ATM Shark
on February 20, 2017 at 5:52 pm
In a reef tank you want nitrates to be as low as possible. In a fish only tank I would keep below 25 always. You can do a water change at this point if you like and turn on the skimmer.
Lisa DeMayo
on June 22, 2017 at 7:42 am
Hello there. I’m about to start a 20 gallon QT/acclimation tank and got a bottle of colony. I have 2 choices of Rock to put in with it to start and I was wondering which one u think i should use? Choice #1- dry rock in a cardboard box i’ve had out in the garage for a while, OR #2- rock i’ve had in a big plastic bin with a powerhead running for about 2 years, no food or anything being added to it. Just the powerhead in the water with it. Which would you suggest?
When cycling with live rock I would choose the one that you are sure won’t have any die-off. This can be unpredictable. The addition of dry rock adds an unknown variable to the equation as we don’t know how much ammonia it will put out. It could be hardly any, it could be so much as to extend the cycle and endanger the fish. How long has this rock been dry and in the garage? Is it necessary to have rock in the QT tank?
Hi, I started off my 1000L marine tank 8th aug, it had salt water dry rock & substrate in it for a week before I actually started it off with colony (was this ok) i put 2 x your 100 gallon bottles in and my fish ( which have been in a holding tank for 2 months while work done on the tank) 11 fish 2 large ones, right i tested before colony and seemed like nitrate was in there already 20ppm, but i couldn’t really do anything about that, now, and not sure why it was there either, oh and I have a seneye reef monitoring some of the params also, my readings today (day3) are nitrate 50 nitrite 2 ammonia 0.016 phosphate 0.25 alk 7.3 ( has gone down from 8,2) temp 25.0 I’m thinking the nitrate and nitrite are too high also alk low.. could you advise plz
Your alk looks okay to me. I’m not sure why the large amount of nitrate but you appear to be converting very well. How are the fish acting? This is a high conversion rate for only 3 days so I am suspicious of this 2 in nitrite. What are you using to test nitrite? Do a 25% water change in the morning to start bringing that nitrate down and drop me a line on your numbers when you are done.
Keep me posted
Stacey
carol
on August 13, 2017 at 4:12 pm
Hi im on day 5 now, just seen you reply, will do a water change in the morning, as its now 10.30pm. have just tested nitrate 50, nitrite 2, ph 8.3,ammonia 0,alk 9.9, i tested my nitrate with Red sea test kit.. it actually goes to the 50ppm straight away and that is the max it goes to, at the end of the 9 min which it says wait to get the right reading, its quite a bit darker than the 50 colour, Ive used colony twice before and never had this problem before.. it just a bit worrying with the nitrites that high also and the nitrate being over 50. I will do a water change in the morning, i’m thinking 30%, although i cant see it making that much difference can you….. I hope it does though. what do you think has made the nitrite and nitrate go this high ??
I will do a 25% water change, just re read your message.. fish seem ok, but my tangs have come out in white spot which they didnt have before, I gather it’s the change of tank and maybe the high nitrates/nitrites that has stressed them a bit.
done 200l water change no different readings… lost my purple tang this morning.. not happy 🙁
ATM Shark
on August 15, 2017 at 8:29 am
Hi Carol,
Sorry I just saw your last responses. Nitrates are high because the ammonia was high. Colony’s job is to convert ammonia and nitrite into nitrate. You need to keep water changing the nitrate out. 50ppm is very high. If you will please submit a tech support email at https://www.acrylictankmanufacturing.com/contact/ I’ll pick it up there and won’t miss your messages.
Best,
Stacey
Mark
on September 13, 2017 at 2:29 am
Hi, I recently set up a nano reef tank and added colony just before I added my first fish (flame hawkfish). The tank has been cycling for 4 days now and my ammonia is sitting at 0.25ppm since day 1 and not changed. Nitrites and nitrates are at 0ppm and haven’t changed either (using API test kits). Is this all good so far, It’s not increasing which I guess is a good thing right?
Thanks for getting in touch. Can you give me the lot number on the sticker that is on the bottom of the bottle?
Thanks,
Stacey
Mark
on September 14, 2017 at 11:05 am
Hi Stacey,
It is 17101
Thanks
ATM Shark
on September 14, 2017 at 11:08 am
Thanks Mark,
It looks like the product is well in date. Can you explain in detail how you set this tank up? I need to get a feel for your system and anything you have added. We should be seeing ammonia conversion by now so something is holding it up. Please provide pH and alkalinity value as well.
Thanks,
Stacey
Mark
on September 14, 2017 at 11:41 am
Alk is 160ppm and PH is 8. Ammonia is still the same. I have set up a 30l quarantine tank, my RODO water has a TDS of 0, salinity is 1.025. I have no sand and only a small bit of real reef rock. The one thing I can think of is that the rock used to be in my display tanks sump. It was removed and washed in fresh water then left to dry for around 2 months.
Mark
on September 14, 2017 at 11:54 am
I should also add that my display tank has always had ammonia at a constant 0.
Thanks
ATM Shark
on September 14, 2017 at 5:46 pm
Have you had any kind of pH swings? Also, where did you purchase the product?
Mark
on September 15, 2017 at 11:14 am
Nope PH has stayed steady.
ATM Shark
on September 15, 2017 at 2:00 pm
Thanks Mark, where did you purchase the product? And what has your feeding regimen been like and how many fish did you start with.
Thanks,
Stacey
Mark
on September 15, 2017 at 2:11 pm
I purchased it from my LFS in Winchester, England who specialise in saltwater fish only. I have started with a small flame hawk fish and nothing else, feeding regime was light feeding on day 1 then I didn’t feed again till day 4. This was a light feed as well. Usually I would feed every other day but I haven’t been doing this as my cycle hasn’t completed (according to my test kit). I am going to take a water sample tomorrow to my LFS to get it tested with more reliable test kits.
Thanks
ATM Shark
on September 16, 2017 at 8:58 am
Hey Mark,
Let me know the results of the second test. I’m sorry what I had meant was which LFS did you get the product from.
Thanks,
Stacey
Mark
on September 17, 2017 at 9:42 am
Hi, turns out its my test kit giving false results so I have changed it now. Tank is cycled and all good 🙂
ATM Shark
on September 17, 2017 at 9:52 am
Great! Glad you got it sorted.
Stacey
Hafeez
on September 30, 2017 at 2:48 pm
Hello,
I am trying to cycle a 2 Gallon tank with 1 Betta fish.
Added 5ml of colony 3 days after starting the tank.
Today its a week after adding the fish and 4 day after Colony.
Water test indicate 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite and 0 Nitrate ..water PH is 7.8, temperature around 80F
I am a bit confused I thought it would register some nitrate by now?
Should i add another dose of colony to the tank?
How often can i add it to the tank …every water change?
Includes: (1) 2-Gallon Tank with Hood, (1) Bright White LED, (1) Hood with Convenient Feeding Door, (1) Top Fin Element Filter, (1) Top Fin Element Filter Cartridge
ATM Shark
on October 1, 2017 at 4:15 pm
Betta tanks typically don’t have as ferocious aeration as larger aquarium filters as the waters need to be more calm. With the bacteria in Colon being aerobic this would probably slow them down some but you are converting. Keep your eye on that nitrite and nitrate and keep me posted.
Best,
Stacey
Hafeez
on October 6, 2017 at 7:43 pm
Hi Stacey,
I just checked the Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate Level
Ammonia: 0.50
Nitrite and Nitrate – 0
I was wondering, by now shouldn’t it be showing some Nitrite levels?
I haven’t changed water for 2 weeks now …is it time for partial water change to lower Ammonia level?
Thanks
ATM Shark
on October 7, 2017 at 12:09 pm
Hello Hafeez,
If you previously had nitrite and now you have zero that can only turn into nitrite. Realize these test kits aren’t completely accurate all of the time. Let me first get a date on your product so we can rule out any expiration. There should be a sticker on the bottom of the bottle. Could you give me the 5 digit number on it? Also, what region are you contacting us from.
Best regards,
Stacey
Hafeez
on October 7, 2017 at 2:18 pm
Hello Stacy,
There is no sticker at the bottom of the bottle which i have 🙁 May be someone removed it ?
Can you share a picture of it so that i know what to look for?
I am located in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 🙂
I am using API freshwater liquid based tests and not the test strips.
ATM Shark
on October 9, 2017 at 8:38 am
Hello Hafeez,
It is just a white sticker like a pricing sticker that has a 5 digit number on it starting with 17. You should have this. You might want to call the store and ask what the stickers say on the bottles there. This is potentially important information as Colony has an expiration date.
How are your levels looking now?
Hafeez
on October 10, 2017 at 4:04 pm
Hi,
I managed to go back to the shop and obtain the stick # at the bottom of the bottle it was 17223
I am hoping that the bottle I bought was from the same batch as it did not have the sticker.
I’ll check the levels and will be in touch.
Thanks
ATM Shark
on October 12, 2017 at 10:23 pm
Hello Hafeez,
It would be impossible to know without the sticker. How is everything looking now?
Hi I’m on my 3rd full day of colony .. i have .025 ammonnia and 0 nitrite and 0 nitrate.. i lightly fed today. Have I adversely affected the cycling process?
Sorry for the delay here as this comment got past us. I see this was a while ago, how did everything turn out?
Apologies again,
Stacey
Annie
on November 20, 2017 at 2:27 pm
Hello!
I just set up my tank yesterday (55 gallon freshwater) and added colony to it. As I don’t have fish in the tank yet, I’ve added pure ammonia (dosing to 2ppm) to simulate fish waste. Have you heard of other people having success doing this? Should I dose ammonia to higher ppm?
This is actually a good bit more ammonia than is necessary. With Colony the bacteria colony is already mature so you only need a small bit of ammonia to observe that conversion is occurring (meaning the bacteria has successfully colonized your tank). Keep me posted on the progress.
Stacey
Annie
on November 20, 2017 at 9:04 pm
Hello!
I unfortunately dosed the ammonia again today before seeing your comment. Will this amount of ammonia cause trouble? What level would be best to keep in order to keep feeding the bacteria?
Thanks!
ATM Shark
on November 20, 2017 at 9:11 pm
Hello Annie,
No it won’t cause any real problems other than it might cause a very high nitrite spike above 3ppm that might take a long time to come down. If this occurs just water change the nitrite below 3ppm provided that you are beyond 4 days from dosing Colony.
