Cycling Questions

[john.m.cole3]

I'm moving from Quaker and 34 to 98 and Slide area. Tank is currently bare bottom. My plan as of now was to pull all rocks out and cover in tank water in order to catch the fish. Empty tank water into 5 gal buyckets. Put heater and air stone in bucket with fish while re-assembling the tank and sump. Throw a dose of Prime in prior to adding fish back. Souind good?

 

[brandon429]

that sounds like such a low detritus system I can see no harm ~ we are usually dealing with years of waste and how they want to transport it heh

 

[john.m.cole3]

after using crushed coral my first 3 months and seeing nitrates shoot up to 50, I knew it had to be the substrate holding all that in.

 

[drcole]

So, parameters today:
Ammonia 2ppm
Nitrite 5ppm
Nitrate 10ppm

How do you think things are coming along?? Am I on the right track?? How often should I be testing??

 

[brandon429]

Of those measures, only the ammonia reflects on your cycle. We don't have to know nitrate or nitrite...we know that when ammonia digests from that reading of 2 down to zero, the nitrate is being produced by bio-rule even if our tests skew that reading to look low or zero, doesn't matter. only the ammonia does. the ammonia needs to be driven back up to 2 when it digests..only to go down again in 24 hours. a few times of that you are set fully.

the nitrites aren't factored at all due to links in my thread, not a factor at any time I realize they used to be.

So your cycle is ideal for the type of substrate you have, it will sit at 2 until bac makes otherwise. be adding bottle bac now for sure

 

[Robink]

Nice aquascape.

 

[Salty1962]

Walmart has it just shake to make sure or a hardware store

Or use Dr. Tim's solution. Made just for this. That's how I did mine and when I thought if was through, I added more Dr. Tim's to assure the tank could consume it within 24 hrs.
Be patient and save yourself allot of lost livestock.

 

[jetmaker]

Or use Dr. Tim's solution. Made just for this. That's how I did mine and when I thought if was through, I added more Dr. Tim's to assure the tank could consume it within 24 hrs.
Be patient and save yourself allot of lost livestock.

Kewl but the pure done mine and was cheap. Lol

 

[drcole]

Yesterday's chemistry:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 5
Nitrate 40
What is my next step? When should I expect diatoms? Dose ammonia again for a digestion test? Dose more bacteria?

 

[jetmaker]

Yesterday's chemistry:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 5
Nitrate 40
What is my next step? When should I expect diatoms? Dose ammonia again for a digestion test? Dose more bacteria?

How long did it take to get to 0 ammonia.

 

[brandon429]

Nice call.

When you can go to zero ammonia from 2-3 ppm in 24 hours a few times its ready to begin light basic start. To add bottle bac is to hasten or just wait, seems to slowly be working.

I wonder from a chemistry perspective if there are any degradation pathways for light ammonia readings that don't come via bacteria, not sure of that.

 

[jetmaker]

If it done it in 24 hrs add fish and a few cuc

 

[drcole]

It took 4 days. So I need to dose ammonia again and keep adding bacteria until I can get it down to digesting ammonia within 24hrs?

 

[jetmaker]

Yup that will work. Check it at 24 hrs see what it is.

 

[Sabellafella]

It took 4 days. So I need to dose ammonia again and keep adding bacteria until I can get it down to digesting ammonia within 24hrs?

Technically yea and is prob the best time to add fish. I never knew cycling a tank can get so sophisticated, it basically comes down to good husbandry and practices. Once you have no ammonia or nitrite add your first fishies, just dont overdue it to quickly and your good to go from there =)

 

[Sabellafella]

Almost forgot, by the time you've reached to when your tank devours 2ppm ammonia in a day your nitrates are going to be over 50ppm so you might want to do a mighty hefty water change and THEN your good to go =)

 

[Salty1962]

Sounds like you may be ready to SLOWLY add livestock. Check you levels before(reference)and after adding to see how your system reacts. Keep us post and Good Luck!

 

[john.m.cole3]

John did you move yet I just reread and saw you mentioned that

I move tanks by excluding detritus. I'll take apart current tank in order and clean rocks of all detritus. Old sand is typically cast out and I buy new wet pack either ocean direct or Fiji

Transport all rocks separate from fish underwater and rinse the new live sand perfectly clean of all possible silt and clouding. Set up new tank with zero detritus, zero wait on clouding, you get zero cycle.

WAIT... did you say to RINSE the live sand?

 

[jetmaker]

WAIT... did you say to RINSE the live sand?

No don't it's fine

 

[john.m.cole3]

I'm about to add water this weekend. Triton test hasn't come back yet, so I don't know if I can use rock and Marine Pure media from my existing tank to boost the cycle. I have 40 pounds of new live sand sitting in their bags in my garage. I bought Dr. Tim's ammonia chloride and his one and only products to do a fishless cycle... My biggest dilemma is that I am holding a RBTA in my now running 46 w/ marine orbit LEDs and I understand he won't do well in that enviromnent (lighting wise). Need to get my 72 w/ ATI 6 bulb T5 cranked up ASAP. SHould I use prime and Dr. tims one and only, or "hard cycle" and wait 2-3 weeks???