Hello everyone, I just have a question regarding the cycling process. I am currently in the process of cycling my 144 gallon bowfront. I started the tank with dry sand, rock (once in an established tank, then sat for 8 months in garage), RODI water, and instant ocean sea salt. I used a large raw shrimp to start putting off ammonia and once it hit about 2-3 PPM, I added bio spira live bacteria. A few days later the ammonia went to 0 and nitrites started to rise. The nitrites seem to have spiked but now are not going down at all and it has been almost a week since they spiked. Will adding more live bacteria help reduce the nitrites? Do I need to run a heater? The shrimp is still in the tank and I have my protein skimmer running also. Thank you in advance.
Adding more bacteria during cycle?
- Thread starter TonyD1988
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arturoo1977
Active Member
If you use the right dosis of bacteria at start, you don't need to add more. You can do it if you want, but not need to.
Your entire cycle may take about 4 to 6 weeks so be patience. Shrimp will disappear entirely.
Heater is always preferred, other wise the cycle will be slower. Once your tank its ready to add livestock heater will be a must.
Skimmer is not really necesarly at this point as you dont have any fish that produce waist. All waist from shrimp are bacteria food.
Your entire cycle may take about 4 to 6 weeks so be patience. Shrimp will disappear entirely.
Heater is always preferred, other wise the cycle will be slower. Once your tank its ready to add livestock heater will be a must.
Skimmer is not really necesarly at this point as you dont have any fish that produce waist. All waist from shrimp are bacteria food.
Not unless you add specific bacteria that works on nitrites. It takes longer for them to grow in a tank.
Bacteria will grow at a faster rate with warm water.
CasaReefer
Promoted To Sponge
Welcome to R2R... Great First Post.. Excited for you to post pics of the tank when your ready.. Take things slow and ask LOTS of questions people in here are Wicked Smart..
PatW
2500 Club Member
With nitrogen, one kind of bacteria converts ammonia to nitrites. And another type of bacteria to convert nitrites to nitrates. And yet another kind bacteria that converts nitrates to nitrogen gas.
Are you seeing any nitrates yet? If you are, you have the bacteria, their numbers need to build up to convert the nitrites quickly.
Of course, you can dump in some commercially available bacteria to speed things up. Adding some will do no harm.
Are you seeing any nitrates yet? If you are, you have the bacteria, their numbers need to build up to convert the nitrites quickly.
Of course, you can dump in some commercially available bacteria to speed things up. Adding some will do no harm.
LAReefer4Life
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Hi there. Welcome to R2R.
Add the heater to 78 degrees, Remove the shrimp, dump another bottle of beneficial bacteria, keeps lights off, stop skimming for 30 days. Be patient and you'll be right on track. Good-luck!
Add the heater to 78 degrees, Remove the shrimp, dump another bottle of beneficial bacteria, keeps lights off, stop skimming for 30 days. Be patient and you'll be right on track. Good-luck!
CasaReefer
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AdamB
Valuable Member
Welcome to R2R! Nitrites will take a while longer than why you think . Just need to be patient . I thought the same thing when I cycled with Dr. Tim’s and almost done the same thing but I waited and I’m glad I did .
Flippers4pups
Fins up since 1993
Regardless if you add more bacteria, I would still ghost feed a small pinch of food once a week till it's totally cycled.
MrDellimore
Active Member
hey brother welcome to R2R! I am in the same boat as you more or less. I just added biospira and one 4oz bottle of dr tims to my 180 tank. My ammonia and nitrites both went up and down after waiting about 3 days. I did have live sand so maybe that made a difference.
What are you using to test your nitrites?
What are you using to test your nitrites?
MrDellimore
Active Member
Also I did not use a shrimp. I dosed ammonia chloride to the tank to get it to about 2ppm. According to Dr. Tim going past 5ppm ammonia could cause the cycle to stall so i tried to monitor the doses I was adding.