Stacey
Annie
on November 21, 2017 at 9:53 am
Hello!
thank you for the information. Another question for you. Some of the fish I would like to add are coming in today and tomorrow at my LSF. It will not be the full load as other fish are
not currently available. As I have been dosing, my ammonia is high (no nitrites yet but just waiting for them to show up). Would you suggest I wait a little bit to add them for the ammonia to come down and nitrites to be manageable (when they show up)? I know it is recommended to normally add fish and colony at once but since I’ve done things a bit differently I’m not sure how to proceed to 1- allow colony to work as it is intended and 2- not harm the fish I’ll add in.
How many days has it been since adding Colony? And do you have nitrite readings?
Annie
on November 21, 2017 at 11:51 am
I’ve added Colony on 19Nov at night. Last night I tested the water parameters and I had:
Ammonia: 1ppm
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0
Ph: 7.4
ATM Shark
on November 21, 2017 at 11:55 am
When you dosed to 2ppm did you get a 2ppm reading? This is realy important to know how much ammonia you have. Also what kind of test kit are you using?
Annie
on November 21, 2017 at 11:58 am
I’m using the API master kit.
I used a website to calculate the amount of ammonia I needed to add based on the volume of water I had. I didn’t test right away my results, just the night after. When I dosed again, since I had a 1ppm reading I halved my previous night dose. Hopefully that makes sense.
ATM Shark
on November 21, 2017 at 12:04 pm
This is a difficult stituation to assess given the liabilities of the test kit and the uncertainty of ammonia level. Do ypu have any kind of ammonia remore like our product Triage?
Annie
on November 21, 2017 at 12:07 pm
No I do not have a product like Triage. That being said, what sort of readings would be appropriate to add livestock in?
ATM Shark
on November 21, 2017 at 3:04 pm
Annie what region are? Right now we don’t really know what ammonia we are dealing with. There are lots of variables here that are conflicting. Are you in the US and able to call me at support? It would make this much quicker and easier to understand.
Annie
on November 21, 2017 at 3:24 pm
I’m in Ontario Canada but I can call if you give me a phone number to reach you at.
ATM Shark
on November 21, 2017 at 5:57 pm
Hey Annie,
Sorry I got this message a little late. Okay, I’ll do my best to explain. What I really want to do is start over from zero and with fish. The reason our instructions direct to use fish is that it is that it is just easier. With one light feeding we get a small amount of ammonia to track through the cycling process. I’m not sure really how much ammonia is there because you said you dosed for 2ppm and you are showing 1ppm and these consumer test kits aren’t wonderfully reliable. If you can attain an ammonia remover, bringing the levels down to zero, you can get the fish in immediately and start again going by the Colony instructions. If not, then the fish cannot go into this system until we see ammonia coming down. I should expect to see nitrite or nitrate by now. Please check these levels frequently so we know when it happens.
David allister
on January 2, 2018 at 3:23 pm
Hi I put in colony in a 500 litre saltwater tank I put in 2 clown fish the next day keep skimmer off for 5 days it’s been 2 weeks know I’m still getting a reading of 0.25 ammonia and 5 to 10 ppm nitrate can’t get the ammonia ware it should be at 0.00 ppm help
Hey David, I can’t really imagine a scenario where you would convert so much ammonia and then it suddenly stop. These bacteria double in numbers every 21 hours or so, even if the product was half as effective by now it would have grown exponentially. Have you corroborated your ammonia results with more than one test kit? How are the fish looking?
Best regards,
Stacey
Craig Delaney
on May 2, 2018 at 2:55 pm
Hi added colony on Sunday 29th the 189l bottle for my 150l and today I’m getting reading of
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
I’ve tested everyday and had no nitrite readings or nitrite readings I did have 0.2 ammonia but that’s gone now, I added 2 clowns and I’ve kept the skimmer off, PH is 8
KH is 10 temp is 25c, the test kit I’m using is an in date Red Sea marine care, I really can’t understand what’s going on?
It’s probably the test kits aren’t reading the nitrate. When working with these low numbers during a cycle it can be a little problematic. Keep trying that nitrate. I think it will register here soon. The ammonia has no place to go but into nitrate. You’re not using an ammonia remover are you?
Best,
Stacey
Craig Delaney
on May 2, 2018 at 3:53 pm
Hi Stacy,
No I’m not using any ammonia remover, I just can’t understan why there’s been no reading for nitrite either?
Nitrite enters the tank through oxidation than ammonia through waste so it can sneak through before you’ve had a chance to spot it.
Craig Delaney
on May 2, 2018 at 4:00 pm
Ok great thanks so I’m basically just waiting for a nitrate reading now then my tank has cycled? Also would you recommend adding another small bottle just to give it a kick?
Yeah, just hold out for the nitrate. You’re probably good save the test kits. You don’t need any more Colony.
Craig Delaney
on May 5, 2018 at 5:48 am
Day 7 and still getting zero on all ammonia nitrite and nitrate how can this be? There’s 3 fish in the tank and followed the instructions to a tee, I know my test kit it good because I already have a tank set up that I use the test kits on?
Hey Craig, I’m not really sure what the problem could be. When is the last time you fed the fish?
Chris
on May 5, 2018 at 11:10 am
Hi
Got a 500lt marine tank 7 days ago added enough collony turned the skimmer off and put 10 fish in and fed lightly
After 7 days fish seam fine but my level are
P.h 8.2
Ammonia 0.1
Nitrite over 1
Nitrate over 50
I am concerned that both nitrite and nitrate are still massively high ??
Should I start water changing and if so how much would you recommend
Thanks for reaching out. For nitrate you really need to do water changes to get that down. Colony creates nitrate as a rule. For nitrite, can you verify that it is not over 3 ppm?
Craig Delaney
on May 5, 2018 at 1:37 pm
I fed on the first day and then started feeding lightly after the 4th day
I am using the red sea test kit problem is it only goes to 1 ppm
I would say the colour is pretty close to the 1ppm colour so pretty sure it wouldn’t be 3
I’m not really sure why you would be showing a 1ppm on nitrite given the rate at which you are converting into nitrate, which is a lot for only several days. See what it is like after your water change and get back to me. Unless the fish appear stressed I see no cause for any alarm at the moment.
Chris
on May 5, 2018 at 2:02 pm
Just tested again
I would say
Nitrite 1ppm
Nitrate 50 – 70 ppm
Collony was added 7 days ago
Just should I do a water change ?
I don’t want to effect the collony working but I assume 7 days it’s done it’s job
Hey Chris, oh Colony is already finished. Just do as big of a water change as is practical for you and let me know your readings afterward. Cheers
Craig Delaney
on May 5, 2018 at 2:33 pm
Hi I’m using the Red Sea test kit, I know it’s good because it’s reading perfect on my other tank, I really can’t understand what’s going on? How can I be reading
0 ammonia
0 nitrite
0 nitrate
With 4 fish in my system?
And like I said my test kit is reading perfect for my other tank
Until a new generation of test kits are developed for consumer usage, we have to live with their limitations. Typical aquarium test kits use cadmium reduction to discern nitrite from nitrate. This process has interference potential. This limitation usually gets exposed during a cycle when there are multiple kinds of nitrogenous compounds present in low numbers. The lower the amount of nitrogenous material present the more sensitive the kit needs to be in order to read it. For instance, some probes can read ammonia in parts per billion. But your test kit cannot.
So given what we know of your case let’s think through the possibilities. I realize you’re frustrated. 1.) You had a false positive on ammonia initially. But since you fed, we know there was ammonia so we can eliminate this. 2.) The ammonia disappeared on its own. This doesn’t happen so eliminate this. 3.) The ammonia oxidized into nitrite and then the nitrite disappeared on its own. This doesn’t happen either. 4.) The ammonia made its way to nitrate and the nitrate disappeared on its own. This can only happen in a tank that has some sort of nutrient control as part of the refugium such as an algae scrubber. 5.) You’re operating within the liable range of your test kits and getting interferences causing readings to not look right. Given the fact we know you fed, we know you had ammonia, you aren’t accumulating ammonia, and this is verified by kit readings and lack of stress showing in the fish #5 is the likely answer until some other information presents itself.
Try a medium feeding and let’s see what happens.
Keep me posted
Stacey
Craig Delaney
on May 5, 2018 at 3:35 pm
Great thanks Stacey i will do, just one last question do you think it’s safe to move the test of my live stock so fish coral and inverts over to the new tank yet?
I would err on the side of caution and let’s make sure we see that nitrate first. And don’t be afraid of your test kits. After the cycle they will work just fine for your needs moving forward. The cycle just kind of causes some problems with them sometimes.
Stacey
Sarah
on May 14, 2018 at 11:12 am
Hi, I have a 190l stocked freshwater aquarium I have had it set up for around 6 weeks now. I have had trouble with ammonia so my lfs recommended adding colony. I dosed tank with it on Friday and have checked my water everyday since and nothing seems to be changing. My ph is 7.6, ammonia 1.0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 0. How long should it take for the bacteria to convert the ammonia?
Thanks for reaching out. Can you please tell me every product you have put into this tank since the beginning? EDIT: Also can you please give me the lot number, which will be a 5 digit number on a sticker on the bottom of the bottle.
Best regards,
Stacey
Sarah
on May 14, 2018 at 11:54 am
Hi I used the tetra safestart on setup, i dont think worked i also used prime water conditioner at start and with water changes. The lot number is 17171.
You should be converting ammonia by now. I am concerned that it has doubled. How many fish are in this tank and are you feeding?
Sarah
on May 16, 2018 at 10:20 am
I have just checked my water levels again, and the ammonia has went up to 2.0 the nitrite and nitrate both still 0. Should this not have started to convert yet?
The tank is 190l and I have 8 rams, 6 tetra, 2 kilifish, 6 bumblebee gobys, 4 corys 4 ottos and a small pleco. I was assured by my lfs that the tank is big enough for them, I am feeding lightly every other day as the have been in for 6 weeks now. I’m afraid of starving them.
Let’s please stop feeding completely for now. Without nitrification the ammonia is just going to collect and become deadly. Don’t worry about them starving at this point. Can you tell me which LFS you are working with? This bottle of Colony is right at the end of its shelf life so it has been around a while. My main concern is that we are nearly 7 weeks in and you should start to see the tank cycle on its own by now.
Thanks
Sarah
on May 16, 2018 at 1:18 pm
I will stop feeding for now, is there anything else I can do? I bought a large bottle of colony should I dose the tank again? I appreciate any help.
Hey Sarah, thanks. Sorry for my delays I am inundated badly today. We’ll want to get a new bottle in your hands as a precaution. In the meantime, please do as large of a water change as you can to bring ammonia down.
