GOSKN5 November 26, 2015 November 26, 2015 So I'm not knew to the hobby, but have always used live rock to start tanks... this time I used all dry rock and added ammonia.. So 2 weeks ago I added a bottle of Dr Tims one and only and pure ammonia up to 2ppm... Waited a few days tested and ammonia was at .5ppm... checked nitrites and none... Tested a week later and ammonia at. .25ppm and nitrites had shown up.. Tested a week later and ammonia still at the same level .25... I know I still have a ways to go and I'm ok with that, but should I add more ammonia, or just wait until it drops to zero? Or do I need to add any more ammonia anytime at all? Thanks for the help...
Squishie89 November 26, 2015 November 26, 2015 Hopefully this clears things up http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling
GOSKN5 November 26, 2015 Author November 26, 2015 I spiked ammonia last night back to 2ppm... Tested at lunch time and it's back down to .25ppm... also nitrites spiked higher than I have seen... and I showed some nitrates for first time...
Origami November 27, 2015 November 27, 2015 I spiked ammonia last night back to 2ppm... Tested at lunch time and it's back down to .25ppm... also nitrites spiked higher than I have seen... and I showed some nitrates for first time... Sounds textbook normal, doesn't it?
GOSKN5 December 2, 2015 Author December 2, 2015 So ammonia can be processed in 24 hours... but nitrites aren't budging... got a nasty response from Dr Tims saying I needed to read and do a water change because the cycle had stalled due to high nitrites... thoughts??
GOSKN5 December 4, 2015 Author December 4, 2015 I went ahead and did a 20 gallon water change... didn't make a significant drop in nitrites according to the API test... wait it out or do more??
gmerek2 December 4, 2015 December 4, 2015 (edited) Long story short but during a cycle the only way to get nitrates down is with water changes. it takes a while for nitrates to come down which is another reason for larger than normal water changes. Hardy fish should be added first. I transferred damsel over first when I thought tank was ready then gave it a few weeks before adding anything else. This is where it really pays to be patient and follow the directions closely. Edited December 4, 2015 by gmerek2
GOSKN5 December 4, 2015 Author December 4, 2015 Long story short but during a cycle the only way to get nitrates down is with water changes. it takes a while for nitrates to come down which is another reason for larger than normal water changes. Hardy fish should be added first. I transferred damsel over first when I thought tank was ready then gave it a few weeks before adding anything else. This is where it really pays to be patient and follow the directions closely.Do you mean nitrites?
YHSublime December 4, 2015 December 4, 2015 Let's just do a quick overview of the nitrogen cycle: Ammonia. This is generally introduced from a food source, or just peeing in your tank (it's free, and it usually ensures a TOTM, ask Rob.) You skipped the basic and just added ammonia, which will do just fine. Ammonia converts to nitRITES. This is the stage you are in now. I wouldn't suggest water changes yet, because you have yet to hit the next step NitRITES to nitRATES. Once you hit the nitrates, you can beging your water changes to get that number down. From here on, add slowly, build your bioload, and enjoy. You'll want to wait for each number prior to hit 0 before you presume you're good with the next step. For example, when your ammonia number hits 0 you should have only nitrites reading. Once your ammonia and nitrites hit 0, you should only be reading nitrates. Good luck trying to get your nitrates down to 0. I'll pipe in this information, which has been suggested time and time again from some of our members: the longer you let your tank cycle with just rock and sand and water without adding livestock, the better off you'll be. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
GOSKN5 December 5, 2015 Author December 5, 2015 (edited) Yea i know the process.. I just was unclear after reading that high nitrites can stall the cycle... and being given the suggestion by several to do water change to lower the nitrites.. including Dr Tims folks Im also in no hurry just wanted to be sure I wasn't messing up the cycle by having high nitrites... I know how the steps are supposed to go, just didn't know if I had impeded them somehow... Like I said first time cycling a tank without using live rock... Edited December 5, 2015 by GOSKN5
YHSublime December 5, 2015 December 5, 2015 I would just ride it out, my answer for everything, haha. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
WheresTheReef December 5, 2015 December 5, 2015 Tried Dr Tims once. Wasn't impressed, just my impression/experience. With dry rock I just seed with 5-10 lbs of cycled rock and it works well. The bacteria for nitrites are slower growing than the ammonia ones so I would stop adding ammonia for a little while and concentrate on testing nitrites. I understand that Dr Tim's is supposed to seed the bacteria but it didn't work for me despite following their instructions.
GOSKN5 December 5, 2015 Author December 5, 2015 Yea waste of 30 bucks so far IME... nitrites look like they might have dropped a little.. color looks less purple haha... may be wishful thinking
davjbeas December 5, 2015 December 5, 2015 I tried dr. Tims too. Didn't work for me. I did wait 3-4 weeks. I added some live rock from the lfs and the cycling got done quick.
WheresTheReef December 7, 2015 December 7, 2015 The only time that I've experienced cloudy water was due to a bacterial bloom. Search reef aquarium bacterial bloom online and you will see this is common and can be due to many factors.
GOSKN5 December 8, 2015 Author December 8, 2015 Tank is still very cloudy.. I can actually see the cloudiness moving in the flow.. if that makes sense... thinking a water change might be in order..
GOSKN5 December 8, 2015 Author December 8, 2015 I am.. just updating.. I am in no hurry just want to be sure things are progressing normally and there is nothing I need to be doing...
Origami December 8, 2015 December 8, 2015 Are you ghost-feeding the tank or doing anything to help develop and sustain the bacterial population while cycling?
GOSKN5 December 8, 2015 Author December 8, 2015 Yes ghost feeding a few pellets or flakes every other day...
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