attiland
2500 Club Member
Haha. Told the LFS or the Ammonia manufacturer? You have to starve them for years and they still survive.
Cycling help!
- Thread starter britnicole1724
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I have come respect the capabilities of ammonia oxidizing bacteria. If ammonia is not dropping in a day or two, that is odd.
If you bought a dud bottle of Dr. Tim’s you would see these results. I would not be surprised if we measured the same ammonia level and got 1.3 on day 1 and then days later we remeasured and got 2.0. So, ammonia is not likely being consumed (dud bottle). The nitrite measurement though blows away my dud bottle conjecture though 0.4 ppm is low, so I will stick to my guns: slow or dud bacteria. Try Bio-Spira or Fritz Turbo now or wait another 3-5 days to try another bottled bacteria.
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britnicole1724
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We do have a bottle of Fritz turbo. Maybe I’ll dump that in there tonight if levels are looking the same after dinner.
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britnicole1724
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The nitrites and nitrates fluctuated though so that’s what’s throwing me off. Nitrates were zero yesterday morning and rose as of last night. This afternoon they were about the same
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britnicole1724
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Neither. People in Facebook groups.
starting to question if I’ve gotten bad bacteria - both dr Tim and Frits turbo 900
not sure if we are supposed to see much change overnight but we aren’t really seeing any change.
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britnicole1724
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Somehow nitrates dropped without even doing a water change. Not sure if that’s possible or if our testing is just inaccurate
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britnicole1724
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I’m starting to question the test kit. We did side by side testing - one was .8 and now the other is reading 1.2. I guess either way it’s lower than 2 but still. Idk what to go by at this point.
attiland
2500 Club Member
That is quite a progress.
On these pics i see nitrates between 5-10 and ammonia 0.4-0.8.
Good news I am assuming!?
your bacteria wasn’t dead. In fact I have only heard that happening via Chinese whisper.
bacteria in the bottle works every time. They are not active in the bottle but activated by putting in an Environment they can thrive. Sometimes it takes a couple days to take off but always work.
Keep in mind if you put rodi water in a cann the nitrifying bacteria will appear in it without seeding it. You can’t stop them even if you want to. They are all around you
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britnicole1724
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That
move been told so many different things it’s so confusing lol. Some say bacteria can arrive dead which causes an ammonia rise once it’s established in the tank and then fluctuates once bacteria had reproduced.
Honestly as long as our levels are doing what they should be, I don’t care hahaha I just want to see ammonia and nitrites at zero
That is good to hear
move been told so many different things it’s so confusing lol. Some say bacteria can arrive dead which causes an ammonia rise once it’s established in the tank and then fluctuates once bacteria had reproduced.
Honestly as long as our levels are doing what they should be, I don’t care hahaha I just want to see ammonia and nitrites at zero
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I bought a bottle of Dr. Tim’s during the winter and it was deader than a door nail
Probably froze. So dud products are possible. There are no guarantees on hobby product quality though these nitrifying bacteria in a bottle seem to be pretty consistent.
Rick's Reviews
2500 Club Member
I would lay off the testing so much as apparently it's driving you crazy, I understand it's exciting to get new tank and great to look at other people's aquariums, well established aquariums takes years and you can achieve this.
Be patient with your new aquarium and keep research as a priority, try to find more patience for this hobby as life does grow but not in a day
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britnicole1724
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I’m aware of that… I’m testing to make sure it’s doing what it’s supposed to. I didn’t spend $150 on dr Tims and then also Fritz 900 to sit back and find out it’s not working. I’m being patient. I’m not adding fish. It’s my first tank and I learn by doing. Im trying to understand right from wrong and I do this by testing.
Rick's Reviews
2500 Club Member
Yes again, don't test to often as readings will be up and down as good bacteria fights bad, bad fights good, takes a while, it takes a little time to establish a good criteria to complete the cycle, you can spend thousands if you wish but for a successful aquarium costs nothing.... Only patience
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britnicole1724
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I’m supposed to be testing daily to make sure it’s doing what it should be doing. I can cycle this tank quickly without having to wait months. I’m just making sure I’m understand correctly what I need to be looking for. I’m not waiting 6 months for my tank to be cycled when I don’t have to
ReefGeezer
Valuable Member
A cycle without adding anything but a fish or raw shrimp will take about 30-45 days. Feed a fish sparingly and you won't even see a cycle. The bacteria will simply grow as small amounts of ammonia are encountered. Add any bottled bacteria and any immediate ammonia source and the time from maximum ammonia level until the nitrites are gone will drop. Anything else you do just delays things. Test once a week and wait.
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britnicole1724
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No. Dr Tims one and only says you test every single day and on the 9th day fish can be added. By 14 days your tank is cycled. This is what I’m going by.
ReefGeezer
Valuable Member
Oh... Interesting. I've not used that product. What does Dr. Tims say to do based on the daily test results?