Sarah
on May 17, 2018 at 12:57 am
Ok, I’ll do another 80% change today. Where do I get another bottle? I don’t want to buy from lfs again incase all the bottles are from the same batch and near the end of their shelf life.
Added colony to my 40gallon startup one week ago exactly .. added the colony then added 2 clown fish 4 hours later … using live sand and Caribsea life rock .. skimmer off and no UV… reading 1 week later are :
PH ….8.2
Ammonia .. 0.25
Nitrite…0
Nitrate ..5.0
Using API test kits… am I safe to add another fish or any snails or shrimps?.. time for a water change?
You don’t need to add Colony after every water change. After cycling the Colony bacteria will live indefinitely in your allocated filtration media. Adding Outbreak! bacteria, however, would be advantageous immediately after each water change. This bacteria addresses ongoing organics build-up.
Best regards,
Stacey
Kyle
on July 6, 2018 at 11:35 am
Thank you, one more question, I just recently set up a 29 gallon saltwater tank on monday and I added the dosage for colony then. How soon do I need to add fish and do I need to add colony again when I add them? Can i also add all of my desired fish at once or should I add them slowly?
You should add Colony at the same time you add you fish. This will supply the bacteria in Colony with the ammonia they need as an energy source.
Regards,
Stacey
Kyle
on July 6, 2018 at 12:26 pm
Really sorry to keep bothering you but I already added colony on monday to start the cycle. Was this a mistake? Will adding more colony when adding fish be harmful/is it possible to overdose?
You still have time to add the fish. Basically the bacteria will die back to a number the available energy source (ammonia) will support. This happens in about 17 days. So you still have time. You shouldn’t need to dose any more Colony. But if you needed to it wouldn’t be harmful. It is a non-toxic product.
Best regards,
Stacey
Matt
on July 16, 2018 at 10:35 pm
Hi.. first time I’ve seen my parameters with such a change.. tavks been up and running about 4 months now … just added a few corals about 3 weeks ago… ya I contains 2 nemos, 2 gobys, cleaner shrimp, pistol shrimp, 10 hermit crabs , dottyback and 3 turbo snails … last week been having a little diatom on the glass.. today 2 snails have died … I did a reading and I’m at :
Can you clarify for me? I have a Reefer 170 set up with Real Reef rock and Marco. The tank has run for two weeks, no fish and on Monday late afternoon I added Colony and a yellow tailed Damsel. I added a small amount of frozen brineshrimp Tuesday morning, as fish too stressed after catching him from my other tank on Monday. I tested beforehand and all my readings where zero. I tested the last 2 days for ammonia and have got zero readings, but forgot to test nitrite and nitrate….my bad! Today I have tested all 3 and got zero readings, apart from nitrate of 25ppm. I’ve no idea where I’m at on the cycling. I guess I need to keep testing for ammonia and nitrite? Can you help?
Has there been anything else in the tank living besides the fish or anything else organic since the beginning? Yes, keep looking for ammonia and see if you can get the fish to eat a little bit of food. And no excess food to rot in the tank that could possibly produce readable nitrate that would keep us from discerning nitrate produced by nitrification, as that’s what we’re looking for.
Keep me posted!
Best regards,
Stacey
Kaz Johnstone
on October 3, 2018 at 11:19 am
Hi Stacey,
Nothing else in the tank. I had it running with just the rock, live sand and salt water for two weeks. I knew if I fed on the same day I put the damsel in, he wouldn’t eat it. Too stressed and just hid under a rock. When I fed the following morning (yesterday) it did not look like he ate much and I only put a tiny amount in. I’m wondering if it’s the uneaten food giving the reading? Then again, it was a tiny amount. Today he is more confident, although hides when I appear. I’ll try feeding tomorrow morning, after I’ve tested and let you know.
Just read over what I’ve written and realised there is a typo😱. The nitrate reading should be 0.25, sorry! I’ve done the tests again this morning (day 4) and the readings are the same, only the colour of the nitrate reading (Red Sea pro test kit) is a lot lighter pink and is barely visible. I have fed a tiny amount of frozen brineshrimp as instructed. Should I continue with airstone and no skimmer?
This mornings readings after feeding the fish read zero for ammonia and nitrite. Whilst the ammonia reading with a Salifert kit appears to be zero, I noticed that the colours on the test card reflect and can make it appear that it could be a 0.15 reading. The reading for nitrate has gone down and probably zero too. There is just a very faint hue of pink that can only be seen in bright light against a white gloss table. Very frustrating, but I guess it still indicates no change with ammonia and nitrites, whilst the nitrate appears to have nearly disappeared and that includes feeding the fish yesterday. What would you suggest at this point on day 5? Should I continue feeding maybe once a day lightly and continue to monitor ammonia etc daily? Would I now take the airstone out and should I add clean up crew now? Thanks in advance. Kind regards Kaz
Yes, feed again. I think because you have one fish in a huge tank we aren’t reading any ammonia. Do another feeding and let’s see if we see any levels. Ideally, you would be seeing things happen with a stocked tank as it would generate a more readable bit of ammonia.
Let’s keep an eye on ammonia and nitrate. You might not see nitrite if it is converted before you get a chance to check, so nitrate will also validate its presence.
Regards,
Stacey
Charlie Broomfield
on October 19, 2018 at 7:02 am
I started up a 60 gallon aquarium bare bottom and only run the aquarium with a ehiem 4 pro plus canister filter and a sponge filter and air stones and that’s it. The P.H is at 6.6 i know it’s low for colony but i need it there for the discus fish as well temperature is 84 f. I added the ATM colony in double dose and it’s been one week can i add the discus to the tank? Ammonia and nitrite and nitrate are all zero’s
I’m sorry I just saw your comment here. How are things going?
Stacey
Bryan
on December 3, 2018 at 7:26 pm
Hey there,
I was just wondering when I should start seeing signs of cycling, I put 4oz’s in a 20 gallon fresh water aquarium just under 4 days ago, nothing yet. My Ph level is at a 6.4-6.5.
I’m a little desperate for the cycle to occur and can’t alter the Ph level because I have a proven pair of discus living in there, with no where else to put them.
If you could say anything that would make it easier to sleep at night, I’d really appreciate it.
Thank you tanked team, much respect from Ottawa On.
P.s -as of right now the fish look fine, and today I’ve been noticing some “free swimming” fry 🙂
Thanks for getting in touch. I’m afraid at that pH the cycle is going to go significantly slower. The more acidic the environment becomes that more the bacteria growth rate declines. You could add a few more doses to speed it up. Also, it should make you feel better to know that the toxicity of ammonia is greatly reduced.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Regards,
Stacey
Kenneth Phillips
on April 21, 2020 at 11:53 pm
Hey there,
I see on the bottom it’s a certain amount of dose it say to use, but if I wanted to, could I add the whole bottle to my 20 gallon saltwater tank? To accelerate the process and also build up more beneficial bacteria?
Yes, you can certainly use the entire bottle. However, in cases where there is excess I find it useful to only use the recommended dose in case there was trouble down the road with something in the parameters and you want to add some later. Just as a contingency.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Stacey
Mark Bailey
on February 21, 2021 at 4:01 am
Hi. It’s a great website and I’ve been looking through comments to see if is there is guidance on use of your product when adding additional fish to an established tank with a current low fish stocking level. I couldn’t find it! I had big issues establishing the tank originally using standard nitrogen cycle methods. I’ve chosen this time to go down the ATP Colony route, So, the product is ordered and should be with me in next few days. Basically, I plan to increase tank fish levels to what should be expected for the tank size but have previously been hesitant about this as I wanted to avoid the issues of increased ammonia, nitrite etc. My question: Do I just add Colony in accordance to the dose and instructions about feeding etc as though starting a new tank/fish in cycle? Sorry, if this is already explained on your website or on the bottle instructions and will become clear when the product arrives. Thanks in advance, Mark (UK)
Hello Mark, to be safe I would add the entire tank volume or a new tank just to be safe. After the tank is established we get far less scientific in our approach and paint with broader strokes. The reason is that it’s hard to know the exact figures of bio-filtration after it’s been set up. A tank that has not been cycled is easy to determine as zero bacteria. So I would do that just to cover your bases.
If you have any other questions just holler
Stacey
Glenn
on April 6, 2022 at 12:05 pm
I am trying to get a new tank setup with the biofiltration with ATM colony. I seeded the tank with 2 ppm ammonia and then added colony. After a couple a days I started seeing nitrite and nitrate and after 3-4 days the ammonia is about 0. The nitrite level won’t go down (about 5 ppm). The bacteria is converting the nitrite to nitrate, but not all of it. Is more time needed? Was 2 ppm of ammonia too much? It is a 5 gallon tank at 78 F and a pH of 7.2. I am using a sponge filter for filtering and aeration. The nitrate is about 10 ppm.
Hello, thanks for your question. Yes, 2ppm ammonia is too much. Conversion isn’t equal across, so 2ppm of ammonia will get you around 5ppm nitrite all at once which will stall the process. High nitrite levels reduce the oxidization rate of nitrite oxidizers, unlike the ammonia oxidizers. Where are your nitrite levels now? You might just be able to water change it down. For future reference we advise no more than .5 ppm of ammonia dosing for a fish-less cycle but ultimately recommend following our instructions on the bottle for best results. https://acrylictankmanufacturing.com/products/water-treatment/biologicals/colony-nitrifying-bacteria/ Let me know!
Glenn
on April 6, 2022 at 2:56 pm
My nitrite is at 3 ppm. Since I did not follow the recommend dose, should I start over? Just add more colony? Any suggestions?
Stacey Blood
on April 6, 2022 at 3:04 pm
Hey Glenn, oh no you’re still good. If you are beyond 4 days since adding Colony I would just water change that nitrite down as low as you can go and it should kick it into gear.
Glenn
on April 7, 2022 at 7:40 am
I got it down to under 1 ppm and hoped that overnight the bacteria would make nitrate, but it is still the same level. I can do another water change to get it down to near 0, but I want to be sure the nitrogen cycle is working. I lost a fish to an ammonia/nitrite spike and want to be sure the tank is OK. It seem like there is no way to tell if the bio filtration is working.
