Dr. Tims

Paul C. · Nov 8, 2013

Hey fellow reefers. I need some info on using Dr. Tims to cycle my Elos XL160. Went bare bottom, and dry rock. So this is a start from scratch tank. I have been cooking the rock in a kiddie pool with heat and flow. I cycled it with raw shrimp and used a bacteria in the bottle to help. I don't recall the brand. Went through the ammonia cycle and never really finished the nitrate, and nitrite cycle. Wasn't worried seeing how i wasn't going to use any of that water in the new tank. So, tank is full and running. Rock is in and I need to do a cycle so i can start adding fish to this tank, and shut down the two that are in my dinning room. LOL

Who has used this product, and how well or not so well did it work for you? I have the ammonium chloride also. Before i start i would love to hear how other people did the cycle using these products.

Thanks in advance

Paul C.

Eienna · Nov 8, 2013

Given you're starting with dry rock (and have probably properly cured it, too, from the sound if it), Dr. Tim's One and Only would be an excellent product to finish furnishing the nitrifying bacteria. Having used the stuff on a few occasions, I can say it ROCKS!! I used the freshwater version to rescue my fully-stocked -actually, on the verge of overstocked - 50g when I accidentally nuked the nitrifiers with a dewormer. The ammonia had shot up to 7 in a couple of days' time but after an emergency water change and use of this product, I had 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite within 48 hours. Better yet, it stayed that way. I used the SW version to help get my 20g reef started with clean dry rock and a couple of young clowns. Worked perfectly. I have also used the small bottles to cycle QT tanks.

That product does not furnish denitrifiers, though. For that, I think you want his Waste-Away - just be EXTREMELY careful not to OD this stuff!

His products blow bio-spira and ATM Colony completely out of the water.

Paul C. · Nov 8, 2013

Great to hear it worked well for you. Did you use the Ammonium Chloride to start the cycle? Im not finding the instructions for the procedure. Im assuming you use the ammonium to start, and add the bacteria in a few hours, days? And test, test away.

Eienna · Nov 8, 2013

Paul C. said:
Great to hear it worked well for you. Did you use the Ammonium Chloride to start the cycle? Im not finding the instructions for the procedure. Im assuming you use the ammonium to start, and add the bacteria in a few hours, days? And test, test away.

It's not necessarily something I advise, but I had two very small clownfish I put in right away with the One and Only. Never saw ammonia or nitrite that I can remember. The stuff gets to work that fast.

If you were using uncured rock, I would say don't add livestock right away, because the rock would have some die-off which creates enough ammonia. If there was die-off and you added fish too (or ammonia, for that matter) there would be so much ammonia being processed that your nitrates would likely skyrocket (since you would not have the denitrifiers to keep up with it yet.) I kept up with nitrate by water changes, but my rock was dead and bleach-white clean, so only the clownfish were producing ammonia.

DO NOT add the waste-away until you've already had the bacterial bloom from the one and only. Best to wait at least a month to be safe. Do not mix different bacterial products unless you wait at least a week or two between them. I don't know how much this applies to the one and only, but you definitely don't want to mix the waste-away with anything else.

The problem isn't that they hinder each other. The problem is that if they bloom at the same time the oxygen levels in the water will drop to a potentially deadly level.

stunreefer · Nov 8, 2013

I'm a big proponent of Tim's bacteria. I use it consistently to cycle my incoming QT system, in which every tank is broken down and bleached including all equipment. Once fish go through incoming system they're moved to a conditioning system which is never broken down. I've nuked the incoming system, re-filled, added Tim's bacteria and had another shipment arrive within days of restarting with no issues. I've only used the "Fish Only" version as opposed to "Reef" version, mostly due to cost and I see no difference, frankly. I've not used the ammonium chloride; instead have just tossed in bits of Mysis to feed bacteria.

Paul C. · Nov 8, 2013

Thanks again for the responses. I'm leaning towards not using the ammonium chloride. Figure this dry rock (not dead rock. White out of the box, cooked for maybe 6-8 weeks) has some good amount of bacteria on it. Use the one and only and feed some snails to get this thing closer to add these fish. Thoughts to how long before i can start adding fish? Slowly of corse.

Eienna · Nov 8, 2013

Paul C. said:
Thanks again for the responses. I'm leaning towards not using the ammonium chloride. Figure this dry rock (not dead rock. White out of the box, cooked for maybe 6-8 weeks) has some good amount of bacteria on it. Use the one and only and feed some snails to get this thing closer to add these fish. Thoughts to how long before i can start adding fish? Slowly of corse.

I think most nitrifier starters recommend you add something like one small fish per 20(10?) gallons within 24-48 hours.