Dr Tim’s ammonia 8ppm

[Ryan1277]

So I’m using dr Tim’s one and only and his ammonia. I’m on day 8 followed instructions correctly adding ammonia on day 1,3 and 6. Taking a read of ammonia on day 7 and 8 it’s looks to be 8ppm with nitrite at .5ppm. Should I just let it be or should I do a 20% water change and add another bottle of one and only? I did turn up the heat to 82 today in hopes that would help. I just don’t want to stall the process out.

 

[Azedenkae]

So I’m using dr Tim’s one and only and his ammonia. I’m on day 8 followed instructions correctly adding ammonia on day 1,3 and 6. Taking a read of ammonia on day 7 and 8 it’s looks to be 8ppm with nitrite at .5ppm. Should I just let it be or should I do a 20% water change and add another bottle of one and only? I did turn up the heat to 82 today in hopes that would help. I just don’t want to stall the process out.

That's high. :O

Fishless Cycling | DrTim's Aquatics

The term "fishless cycling" refers to the process of establishing the nitrifying bacteria in a newly set-up aquarium without using fish which are used in the traditional cycling method. The problem associated with using fish in the cycling period is that normally, when establishing the...

www.drtimsaquatics.com

Dr. Tim also says to never let ammonia go above 5ppm. If you are following his instructions, I would suggest doing a water change until your ammonia is below 5ppm, then continue from there. Then follow whatever else he wrote in the article.

 

[Ryan1277]

That's high. :O

Fishless Cycling | DrTim's Aquatics

The term "fishless cycling" refers to the process of establishing the nitrifying bacteria in a newly set-up aquarium without using fish which are used in the traditional cycling method. The problem associated with using fish in the cycling period is that normally, when establishing the...

www.drtimsaquatics.com

Dr. Tim also says to never let ammonia go above 5ppm. If you are following his instructions, I would suggest doing a water change until your ammonia is below 5ppm, then continue from there. Then follow whatever else he wrote in the article.

Thanks, not exactly sure what went wrong. Maybe an issue with using live sand as I read. Things went well the first 6 days until that last doze.

 

[Azedenkae]

Thanks, not exactly sure what went wrong. Maybe an issue with using live sand as I read. Things went well the first 6 days until that last doze.

Oh yeah so I may have missed that. How were the parameters the first six days?

 

[zukihara]

OK, I am no expert, but I am doing the fast cycle myself right now and I would not do a water change. I would get more bacteria. Hear me out...

The condition of that Dr. Tim's you bought could be the culprit as it could certainly have been stored in less than desirable conditions prior to introduction, foiling your plans. It seems you just simply do not have enough bacteria to handle that much ammonia overnight. I expect you could read varying opinions on this all day for a week, but for that much ammonia to be in there after 6 days I fear your bacteria was sub par when introduced.

Try to source a new bottle from somewhere different and dump half in immediately, wait 3 days and dump in the other half. I bet at that point you will be good.

Alternatively, since you are this far along, you might consider adding some live rock from the LFS instead. Diversity among bacteria is good.

 

[Ryan1277]

Hey guys my ammonia is finally dropping to .25ppm the nitrites are at least 5ppm. Should I continue to keep dosing ammonia or just leave it be until nitrites go down? This morning I dozed ammonia and it’s already back down to .25ppm this evening but the nitrite is still 5ppm

 

[Azedenkae]

OK, I am no expert, but I am doing the fast cycle myself right now and I would not do a water change. I would get more bacteria. Hear me out...

The condition of that Dr. Tim's you bought could be the culprit as it could certainly have been stored in less than desirable conditions prior to introduction, foiling your plans. It seems you just simply do not have enough bacteria to handle that much ammonia overnight. I expect you could read varying opinions on this all day for a week, but for that much ammonia to be in there after 6 days I fear your bacteria was sub par when introduced.

Try to source a new bottle from somewhere different and dump half in immediately, wait 3 days and dump in the other half. I bet at that point you will be good.

Alternatively, since you are this far along, you might consider adding some live rock from the LFS instead. Diversity among bacteria is good.

Noice. Dr. Tim also wrote that nitrite should not go over 5ppm, so yeah best leave it be and let nitrite fall to 0 too. Then you can dose ammonia again and see if ammonia and nitrite can convert to nitrate fully within 24 hours.

 

[brian414899]

So I’m using dr Tim’s one and only and his ammonia. I’m on day 8 followed instructions correctly adding ammonia on day 1,3 and 6. Taking a read of ammonia on day 7 and 8 it’s looks to be 8ppm with nitrite at .5ppm. Should I just let it be or should I do a 20% water change and add another bottle of one and only? I did turn up the heat to 82 today in hopes that would help. I just don’t want to stall the process out.

Your not stalling. I’m going through the same thing. Just let it ride. In about 4-5 days your ammonia’s will drop and your nitrites will climb. There are two groups of nitrifying bacteria one group converts ammonia to nitrite your still growing those once you got a nitrite spike growing you’ll start growing the second group. With dr Tim’s in my experience it cuts the cycling process in half. So from a month to two weeks

 

[Ryan1277]

Yeah that’s exactly what happened, I just had to wait it out. Fishless cycling was more of a pain than when I used fish on my first tank. My ammonia sky rocketed over a week later it dropped and nitrites were way over anything readable, then 2 weeks later they dropped over night. All is happy, just a waiting game that took longer than 9 days as advertised to add fish.