Okay great, then you are converting well. The water change would have brought it down so you had even more prior. I think right now you might be having a test kit issue. They work on a cadmium reduction process to discern nitrite from nitrate and it has a frequent interference rate. It’s not uncommon to be reading nitrite that is actually nitrate, especially during this process when they are all mixing at once. Keep your eye on the fish. Ultimately they will be the best corroborator to your tests. Keep me posted.
dawn barrett
on November 2, 2022 at 5:05 am
HI
I have put colony in my tank it is 365 liters i have dry rock and dry sand it has 2 bio media blocks in sump, i have switched off my uv skimmer and reef mat – i have added 2 clown fish which are medium size. i am currently on day 4 – my ammonia levels on day 1 was 0.10 nitrite 0 nitrates 0 day 2 ammonia 0.05 nitrite 0 nitrate 10ppm day 3 ammonia 0.08 nitrite 0 nitrate 5 day 4 ammonia 0.05 nitrite 0 nitrate 5ppm. Nitrites has never shown on my test kit – i use an API test kit for the nitrites a Hanna one for the ammonia and a salifret for the nitrates as i couldn’t seem to get hold of a salifret for the nitrites. i fed lightly on day one although they didn’t seem to eat much if anything. i am told i can feed lightly on day 5 and do water change and put skimmer on n uv etc. Why is the ammonia up and down like that is this what should happen, i am hoping to add another fish at the weekend like maybe a large foxface or a coral beauty and just add one fish a week and keep monitoring the ammonia. There seemed to be a very very slight brown color on the same at one side of my tank and maybe a bit of brown on my rocks, but these were that delicate to see i wasn’t actually sure at first. Is this what happens with the cycle should the ammonia be up and down or should it level out now
Thanks for your question here and the thorough report on your testing. It looks to me like everything is going great and that you have execute this process perfectly. Ideally, we don’t want to see nitrite appear on the test kits because it tends to be consumed as it appears, or relatively soon afterward. This is the purpose for the feeding instructions, which it seems you followed perfectly. Now, there is another factor with test kits to be aware of. I am assuming you are using one of the mainstream reagent test kits. These discern nitrite from nitrate using a cadmium reduction process. This is a good process, but it has its limitations if it gets too much nitrate and nitrite present at the same time. It’s not always, but it’s enough for me to encounter regularly. Essentially, the kits aren’t perfect. So if you were to find a small nitrite reading at this stage, even with so many PPM of nitrate it is likely an interference. So long as the ammonia readings and nitrate readings are balanced you should get a clear picture (along with healthy behaving fish). Ammonia levels can also not be perfect either. Aquarium cycling is a different environment than an established tank as we tend to work with all three nitrogenous compounds at once which can trigger the interferences.
I would increase feeding up to regular feeding over the next two days and report your findings here so I can see how it looks.
I am looking to see what bacteria is in your Colony product. I live in Hawaii and work at Petco. Microorganisms are highly regulated here and the list of what is acceptable to import is small. Is the scientific name of the beneficial bacteria listed somewhere?
Hello Jerry,
Yes the names of the bacteria are listed on the bottles. You can read more in-depth and watch our tutorial video on Colony here https://acrylictankmanufacturing.com/products/water-treatment/biologicals/colony/
Thanks!
Yes cycling a 40 gallon breeder. Used Colony to start two weekend ago. Two weeks later Ammonia 1.0 ppm, ph 8.2, nitrites 0, nitrates 5 ppm. Seems slow. Can I shoot another 8 oz in the. Tank? I have two juvenile Malawi peacocks in the tank.
Hello kent,
Freshwater nitrifying bacteria function at their optimum conversion between 7.2-8.0. So at 8.2 they have been inhibited a bit. That explains why with Colony you’re getting full conversion to nitrate but its a little sluggish.
Another 8oz of Colony will pick up the slack for the inhibited batch currently in there and if you drop the pH to around 7.9-8.0 you’ll be really rockin’.
Keep us posted.
72 hours after another 16 oz ( doubled it because of the ph difficulty to lower just .2) colony we got 1.0 pp ammonia, 0.0 nitrite 5- 10 nitrate. We had a nitrite spike yesterday . 5 ppm. We want to add our full fish load in sooner than later but do not want to put the fish at risk. Any suggestions. Also, our base tap water test shows 1 ppm ammonia so could something be giving me false readings? We did condition the water before we put in. we have done any water changes. We are still using API master test kit. Ps. My 10 year asked me to write y’all since Brett says we can cycle the tank instantly.
Hey Kent, It looks like you’re pretty much cycled. When you’re getting the kind of nitrate readings you’re getting you have already the conversion that hobbyists have waited weeks and weeks for, historically. It is possible you could be getting readings of ammonia off the chloramine in the tap water. Typically tap water doesn’t come out with that much ammonia, or if any, because there are strict regulations on ammonia levels in municipal water. Many hobbyists will have spikes they can never get rid of, yet the fish always remain healthy pointing to a false positive of some sort. How do the fish look? Are they swimming around and happy? Are they eating right? Stop feeding for three days and do no water changes and at the end lets look at two things: 1.) If nitrate has risen, and 2.) If so see if the ammonia went down relatively. Keep us posted! It looks like you have done this very well.
Fish look great. We fed them by hand ( yes they eat out of hand pretty cool.) we will get two More and see how they do. If it works out we will fully stock next weekend. Since we were so conservative at the beginning, should we hit anther 8 onzes when we fully load? We are just trying to get the fish in the tank fast to control aggression. I promise I will not bother you again.
Hey kent no worries that’s what we’re here for! Let me kind of shed some light on what you’ve got with Colony. Each bottle is fit for a full, appropriately stocked system. I know it seems scary and backwards, but to keep the full population that Colony provides there needs to be an adequate amount of food and fish to provide it. Let me explain this dynamic. You have about two weeks to keep that full population that Colony offers. What I mean by that is that un-fed nitrifying bacteria will start dying at that point, so if you have only two fish you will only have a size colony of bacteria for two fish. I would like to see a few more fish go in immediately so we’re feeding all that bacteria so it doesn’t die back to a smaller, two-fish colony. After a couple of days add more. Keep your feeding extremely light over this time. This will keep low spikes while still feeding the bacteria. Like I said, its okay to go slower if you like but don’t go too slow with Colony or you shrink the bio-filter and it kind of defeats the purpose.
Let me know if you have any questions on this.
Hi, was wondering if you could help?? Recently set up my first saltwater aquarium. It’s a 65 gallon fish only tank, which I filled and began to cycle with fish (on the advice I my local fish store) 2 weeks on fish are fine and feeding well and seem healthy enough but cycle is still not complete. So I purchased some of your colony product and it should arrive tomorrow. I was just wondering if its still safe to use this two weeks in to the cycle, and if so how should I go about it, I.e water change first or not? An does this product get added directly to the tank or the filter area? Thanks for any advice
Hello Colin,
Thanks for the question. Yes, Colony will jump start your cycle whether you start it from scratch or weeks in. I would recommend doing a water change prior to adding Colony if you have any dangerous levels or ammonia and nitrite. Colony is going to work pretty fast, so I would recommend stop feeding for now. Make sure you shake the bottle well, turn off UV and protein skimmer and no water changes for 4 days. Slowly resume feeding to normal levels again when you see nitrate and nitrite levels have gone to at or near zero. That’s how you cycle quickly and keep the fish safe. Please refer to our field guide if you have any other questions. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fza4_ZtPFt20OzsZH5GdKwIKKQc8kBUPq9haEph0s_0/edit Keep me posted on this please!
When first using colony should I have my skimmer on?.. What is the process involved?.. Should I wait a certain amount of time before I turn my skimmer on?
Hey Gary,
Thanks for getting in touch. You will need to shut the protein skimmer off for four days while Colony attaches to filtration media. After this point it will be out of the water column and the skimmer can go back on.
Hi put colony in a new salt water tank filled with pre mixed salt water added 4 fish today after adding colony and have got readings of
Ph 8
Ammonia 0.25
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 5.0
Big concerned about the ammonia and nitrates please can you advise
Hello Neil,
Thanks for getting in touch with us. It looks like Colony is doing what it is supposed to do. Can you tell me what day you introduced Colony and what day you introduced the fish?
Thanks!
Stacey
Hi i need some help i have salt water tank 55gal and i used your colony along with a pair of clown fishes ive been water testing every single day and all the readings i had was 0.25 ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate , and im on my 3rd day now, ive applied colony on a wednesday night along with the fishes and its already saturday any help and advises? Shall i buy a small bottle of colony to help it out? And ive been topping off the water too with RO water to correct salinity, help please?
Hey Josh,
Thanks for reaching out. Please reach me at stacey @ acrylictankmanufacturing . com (take out the spaces).
I’ve bin putting trust the shark in my tank I’ve bin going for my water tested regular it is still really high on ammonia nitrite and nitrate does anyone no how long it takes to clear the tank I’ve started doing a water change every week
Hello Rebecca,
Can you tell me a bit about your tank? I it freshwater, saltwater, how long has it been up?
Thanks!
Hi I added some of your marine colony to my tank last Sunday afternoon and added a few fish I fed on first day then haven’t fed since it’s now Saturday been a week since adding colony and my readings are ammonia 0 nitrite is still at 2 and nitrate is 50 . Skimmer is still switched off and I haven’t done a water change . Is there any reason why my nitrite hasn’t gone down yet
Hey thanks for reaching out. Do you have live rock in this tank?
No I use dry macro rock and dry crushed coral sand
Okay, I see. 50 nitrate after just six days is a ton of conversion. I’m suspicious that the nitrite reading is a bit exaggerated due to nitrogen interference. Based on the enormous amount of nitrite that has already been converted, the rate vs. reading doesn’t add up. It isn’t unusual for this to happen with consumer grade test kits. If this isn’t the case then the most likely cause would be fluctuating or dropping pH recently. What has the pH been?
Hi our tanks has been running for around 12 weeks and was cycled old school with a prawn everything went fine and cycled OK then we made our first mistake put to much in in a short time wich in turn kicked off another cycle so we added your marine colony with after 2 days brought ammonia nitrite back down 0 we turned off the skimmer etc and just run with the return pump it’s been 6 days now I have just turned on the skimmer and fitted the filter sock when is it best to do a water change because it’s not had one now for 12 days
Hello Mark, you are clear to do a water change whenever you like. The only it is recommended to not perform a water change is within the first 4 days of dosing Colony as it might still be free floating in the water column. I hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi,
3 days ago I used colony in a new 30 gallon reef tank. I have 2 clowns in the tank feeding very light with brine shrimp. My ammonia is 1.0ppm nitrite 0ppm and nitrate still 0ppm.
I used live sand and ocean dry rock. My temperature is 79 and oh 8.1/8.2 ish. Have been using seachem prime to detoxify ammonia, skimmer and UV are both switched off.
Is there any reason why I’m not seeing any nitrite yet?
Thanks
Hello Sam,
If you will please provide me with the born-on date on the bottle. It should be a five digit number on a sticker, usually the bottom.
Thanks!
