Dr. Tims fishless cycle

[joe0813]

Ive sent 3 emails now asking for help with the fishless cycle package that I bought from brs and have yet to hear back from Dr.Tims. July 28th I started this process in my 180 gallon. Added the 4 drops of ammonia per gallon which made my ammonia off the charts on my Red Sea test kit. On august 10th I finally had no ammonia and then had off the charts nitrite. August 15th my nitrites dropped down to 1ppm and they have stayed there. its now Sept 2nd and my nitrites are still 1ppm. What should I be doing at this point? This kit seems like its been a waste of 140 bucks

 

[Miami Reef]

Do a water change and add some fish.

 

[joe0813]

Do a water change and add some fish.

Hmm never got a notification that someone replied.... Even with the nitrite? Didn't think the cycle would be finished if I still had nitrites

 

[brandon429]

your tank is ready for sure, see this nitrite study thread (we ignore nitrite in updated cycling science, it no longer matters for reasons you can see now)

How to unstick any seemingly stuck cycle

Team how many times did we need to know your alkalinity to turn out cycles ready here with fish or your ph or any other param if you have water, and time depending on the boosters used, you get a full complete cycle and not a partial one. Someone update the cycling rules for the hobby with...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[joe0813]

wow things have changed since I first cycled this tank 10 years ago ... Going to give the link a read now

 

[brandon429]

after reading that and considering the degree of testing we made to earn those results, may I please have your permission to use your post here edited into post #1 and a custom update I'll write for it.

Your post is a flagship example of how old cycling science is actually bad and harms eventual animals vs new cycling science which can name appropriate start dates, and has you concentrate on quarantine and fallow as the real focus.

going off old rules they had you waiting potentially 3 more months for a reef ready approx forty or fifty days ago and old cycling science does not relay the degree of loss from adding unprepared pet store fish into a ready reef. old cycling science misleads us into erroneously awaiting nitrite compliance, on kits we can't even prove are right regarding fully chemically neutral parameter

old cycling science doesn't ever cover the known cause of fish loss within eight months of setup-diseases like velvet and various others. old cycling science seems actually designed to loop us into never ending retail purchases upon greater analysis.

 

[joe0813]

after reading that and considering the degree of testing we made to earn those results, may I please have your permission to use your post here edited into post #1 and a custom update I'll write for it.

Your post is a flagship example of how old cycling science is actually bad and harms eventual animals vs new cycling science which can name appropriate start dates, and has you concentrate on quarantine and fallow as the real focus.

going off old rules they had you waiting potentially 3 more months for a reef ready approx forty or fifty days ago and old cycling science does not relay the degree of loss from adding unprepared pet store fish into a ready reef. old cycling science misleads us into erroneously awaiting nitrite compliance, on kits we can't even prove are right regarding fully chemically neutral parameter.

Absolutely

 

[brandon429]

thank you very much and to avoid any rush, we will wait till this reef is proofed with pics.

Your tank has actually done a decent fallow run in this buildup for cycling, filter bac are very ready...can you find any fish that are pre quarantined

if not, then traveling down the continuum of fish most likely to be ok in skipping quarantine common LFS clownfish are pretty hardy...those often do just fine without QT per 100 posts, we can see it in action on nano-reef.com for example.


but the bigger mixed fish systems, tangs and wrasses etc, those need disease helps and I figured before writing about the close of your cycle independent to nitrite status, we need to see it running a while with some bioload proof in it as you see fit. Ill stay tuned for your updates and we can really use this as a learning example soon, when your ready cycle is proofed.

per that thread the cycle was proven ready when all fish added act completely normal at all times and feed just as they would in a cycled setup. the water stays clear etc vs clouding and crashing, like an uncycled system will do quickly.


so a week or so after adding some fish and feeding them we'll begin the final proof tracking on this cycle then make it a flagship read there.

* you don't need the water change your tank has waited long enough, can use this very water and begin. collect good pics we thrive on good pics as proof. Your water will not burn or harm any invert, any fish or animal or coral or pod or filter bacteria

 

[joe0813]

I actually have 2 firefish coming from TSM aquatics within the week. 9/7 they are done in QT and can arrange shipping

 

[brandon429]

wow on this thread timing, you already had a disease route planned. that's where this hobby needs to be, your setup is about to be rock and roll of the purest tempo. to avoid diluting the first post there with too many links your 5th one will close out that post, with no more added in retro

I wanted any cycler to understand our direction fully by reading a mere 4 examples, now its 5.

your thread will show the summation of the entire read in the very first post there as it times so nicely with today's cycling trends in forums.

well done, well done real world assembly here using updated approaches.

 

[brandon429]

in those threads folks have added mass repeat doses ammonia and at times Prime and all kinds of things to change out test readings so the big water change was the equalizer

but on yours its sat long enough for all to equalize, even if nitrite seems noncompliant I'm 100% certain your added bioload will fare exactly as you expect and with much better retention percentages than the average setup. your current water column is fine without that big initial change we usually do. you did a reasonably-dosed cycle with plenty of wait time, it meets every standard we have for pages was very happy to see this live time example spring up today.

 

[joe0813]

Awesome I cant wait to add fish back in here. Firefish will be added from TSM and slowly start adding my previous fish back after they finish their QT. 30 days of copper power at 2.5ppm, then praziquantel treatments and then they can go back into the 180.

 

[brandon429]

this is so rare, you're already preparing at the highest level the fish disease forum would have in process. It doesnt matter if other folks skip this process and do well, what matters is your plan involves every sticky from the fish disease forum currently in use and written by a man that runs a six million dollar zoo aquatics exhibit (Jay) and he makes a fine neutral reference point for fish retention strategy even above random forum posters

its not that other ways don't exist, its that we specifically like this way so much my whole thread revolved around it before we just met.

 

[joe0813]

Ive been burnt on the fish disease before... All set going through that again. Already owned fish are going through the above QT in a 100gallon horse trough, new fish will come from TSM or possibly Marine Collectors and inverts/coral will either come from vendors that have fishless tanks or will go into a 40 breeder coral qt tank for 76 days

 

[DrZoidburg]

watch this cycles do stall... Guy in video phd and doctorate

 

[brandon429]

we have considered those claims and worked past them in the logs above. New findings newer than that video now exist.


for example, if anyone is valid interested in input after watching that video, ask to see our thread where we cycle a full dry start reef tank in twenty days using only reef tank water. That video says reef water doesn’t have transmissible cycling bacteria.

do you remember how Taricha handled your assertions in his prime thread

I can link that for readers to see if needed, for context

thats about to occur again, here. I’m now of the opinion you do this on purpose, for the purpose of derailment. I guess we will see, once bioload is added here.

 

[DrZoidburg]

we have considered those claims and worked past them in the logs above.

do you remember how Taricha handled your assertions in his prime thread



thats about to occur again, here.

they didnt..

 

[brandon429]

It’s important not to derail this one particular thread, your counter claim to watch out for stalls is noted. Now we can simply analyze the system after it begins and track it out to see how it goes down. Your perspective is indeed the more popular one, if polled nearly every cycle umpire would agree it’s stalled, that’s the agreed upon gradient at work.


results coming will decide.

 

[joe0813]

well now I am confused.... is my tank cycled or stalled? 12 years of doing this I was always taught once ammonia and nitrite read zero do a water change for the nitrate and then you are good to go. Dr. Tims kit also says once nitrite is zero. I just dont want to throw in fish to a tank that isn't ready

 

[DrZoidburg]

How do you watch out for stalls?