If it’s less, add more fish food to your tank.

Test for ammonia every few days and make sure the level of ammonia is at least 3ppm. To do this, you will need a manual test kit or an automatic water-testing device such as the ReefBot. You can add a dead shrimp and bottled bacteria to speed up the process. Soon, the food will start to decay and release ammonia into your tank. (Follow the LFS’s or your reefer friend’s instructions to get the amount right). Add the same amount you would add if you were feeding fish. Since we won’t be adding any fish to our tank yet, we need to find another way to produce ammonia. Usually, fish urine and wastes get transformed into ammonia by bacteria. How to foster a nitrogen cycle in your new tank: Ammonia and nitrites are highly toxic to corals and fish, which is why it is highly recommended that you don’t add them to your new tank right away, but instead wait until most of the ammonia has been transformed into nitrites, and then to nitrates, marking the end of the nitrogen cycle.

In a closed tank, however, this process needs to set up and controlled by the reefer. It’s a natural process that happens in all ecosystems to process natural wastes. The nitrogen cycle is a biochemical process during which nitrogenous compounds continually degrade from ammonia, to nitrite, and then to nitrates. You probably feel tempted to get some corals and saltwater fish on the same trip, but that’s actually a terrible idea! Your new tank won’t be ready for adding corals and fish to it until it has gone through a process commonly known as the “nitrogen cycle”. The next day, you visit your LFS (local fish store) and buy your own tank. You recently found out about “reefing”, probably through a reefer friend, and totally fell in love with the hobby.

The cycle beginners guide download