Hi I have a 50gall tank with dry rock and dry sand I have 2 189l bottles of marine colony have many fish am I going to need to get a good cycle
Yes, indeed. Make sure you follow the instructions exactly and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask!
It says 19204
Great, thanks for that. It looks like the product is still in date. If you will, please reach out to support@acrylictankmanufacturing.com. We can help you get sorted.
Best regards!
Hi,
I restarted my tank on Sunday, added all my fish along with one and a half bottles of ATM colony (bottles suited for 100 gallons). Tank volume is approx 475 litres and has 10 fish (some large). As of today my Ammonia is reading 1ppm (increasing every day) nitrites are 0 and nitrate is 0. Water parameters are temp 25 degrees, ph stable at around 8.0 – 8.02 and DKH 8. Shouldn’t I have seen some conversion by now or is it still too early?
Hey Jon,
Thanks for getting in touch. How quickly is the ammonia increasing? And are you currently feeding? Do you have live rock?
Thanks!
Hi,
Not feeding at all (since the first light feed as per instructions), no live rock as restarted with completely new dry Marco Rock about 60 – 80 kg total. Ammonia was .25 on Monday, .50 yesterday and 1ppm this morning. Will be checking again this evening.
Hey Jon,
We should be seeing conversion from ammonia probably any minute. I am concerned about the raising ammonia. It is doubling about every day. We should find the source of this incoming ammonia and deal with that. Can you tell me the lot number of the bottle of your product?
Hi,
Thanks for he reply.
Really not sure what may be causing the Ammonia as everything that went into the tank was new (other than the fish etc)
Not sure where the batch number can be found however the code at the bottom of the barcode label is: 7031700416 there is also a small sticky label on the bottom of the bottle with the following numbers printed on it: 16097. Unfortunately I only have one of the bottles as I threw the other away once I had dosed the tank.
The Ammonia has stayed level at 1ppm when tested this morning but still no conversion to either Nitrite or Nitrate.
Hello Jon,
Please contact me at support@acrylictankmanufacturing.com
It will be easier for me to more quickly handle your case there.
Best regards,
Stacey
Hi
am 7 days after cycling with Atm Colony
fallow all neseccery direction
skimmer off
uv off
colony added along with fish and light feeding
i didn’t spot any large spike off ammonia
but second day nitrite sky high for pass 5/6 days
today day 7 nitrite sky high
nitrate also high
ammonia close to zero?
is that means my cycling is done ?
shall start water changes ?
if i start w/ch it won’t affect future problems with nitrite? as is not converted yet ?
Hello,
It’s hard to interpret what is going on here. What is the level of the nitrite? To answer your question, after 4 days you are in good shape to do any water changes you like.
Hi i put atm in tank sunday. Afternoon. And add fish same day i show ammonia. Nitrite and nitrates. Is it now i need to do a water change has i showing reading. On all i showed. My local fish store my results. He advised a 20% water change also have diatoms. In the sump tank
Hi,
What are your current levels?
Ph 8.2
Ammonia 2.0 ppm
Nitrites 5.0 ppm
Nitrates 40 ppm
Kinds regards Kelly
I added colony on the 18th of December today day 4
That is a lot of nitrogenous compounds! You are clear to do water changes now as the bacteria is well established. How are the fishes?
Hi it a breeding setup 4 50 litres tanks and then a 3 ft sump which take a 100 litres I can’t believe how quick it established I have pair of black ice clowns a pair of piccasos and a pair of snowflakes clown and a pair of common black and whites I done a 20% water change today the fish all swimming and doing what they should be so they ok was concerned about levels has it seems to took ok I have loads of volcanic rock in sump with filter floss and lots of other filter sponges has well has ceramic noodles and protein skimmer
Hi I did a water change on Monday did a water test today and ammonia is 0.25 ppm nitrite 0.5 ppm nitrate 10.0 ppm and I was told to put more colony in to me tank to bring these levels down is this correct?
Hello Chris, how old is this tank?
Hi the tank is 3 weeks old
Thanks Chris. Yes, Colony will help you out a lot finishing the cycle. If you have any other questions just holler.
Will it bring nitrate down aswell?
Hey Chris,
Colony will actually create nitrate as it converts the ammonia and nitrite. You’ll need to deal with nitrate through different means, typically through water changes or alternative filtration methods.
I put colony in yesterday so when would you do a Water Change? My nitrate is 10.0 ppm
You’ll want to do water changes starting on Monday evening. We need four days to make sure the bacteria is attached in the media and still not in the water column.
This is the second time I have used colony should I do a water change tonight?
No if you put Colony in just yesterday then you will be pulling a lot of it out with the water change.
Hi ATM,
Cycling a 300 gal reef total volume about 420gals …dumped 1 gal colony 4 days ago
Ammonia 2.0
Nitrate 25-30ppm
Nitrite 6.0ppm
No fish death…should i do a water change and if so how much?
BTW, just in case if more colony is needed you guys already shipped it.
Hey Frank, can you tell me a little more about your system? How long ago did you set it up and did you add live rock?
Its a brand new system. Started up on Sunday and added Colony on Monday. It has dead rock.
Hey Frank, if this is rock that was alive at some point you could probably have ammonia coming from it which is giving you so much nitrogenous compounds after only a few days. No feeding until numbers balance out and you might want to hit the ammonia with an ammonia remover such as ATM Triage. If you are only feeding lightly as per instructions this excess ammonia likely is coming from the rock.
Sorry meant to say Dry Rock. To be exact Pukani, Tonga shelves, tonga brances. Should I add more Colony and perhaps water change? I have 100 gallons ready to go if needed.
Oh okay. I think right now we should find the source of the excess ammonia. At this point you shouldn’t have anything close to this. You have converted 8.5 ammonia and still have 2ppm sitting there. After 4 days with Colony you should be more in the .25 and under range for ammonia with the single light feeding on day one.
I will do readings tonight when I get home. The readings i did was at 5AM this morning. Did I use enough Colony?
Looking better:
Ammonia 0.2
Nitrate 30
Nitrite 2
ALK 9.0
Temp 78.5
PH dropped to 7.7
Looks good but that pH dropping is likely the cause of your nitrite hanging around. You probably have CO2 build-up in the tank. This happens when it isn’t being gassed off properly.
Everything is the same but PH bounced back to 8.1
Ammonia 0.2
Nitrate 30
Nitrite 2
ALK 9.2
Temp 79
PH up to 8.1
BTW Im using Red sea test kits. what would you guys recommend?
Looks better. Try and keep that pH around 8.1. The fluctuation will matter less tot he bacteria as the bio-filter gets fully colonized. From my experience there isn’t a noticeable difference in consumer grade test kits. You’re okay with what you have.
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 20
Nitrite 1
ALK 9.3
Temp 78.5
PH 8.2
Do I need a water change yet? If so how much? My total water volume is 420 gal
Looking good! Yes you are free to do water changes. How much of a water change is up to you. I just don’t know enough about your system to be advising outside of use of ATM Products. Sorry.
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 5
Nitrite 0.5
ALK 9.4
Temp 78.8
PH 8.3
Did a 50% water change as well before the tests.
Does this mean Im pretty much cycled? can I feed a bit more? When adding more fish should i pour more ATM Colony in? If so how much? Do you recommend any more ATM products to use as I go on?
Sorry for all these questions
Hey Frank,
Sorry I didn’t catch your last response. Everything should be looking great about now. I would definitely recommend using Outbreak! as a weekly or bi-weekly regimen for organics control, Agent Green for phosphate control, and Supernova Living Carbon filtration media. All great tools! Also, keep a bottle of Triage First Response in case of any ammonia emergencies.
Best regards!
Im gonna be adding new fish but will be putting them in a QT tank first. Can I just add Colony to the QT tank. It has no substrate or rock in it, just some PVC pipe for the fish to hide, a hang on filter and a heater.
Hey Frank,
You need to get some kind of media in the hang-on filter like carbon or something. The bacteria will need a place to colonize.
Hi I’ve my tank set up 7 weeks now I waited 2 weeks then put in ATM conoly everything was great then got the fish in no problem. So everything was going great all readings good but I thought it’s 7 weeks and I haven’t done a water change and my lfs said I should do one. So I done a 20% water change and my nitrate spiked up and anroma went up a bit is there an ATM product I can use weekly to keep everything good
Your nitrates shouldn’t have gone up after a water change. I honestly don’t know how to account for a nitrate spike in this scenario. Ammonia spike can occur due to disturbed substrate releasing into the water column. A gravel vac might be in order if it is kicking up such ammonia (rotting sediment). I would recommend having Triage First Response handy for any ammonia emergencies and start with Outbreak! to mitigate decomposing organics that will cause problems.
If you have any other questions just holler!
Can you leave a carbon reactor on with Colony in a saltwater tank?
My current
Ph 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
45 Gal saltwater Tank
Forgot to unplug my carbon filter will this cause any problem during my cycle with ATM Colony? I only have two clowns, 5 snails and 5 herm Crabs
Hey Eric,
No, leaving your carbon reactor on is okay. However, realize that the bacteria will want to reside there. So be careful when you are changing the media.
And i’m on Day 4
on day 4 do you think ill get a spike soon ? what is the norm
@ day 4 i just did a night test
Results where
My current
Ph 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5ppm (using API just a slight difference from 0ppm) how much of a spike would i need?
5 ppm is great. That means the bacteria have converted the ammonia through nitrite to nitrate. Tomorrow give another light feeding and watch your levels.
when would you recommend a water change and turning on the skimmer? Nitrate should be at what ppm?, i’m new at this youtube video say like 25ppm
In a reef tank you want nitrates to be as low as possible. In a fish only tank I would keep below 25 always. You can do a water change at this point if you like and turn on the skimmer.
Hello there. I’m about to start a 20 gallon QT/acclimation tank and got a bottle of colony. I have 2 choices of Rock to put in with it to start and I was wondering which one u think i should use? Choice #1- dry rock in a cardboard box i’ve had out in the garage for a while, OR #2- rock i’ve had in a big plastic bin with a powerhead running for about 2 years, no food or anything being added to it. Just the powerhead in the water with it. Which would you suggest?
Hello,
When cycling with live rock I would choose the one that you are sure won’t have any die-off. This can be unpredictable. The addition of dry rock adds an unknown variable to the equation as we don’t know how much ammonia it will put out. It could be hardly any, it could be so much as to extend the cycle and endanger the fish. How long has this rock been dry and in the garage? Is it necessary to have rock in the QT tank?
