Can you Cycle at 70 deg.?

NJBillyV · Oct 27, 2020

So....I'm slowly building my Reefer 170. I have the Dry Rock and substrate but I don't have the return pump, heater, or light yet.

I'd like to get it cycling with Dr. Tim's.

Can I put the rock, substrate, water, and a powerhead in the tank, dump some Dr. Tim's in, add some ammonium chloride and get it cycling?

Any suggestions?

Spare time · Oct 27, 2020

It will be slower but I believe it should work. Dr tim has a great macna video on cycling which I HIGHLY recommend.

BCSreef · Oct 27, 2020

+1 on slower, and it will work. Why not use a heater and speed things up?

NJBillyV · Oct 27, 2020

I could throw in a cheap heater, I'm just trying not to duplicate equipment. But in thinking about it I think that's exactly what I'm going to do.

NJBillyV · Oct 27, 2020

Spare time said:
It will be slower but I believe it should work. Dr tim has a great macna video on cycling which I HIGHLY recommend.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a macna video and where would I find it. Thanks!

BCSreef · Oct 27, 2020

Its always good to have a spare heater or two

LiveWire · Oct 27, 2020

If you cycle at 84 degrees you will cycle much faster as it will allow the bacteria to grow faster. Lower salinity around 1.015 will also help the bacteria grow faster as it will spend less energy just to retain its shape. Also dont use a blended bacteria. I would go with Dr Tim's one and only and you will be well on your way to a great cycle.

You can get all this info and a boat load more in the 2019 MACNA video below.