Regards,
Stacey
oh, and it’s a saltwater tank- obviously LOL
Hi, I started off my 1000L marine tank 8th aug, it had salt water dry rock & substrate in it for a week before I actually started it off with colony (was this ok) i put 2 x your 100 gallon bottles in and my fish ( which have been in a holding tank for 2 months while work done on the tank) 11 fish 2 large ones, right i tested before colony and seemed like nitrate was in there already 20ppm, but i couldn’t really do anything about that, now, and not sure why it was there either, oh and I have a seneye reef monitoring some of the params also, my readings today (day3) are nitrate 50 nitrite 2 ammonia 0.016 phosphate 0.25 alk 7.3 ( has gone down from 8,2) temp 25.0 I’m thinking the nitrate and nitrite are too high also alk low.. could you advise plz
oh yes and ph 8.1
Hello Carol,
Your alk looks okay to me. I’m not sure why the large amount of nitrate but you appear to be converting very well. How are the fish acting? This is a high conversion rate for only 3 days so I am suspicious of this 2 in nitrite. What are you using to test nitrite? Do a 25% water change in the morning to start bringing that nitrate down and drop me a line on your numbers when you are done.
Keep me posted
Stacey
Hi im on day 5 now, just seen you reply, will do a water change in the morning, as its now 10.30pm. have just tested nitrate 50, nitrite 2, ph 8.3,ammonia 0,alk 9.9, i tested my nitrate with Red sea test kit.. it actually goes to the 50ppm straight away and that is the max it goes to, at the end of the 9 min which it says wait to get the right reading, its quite a bit darker than the 50 colour, Ive used colony twice before and never had this problem before.. it just a bit worrying with the nitrites that high also and the nitrate being over 50. I will do a water change in the morning, i’m thinking 30%, although i cant see it making that much difference can you….. I hope it does though. what do you think has made the nitrite and nitrate go this high ??
I will do a 25% water change, just re read your message.. fish seem ok, but my tangs have come out in white spot which they didnt have before, I gather it’s the change of tank and maybe the high nitrates/nitrites that has stressed them a bit.
done 200l water change no different readings… lost my purple tang this morning.. not happy 🙁
Hi Carol,
Sorry I just saw your last responses. Nitrates are high because the ammonia was high. Colony’s job is to convert ammonia and nitrite into nitrate. You need to keep water changing the nitrate out. 50ppm is very high. If you will please submit a tech support email at https://www.acrylictankmanufacturing.com/contact/ I’ll pick it up there and won’t miss your messages.
Best,
Stacey
Hi, I recently set up a nano reef tank and added colony just before I added my first fish (flame hawkfish). The tank has been cycling for 4 days now and my ammonia is sitting at 0.25ppm since day 1 and not changed. Nitrites and nitrates are at 0ppm and haven’t changed either (using API test kits). Is this all good so far, It’s not increasing which I guess is a good thing right?
Hello Mark,
Thanks for getting in touch. Can you give me the lot number on the sticker that is on the bottom of the bottle?
Thanks,
Stacey
Hi Stacey,
It is 17101
Thanks
Thanks Mark,
It looks like the product is well in date. Can you explain in detail how you set this tank up? I need to get a feel for your system and anything you have added. We should be seeing ammonia conversion by now so something is holding it up. Please provide pH and alkalinity value as well.
Thanks,
Stacey
Alk is 160ppm and PH is 8. Ammonia is still the same. I have set up a 30l quarantine tank, my RODO water has a TDS of 0, salinity is 1.025. I have no sand and only a small bit of real reef rock. The one thing I can think of is that the rock used to be in my display tanks sump. It was removed and washed in fresh water then left to dry for around 2 months.
I should also add that my display tank has always had ammonia at a constant 0.
Thanks
Have you had any kind of pH swings? Also, where did you purchase the product?
Nope PH has stayed steady.
Thanks Mark, where did you purchase the product? And what has your feeding regimen been like and how many fish did you start with.
Thanks,
Stacey
I purchased it from my LFS in Winchester, England who specialise in saltwater fish only. I have started with a small flame hawk fish and nothing else, feeding regime was light feeding on day 1 then I didn’t feed again till day 4. This was a light feed as well. Usually I would feed every other day but I haven’t been doing this as my cycle hasn’t completed (according to my test kit). I am going to take a water sample tomorrow to my LFS to get it tested with more reliable test kits.
Thanks
Hey Mark,
Let me know the results of the second test. I’m sorry what I had meant was which LFS did you get the product from.
Thanks,
Stacey
Hi, turns out its my test kit giving false results so I have changed it now. Tank is cycled and all good 🙂
Great! Glad you got it sorted.
Stacey
Hello,
I am trying to cycle a 2 Gallon tank with 1 Betta fish.
Added 5ml of colony 3 days after starting the tank.
Today its a week after adding the fish and 4 day after Colony.
Water test indicate 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite and 0 Nitrate ..water PH is 7.8, temperature around 80F
I am a bit confused I thought it would register some nitrate by now?
Should i add another dose of colony to the tank?
How often can i add it to the tank …every water change?
Tank does have a filter with carbon
Hello,
What has your feeding regimen been like? Also what kind of testing system are you using.
Thanks,
Stacey
Feeding 6 pellets every other day.
Also I just got a second pair of eyes to evaluate the colors again.
Ammonia and Nitrate are 0, but Nitrite seems to be between 0-0.25.
I am using API freshwater test kit.
Also please do advise how often this product can be used after cycling is done ….with water changes?
If i add another 5ml to the tank at this stage is it going to help?
Hello Hafeez,
Look like you are doing good. Can you describe your tank and filtration? Do you have good aeration?
Its a 2 gallon tank with Top Fin element filter built into the tank.
Aeration looks ok as the water from filter slowly pours on the surface causing gentle surface movement.
Its this tank:
http://www.petsmart.com/fish/starter-kits/top-fin-fish-eye-view-kit-2-gallon-tank-5253797.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qwd9wyc5V8 (watch at 2:28 for water filter)
Includes: (1) 2-Gallon Tank with Hood, (1) Bright White LED, (1) Hood with Convenient Feeding Door, (1) Top Fin Element Filter, (1) Top Fin Element Filter Cartridge
Betta tanks typically don’t have as ferocious aeration as larger aquarium filters as the waters need to be more calm. With the bacteria in Colon being aerobic this would probably slow them down some but you are converting. Keep your eye on that nitrite and nitrate and keep me posted.
Best,
Stacey
Hi Stacey,
I just checked the Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate Level
Ammonia: 0.50
Nitrite and Nitrate – 0
I was wondering, by now shouldn’t it be showing some Nitrite levels?
I haven’t changed water for 2 weeks now …is it time for partial water change to lower Ammonia level?
Thanks
Hello Hafeez,
If you previously had nitrite and now you have zero that can only turn into nitrite. Realize these test kits aren’t completely accurate all of the time. Let me first get a date on your product so we can rule out any expiration. There should be a sticker on the bottom of the bottle. Could you give me the 5 digit number on it? Also, what region are you contacting us from.
Best regards,
Stacey
Hello Stacy,
There is no sticker at the bottom of the bottle which i have 🙁 May be someone removed it ?
Can you share a picture of it so that i know what to look for?
I am located in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 🙂
I am using API freshwater liquid based tests and not the test strips.
Hello Hafeez,
It is just a white sticker like a pricing sticker that has a 5 digit number on it starting with 17. You should have this. You might want to call the store and ask what the stickers say on the bottles there. This is potentially important information as Colony has an expiration date.
How are your levels looking now?
Hi,
I managed to go back to the shop and obtain the stick # at the bottom of the bottle it was 17223
I am hoping that the bottle I bought was from the same batch as it did not have the sticker.
I’ll check the levels and will be in touch.
Thanks
Hello Hafeez,
It would be impossible to know without the sticker. How is everything looking now?
Hi I’m on my 3rd full day of colony .. i have .025 ammonnia and 0 nitrite and 0 nitrate.. i lightly fed today. Have I adversely affected the cycling process?
Hello Katherine,
Sorry for the delay here as this comment got past us. I see this was a while ago, how did everything turn out?
Apologies again,
Stacey
Hello!
I just set up my tank yesterday (55 gallon freshwater) and added colony to it. As I don’t have fish in the tank yet, I’ve added pure ammonia (dosing to 2ppm) to simulate fish waste. Have you heard of other people having success doing this? Should I dose ammonia to higher ppm?
thanks
Hello Annie,
This is actually a good bit more ammonia than is necessary. With Colony the bacteria colony is already mature so you only need a small bit of ammonia to observe that conversion is occurring (meaning the bacteria has successfully colonized your tank). Keep me posted on the progress.
Stacey
Hello!
I unfortunately dosed the ammonia again today before seeing your comment. Will this amount of ammonia cause trouble? What level would be best to keep in order to keep feeding the bacteria?
Thanks!
Hello Annie,
No it won’t cause any real problems other than it might cause a very high nitrite spike above 3ppm that might take a long time to come down. If this occurs just water change the nitrite below 3ppm provided that you are beyond 4 days from dosing Colony.
Stacey
Hello!
thank you for the information. Another question for you. Some of the fish I would like to add are coming in today and tomorrow at my LSF. It will not be the full load as other fish are
not currently available. As I have been dosing, my ammonia is high (no nitrites yet but just waiting for them to show up). Would you suggest I wait a little bit to add them for the ammonia to come down and nitrites to be manageable (when they show up)? I know it is recommended to normally add fish and colony at once but since I’ve done things a bit differently I’m not sure how to proceed to 1- allow colony to work as it is intended and 2- not harm the fish I’ll add in.
thanks again!
Hello Annie,
How many days has it been since adding Colony? And do you have nitrite readings?
I’ve added Colony on 19Nov at night. Last night I tested the water parameters and I had:
Ammonia: 1ppm
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0
Ph: 7.4
When you dosed to 2ppm did you get a 2ppm reading? This is realy important to know how much ammonia you have. Also what kind of test kit are you using?
I’m using the API master kit.
I used a website to calculate the amount of ammonia I needed to add based on the volume of water I had. I didn’t test right away my results, just the night after. When I dosed again, since I had a 1ppm reading I halved my previous night dose. Hopefully that makes sense.
This is a difficult stituation to assess given the liabilities of the test kit and the uncertainty of ammonia level. Do ypu have any kind of ammonia remore like our product Triage?
No I do not have a product like Triage. That being said, what sort of readings would be appropriate to add livestock in?
Annie what region are? Right now we don’t really know what ammonia we are dealing with. There are lots of variables here that are conflicting. Are you in the US and able to call me at support? It would make this much quicker and easier to understand.
I’m in Ontario Canada but I can call if you give me a phone number to reach you at.
Hey Annie,
Sorry I got this message a little late. Okay, I’ll do my best to explain. What I really want to do is start over from zero and with fish. The reason our instructions direct to use fish is that it is that it is just easier. With one light feeding we get a small amount of ammonia to track through the cycling process. I’m not sure really how much ammonia is there because you said you dosed for 2ppm and you are showing 1ppm and these consumer test kits aren’t wonderfully reliable. If you can attain an ammonia remover, bringing the levels down to zero, you can get the fish in immediately and start again going by the Colony instructions. If not, then the fish cannot go into this system until we see ammonia coming down. I should expect to see nitrite or nitrate by now. Please check these levels frequently so we know when it happens.
Hi I put in colony in a 500 litre saltwater tank I put in 2 clown fish the next day keep skimmer off for 5 days it’s been 2 weeks know I’m still getting a reading of 0.25 ammonia and 5 to 10 ppm nitrate can’t get the ammonia ware it should be at 0.00 ppm help
Hey David, I can’t really imagine a scenario where you would convert so much ammonia and then it suddenly stop. These bacteria double in numbers every 21 hours or so, even if the product was half as effective by now it would have grown exponentially. Have you corroborated your ammonia results with more than one test kit? How are the fish looking?
Best regards,
Stacey
Hi added colony on Sunday 29th the 189l bottle for my 150l and today I’m getting reading of
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
I’ve tested everyday and had no nitrite readings or nitrite readings I did have 0.2 ammonia but that’s gone now, I added 2 clowns and I’ve kept the skimmer off, PH is 8
KH is 10 temp is 25c, the test kit I’m using is an in date Red Sea marine care, I really can’t understand what’s going on?
Thanks
Hello Craig,
It’s probably the test kits aren’t reading the nitrate. When working with these low numbers during a cycle it can be a little problematic. Keep trying that nitrate. I think it will register here soon. The ammonia has no place to go but into nitrate. You’re not using an ammonia remover are you?
Best,
Stacey
Hi Stacy,
No I’m not using any ammonia remover, I just can’t understan why there’s been no reading for nitrite either?
Nitrite enters the tank through oxidation than ammonia through waste so it can sneak through before you’ve had a chance to spot it.
Ok great thanks so I’m basically just waiting for a nitrate reading now then my tank has cycled? Also would you recommend adding another small bottle just to give it a kick?
Thanks
Yeah, just hold out for the nitrate. You’re probably good save the test kits. You don’t need any more Colony.
Day 7 and still getting zero on all ammonia nitrite and nitrate how can this be? There’s 3 fish in the tank and followed the instructions to a tee, I know my test kit it good because I already have a tank set up that I use the test kits on?
Hey Craig, I’m not really sure what the problem could be. When is the last time you fed the fish?
Hi
Got a 500lt marine tank 7 days ago added enough collony turned the skimmer off and put 10 fish in and fed lightly
After 7 days fish seam fine but my level are
P.h 8.2
Ammonia 0.1
Nitrite over 1
Nitrate over 50
I am concerned that both nitrite and nitrate are still massively high ??
Should I start water changing and if so how much would you recommend
Hey Chris,
Thanks for reaching out. For nitrate you really need to do water changes to get that down. Colony creates nitrate as a rule. For nitrite, can you verify that it is not over 3 ppm?
I fed on the first day and then started feeding lightly after the 4th day
Craig what kind of test kit are you using?
Hi thanks for your reply
I am using the red sea test kit problem is it only goes to 1 ppm
I would say the colour is pretty close to the 1ppm colour so pretty sure it wouldn’t be 3
Hey Chris,
I’m not really sure why you would be showing a 1ppm on nitrite given the rate at which you are converting into nitrate, which is a lot for only several days. See what it is like after your water change and get back to me. Unless the fish appear stressed I see no cause for any alarm at the moment.
Just tested again
I would say
Nitrite 1ppm
Nitrate 50 – 70 ppm
Collony was added 7 days ago
Just should I do a water change ?
I don’t want to effect the collony working but I assume 7 days it’s done it’s job
Hey Chris, oh Colony is already finished. Just do as big of a water change as is practical for you and let me know your readings afterward. Cheers
Hi I’m using the Red Sea test kit, I know it’s good because it’s reading perfect on my other tank, I really can’t understand what’s going on? How can I be reading
0 ammonia
0 nitrite
0 nitrate
With 4 fish in my system?
And like I said my test kit is reading perfect for my other tank
Hey Craig,
Until a new generation of test kits are developed for consumer usage, we have to live with their limitations. Typical aquarium test kits use cadmium reduction to discern nitrite from nitrate. This process has interference potential. This limitation usually gets exposed during a cycle when there are multiple kinds of nitrogenous compounds present in low numbers. The lower the amount of nitrogenous material present the more sensitive the kit needs to be in order to read it. For instance, some probes can read ammonia in parts per billion. But your test kit cannot.
So given what we know of your case let’s think through the possibilities. I realize you’re frustrated. 1.) You had a false positive on ammonia initially. But since you fed, we know there was ammonia so we can eliminate this. 2.) The ammonia disappeared on its own. This doesn’t happen so eliminate this. 3.) The ammonia oxidized into nitrite and then the nitrite disappeared on its own. This doesn’t happen either. 4.) The ammonia made its way to nitrate and the nitrate disappeared on its own. This can only happen in a tank that has some sort of nutrient control as part of the refugium such as an algae scrubber. 5.) You’re operating within the liable range of your test kits and getting interferences causing readings to not look right. Given the fact we know you fed, we know you had ammonia, you aren’t accumulating ammonia, and this is verified by kit readings and lack of stress showing in the fish #5 is the likely answer until some other information presents itself.
Try a medium feeding and let’s see what happens.
Keep me posted
Stacey
Great thanks Stacey i will do, just one last question do you think it’s safe to move the test of my live stock so fish coral and inverts over to the new tank yet?
Hey Craig,
I would err on the side of caution and let’s make sure we see that nitrate first. And don’t be afraid of your test kits. After the cycle they will work just fine for your needs moving forward. The cycle just kind of causes some problems with them sometimes.
Stacey
Hi, I have a 190l stocked freshwater aquarium I have had it set up for around 6 weeks now. I have had trouble with ammonia so my lfs recommended adding colony. I dosed tank with it on Friday and have checked my water everyday since and nothing seems to be changing. My ph is 7.6, ammonia 1.0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 0. How long should it take for the bacteria to convert the ammonia?
Hello Sarah,
Thanks for reaching out. Can you please tell me every product you have put into this tank since the beginning? EDIT: Also can you please give me the lot number, which will be a 5 digit number on a sticker on the bottom of the bottle.
Best regards,
Stacey
Hi I used the tetra safestart on setup, i dont think worked i also used prime water conditioner at start and with water changes. The lot number is 17171.
Hello Sarah,
You should be converting ammonia by now. I am concerned that it has doubled. How many fish are in this tank and are you feeding?
I have just checked my water levels again, and the ammonia has went up to 2.0 the nitrite and nitrate both still 0. Should this not have started to convert yet?
The tank is 190l and I have 8 rams, 6 tetra, 2 kilifish, 6 bumblebee gobys, 4 corys 4 ottos and a small pleco. I was assured by my lfs that the tank is big enough for them, I am feeding lightly every other day as the have been in for 6 weeks now. I’m afraid of starving them.
Hey Sarah,
Let’s please stop feeding completely for now. Without nitrification the ammonia is just going to collect and become deadly. Don’t worry about them starving at this point. Can you tell me which LFS you are working with? This bottle of Colony is right at the end of its shelf life so it has been around a while. My main concern is that we are nearly 7 weeks in and you should start to see the tank cycle on its own by now.
Thanks
I will stop feeding for now, is there anything else I can do? I bought a large bottle of colony should I dose the tank again? I appreciate any help.
Hey Sarah, thanks. Sorry for my delays I am inundated badly today. We’ll want to get a new bottle in your hands as a precaution. In the meantime, please do as large of a water change as you can to bring ammonia down.
Ok, I’ll do another 80% change today. Where do I get another bottle? I don’t want to buy from lfs again incase all the bottles are from the same batch and near the end of their shelf life.
Hello Sarah, thanks. I am working this out for you now. Will advise soon.
Sarah,
If you will please email us at support@acrylictankmanufacturing.com so we can continue with a support ticket.
Best
Added colony to my 40gallon startup one week ago exactly .. added the colony then added 2 clown fish 4 hours later … using live sand and Caribsea life rock .. skimmer off and no UV… reading 1 week later are :
PH ….8.2
Ammonia .. 0.25
Nitrite…0
Nitrate ..5.0
Using API test kits… am I safe to add another fish or any snails or shrimps?.. time for a water change?
Appreciate the help greatly!
Hello Matt,
Yes, do one 20% water change fro good measure and then yes you can add livestock to the tank. Just feed lightly for the first few days. Looking good!
Do i need to add colony every time I do a water change?
Do i need to add colony every time I do a water change?
Hey Kyle,
You don’t need to add Colony after every water change. After cycling the Colony bacteria will live indefinitely in your allocated filtration media. Adding Outbreak! bacteria, however, would be advantageous immediately after each water change. This bacteria addresses ongoing organics build-up.
Best regards,
Stacey
Thank you, one more question, I just recently set up a 29 gallon saltwater tank on monday and I added the dosage for colony then. How soon do I need to add fish and do I need to add colony again when I add them? Can i also add all of my desired fish at once or should I add them slowly?
Hey Kyle,
You should add Colony at the same time you add you fish. This will supply the bacteria in Colony with the ammonia they need as an energy source.
Regards,
Stacey
Really sorry to keep bothering you but I already added colony on monday to start the cycle. Was this a mistake? Will adding more colony when adding fish be harmful/is it possible to overdose?
Hey Kyle,
You still have time to add the fish. Basically the bacteria will die back to a number the available energy source (ammonia) will support. This happens in about 17 days. So you still have time. You shouldn’t need to dose any more Colony. But if you needed to it wouldn’t be harmful. It is a non-toxic product.
Best regards,
Stacey
Hi.. first time I’ve seen my parameters with such a change.. tavks been up and running about 4 months now … just added a few corals about 3 weeks ago… ya I contains 2 nemos, 2 gobys, cleaner shrimp, pistol shrimp, 10 hermit crabs , dottyback and 3 turbo snails … last week been having a little diatom on the glass.. today 2 snails have died … I did a reading and I’m at :
PH : 7.8
Ammonia : .25ppm
Nitrite : .50ppm
Nitrate : 20ppm
Salinity is hovering a little low at 1.023
I will do a water change asap but should I be concerned or looking towards something else?
Thank you!!!!!
Can you clarify for me? I have a Reefer 170 set up with Real Reef rock and Marco. The tank has run for two weeks, no fish and on Monday late afternoon I added Colony and a yellow tailed Damsel. I added a small amount of frozen brineshrimp Tuesday morning, as fish too stressed after catching him from my other tank on Monday. I tested beforehand and all my readings where zero. I tested the last 2 days for ammonia and have got zero readings, but forgot to test nitrite and nitrate….my bad! Today I have tested all 3 and got zero readings, apart from nitrate of 25ppm. I’ve no idea where I’m at on the cycling. I guess I need to keep testing for ammonia and nitrite? Can you help?
Hello Kaz,
Has there been anything else in the tank living besides the fish or anything else organic since the beginning? Yes, keep looking for ammonia and see if you can get the fish to eat a little bit of food. And no excess food to rot in the tank that could possibly produce readable nitrate that would keep us from discerning nitrate produced by nitrification, as that’s what we’re looking for.
Keep me posted!
Best regards,
Stacey
Hi Stacey,
Nothing else in the tank. I had it running with just the rock, live sand and salt water for two weeks. I knew if I fed on the same day I put the damsel in, he wouldn’t eat it. Too stressed and just hid under a rock. When I fed the following morning (yesterday) it did not look like he ate much and I only put a tiny amount in. I’m wondering if it’s the uneaten food giving the reading? Then again, it was a tiny amount. Today he is more confident, although hides when I appear. I’ll try feeding tomorrow morning, after I’ve tested and let you know.
Regards
Kaz
Morning Stacey,
Just read over what I’ve written and realised there is a typo😱. The nitrate reading should be 0.25, sorry! I’ve done the tests again this morning (day 4) and the readings are the same, only the colour of the nitrate reading (Red Sea pro test kit) is a lot lighter pink and is barely visible. I have fed a tiny amount of frozen brineshrimp as instructed. Should I continue with airstone and no skimmer?
Regards
Kaz
No worries! Keep me posted on the progress!
Hi Stacey,
This mornings readings after feeding the fish read zero for ammonia and nitrite. Whilst the ammonia reading with a Salifert kit appears to be zero, I noticed that the colours on the test card reflect and can make it appear that it could be a 0.15 reading. The reading for nitrate has gone down and probably zero too. There is just a very faint hue of pink that can only be seen in bright light against a white gloss table. Very frustrating, but I guess it still indicates no change with ammonia and nitrites, whilst the nitrate appears to have nearly disappeared and that includes feeding the fish yesterday. What would you suggest at this point on day 5? Should I continue feeding maybe once a day lightly and continue to monitor ammonia etc daily? Would I now take the airstone out and should I add clean up crew now? Thanks in advance. Kind regards Kaz
Hello Kaz,
Yes, feed again. I think because you have one fish in a huge tank we aren’t reading any ammonia. Do another feeding and let’s see if we see any levels. Ideally, you would be seeing things happen with a stocked tank as it would generate a more readable bit of ammonia.
Let’s keep an eye on ammonia and nitrate. You might not see nitrite if it is converted before you get a chance to check, so nitrate will also validate its presence.
Regards,
Stacey
I started up a 60 gallon aquarium bare bottom and only run the aquarium with a ehiem 4 pro plus canister filter and a sponge filter and air stones and that’s it. The P.H is at 6.6 i know it’s low for colony but i need it there for the discus fish as well temperature is 84 f. I added the ATM colony in double dose and it’s been one week can i add the discus to the tank? Ammonia and nitrite and nitrate are all zero’s
Hey Charlie,
I’m sorry I just saw your comment here. How are things going?
Stacey
Hey there,
I was just wondering when I should start seeing signs of cycling, I put 4oz’s in a 20 gallon fresh water aquarium just under 4 days ago, nothing yet. My Ph level is at a 6.4-6.5.
I’m a little desperate for the cycle to occur and can’t alter the Ph level because I have a proven pair of discus living in there, with no where else to put them.
If you could say anything that would make it easier to sleep at night, I’d really appreciate it.
Thank you tanked team, much respect from Ottawa On.
P.s -as of right now the fish look fine, and today I’ve been noticing some “free swimming” fry 🙂
Hey Bryan,
Thanks for getting in touch. I’m afraid at that pH the cycle is going to go significantly slower. The more acidic the environment becomes that more the bacteria growth rate declines. You could add a few more doses to speed it up. Also, it should make you feel better to know that the toxicity of ammonia is greatly reduced.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Regards,
Stacey
Hey there,
I see on the bottom it’s a certain amount of dose it say to use, but if I wanted to, could I add the whole bottle to my 20 gallon saltwater tank? To accelerate the process and also build up more beneficial bacteria?
Hi Kenneth,
Yes, you can certainly use the entire bottle. However, in cases where there is excess I find it useful to only use the recommended dose in case there was trouble down the road with something in the parameters and you want to add some later. Just as a contingency.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Stacey
Hi. It’s a great website and I’ve been looking through comments to see if is there is guidance on use of your product when adding additional fish to an established tank with a current low fish stocking level. I couldn’t find it! I had big issues establishing the tank originally using standard nitrogen cycle methods. I’ve chosen this time to go down the ATP Colony route, So, the product is ordered and should be with me in next few days. Basically, I plan to increase tank fish levels to what should be expected for the tank size but have previously been hesitant about this as I wanted to avoid the issues of increased ammonia, nitrite etc. My question: Do I just add Colony in accordance to the dose and instructions about feeding etc as though starting a new tank/fish in cycle? Sorry, if this is already explained on your website or on the bottle instructions and will become clear when the product arrives. Thanks in advance, Mark (UK)
Hello Mark, to be safe I would add the entire tank volume or a new tank just to be safe. After the tank is established we get far less scientific in our approach and paint with broader strokes. The reason is that it’s hard to know the exact figures of bio-filtration after it’s been set up. A tank that has not been cycled is easy to determine as zero bacteria. So I would do that just to cover your bases.
If you have any other questions just holler
Stacey
I am trying to get a new tank setup with the biofiltration with ATM colony. I seeded the tank with 2 ppm ammonia and then added colony. After a couple a days I started seeing nitrite and nitrate and after 3-4 days the ammonia is about 0. The nitrite level won’t go down (about 5 ppm). The bacteria is converting the nitrite to nitrate, but not all of it. Is more time needed? Was 2 ppm of ammonia too much? It is a 5 gallon tank at 78 F and a pH of 7.2. I am using a sponge filter for filtering and aeration. The nitrate is about 10 ppm.
Hello, thanks for your question. Yes, 2ppm ammonia is too much. Conversion isn’t equal across, so 2ppm of ammonia will get you around 5ppm nitrite all at once which will stall the process. High nitrite levels reduce the oxidization rate of nitrite oxidizers, unlike the ammonia oxidizers. Where are your nitrite levels now? You might just be able to water change it down. For future reference we advise no more than .5 ppm of ammonia dosing for a fish-less cycle but ultimately recommend following our instructions on the bottle for best results. https://acrylictankmanufacturing.com/products/water-treatment/biologicals/colony-nitrifying-bacteria/ Let me know!
My nitrite is at 3 ppm. Since I did not follow the recommend dose, should I start over? Just add more colony? Any suggestions?
Hey Glenn, oh no you’re still good. If you are beyond 4 days since adding Colony I would just water change that nitrite down as low as you can go and it should kick it into gear.
I got it down to under 1 ppm and hoped that overnight the bacteria would make nitrate, but it is still the same level. I can do another water change to get it down to near 0, but I want to be sure the nitrogen cycle is working. I lost a fish to an ammonia/nitrite spike and want to be sure the tank is OK. It seem like there is no way to tell if the bio filtration is working.
Hey Glenn,
What are your nitrate levels?
Around 10 ppm, maybe a little lower
Okay great, then you are converting well. The water change would have brought it down so you had even more prior. I think right now you might be having a test kit issue. They work on a cadmium reduction process to discern nitrite from nitrate and it has a frequent interference rate. It’s not uncommon to be reading nitrite that is actually nitrate, especially during this process when they are all mixing at once. Keep your eye on the fish. Ultimately they will be the best corroborator to your tests. Keep me posted.
HI
I have put colony in my tank it is 365 liters i have dry rock and dry sand it has 2 bio media blocks in sump, i have switched off my uv skimmer and reef mat – i have added 2 clown fish which are medium size. i am currently on day 4 – my ammonia levels on day 1 was 0.10 nitrite 0 nitrates 0 day 2 ammonia 0.05 nitrite 0 nitrate 10ppm day 3 ammonia 0.08 nitrite 0 nitrate 5 day 4 ammonia 0.05 nitrite 0 nitrate 5ppm. Nitrites has never shown on my test kit – i use an API test kit for the nitrites a Hanna one for the ammonia and a salifret for the nitrates as i couldn’t seem to get hold of a salifret for the nitrites. i fed lightly on day one although they didn’t seem to eat much if anything. i am told i can feed lightly on day 5 and do water change and put skimmer on n uv etc. Why is the ammonia up and down like that is this what should happen, i am hoping to add another fish at the weekend like maybe a large foxface or a coral beauty and just add one fish a week and keep monitoring the ammonia. There seemed to be a very very slight brown color on the same at one side of my tank and maybe a bit of brown on my rocks, but these were that delicate to see i wasn’t actually sure at first. Is this what happens with the cycle should the ammonia be up and down or should it level out now
Hello Dawn,
Thanks for your question here and the thorough report on your testing. It looks to me like everything is going great and that you have execute this process perfectly. Ideally, we don’t want to see nitrite appear on the test kits because it tends to be consumed as it appears, or relatively soon afterward. This is the purpose for the feeding instructions, which it seems you followed perfectly. Now, there is another factor with test kits to be aware of. I am assuming you are using one of the mainstream reagent test kits. These discern nitrite from nitrate using a cadmium reduction process. This is a good process, but it has its limitations if it gets too much nitrate and nitrite present at the same time. It’s not always, but it’s enough for me to encounter regularly. Essentially, the kits aren’t perfect. So if you were to find a small nitrite reading at this stage, even with so many PPM of nitrate it is likely an interference. So long as the ammonia readings and nitrate readings are balanced you should get a clear picture (along with healthy behaving fish). Ammonia levels can also not be perfect either. Aquarium cycling is a different environment than an established tank as we tend to work with all three nitrogenous compounds at once which can trigger the interferences.
I would increase feeding up to regular feeding over the next two days and report your findings here so I can see how it looks.
Best!
Stacey