First Cycle questions/issues/solution?

[dawi03]

Hi guys,

So I did the Dr Tims bac/ammonia cycle, did it exactly to the bottle, day 3 i had no ammonia which was awesome.

when I redosed the amount of ammonia they recommended, it spiked the ammonia to 8+

i crapped myself but let it go for another day, did not change at all.

I then did a 50% water change, this dropped the ammonia to around 4+ but i was still concerned, basically topped the tank up again with bacteria

3 days later it was still reading around 4+ so ive now decided, lets fix this for good and make sure i dont overdose ammonia again and ive done a 100% water change.

Ive jsut got to get some more water to top the tank up, but the scape is 3/4 in water 1/4 out, will this kill the bacteria fully or will they move into the water?

also, what is the best way forward now? i dont want to overdose on ammonia again, but do want to get this bloody thing started and not stall and overdose again.

SHould I get live rock to chuck in from the lfs and just do a couple of drops of ammonia? or shrimp?

 

[Brucealmighty]

I might be showing my age here but I am sure you can use black molly's to cycle the tank, freshwater fish converted to salt water by means of a 24 hr drip acclimatisation from freshwater to saltwater might be a cheaper option than a shrimp as I don't know about USA prices but here it's £20 + for a shrimp, just thought I'd let you know as it may save a bit of money

 

[dawi03]

I might be showing my age here but I am sure you can use black molly's to cycle the tank, freshwater fish converted to salt water by means of a 24 hr drip acclimatisation from freshwater to saltwater might be a cheaper option than a shrimp as I don't know about USA prices but here it's £20 + for a shrimp, just thought I'd let you know as it may save a bit of money

thanks mate, i mean a dead bit of shrimp to get the ammonia going again lol.

I am honestly thinking that the tank could be semi ready for a fish anyway after cycling for 8 or so days with heaps of bacteria being put in the tank, i just dont want to hurt the fish if im wrong but i always could test daily to make sure. I dont know

 

[Frithton]

Patience...it's called cycle for a reason. Rather it is with live rock or from a bottle, nature still has to do its thing. Not all tanks cycle at the same pace. I'm not a really a fan of insta-tanks for the health of the livestock.

 

[Brucealmighty]

Yeah and if you want to you can get some ammo lock which you can use if needed keep in case of emergencies

 

[Brucealmighty]

True about waiting for the cycling but live bacteria in the bottles and what is left from your first cycle attempt should be sufficient to get things going again I suggested the small (converted) freshwater fish to keep the cycle going and you have at least one fish to look at too

 

[dawi03]

Patience...it's called cycle for a reason. Rather it is with live rock or from a bottle, nature still has to do its thing. Not all tanks cycle at the same pace. I'm not a really a fan of insta-tanks for the health of the livestock.

ive got patience, that wasnt the issue here i was concerned i overdosed with ammonia.......

I was asking about the next best course to start the cycle again

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yeah and if you want to you can get some ammo lock which you can use if needed keep in case of emergencies

Ammo lock is useless in marine setting and recommended for freshwater. Seachem Prime will help but not a solution either

 

[vetteguy53081]

Why is it called a cycle? Because the tank will go through three phases: ammonia will rise and fall, then nitrite will rise and fall even quicker, and lastly nitrate will rise and fall. Once Ammonia and Nitrite read 0 and Nitrate is less than 20ppm, the cycle is complete and livestock can gradually be introduced. The bacteria population will increase with the new bioload, processing waste and converting it to nitrate rapidly.
Test the aquarium daily for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate, logging the information on graph paper or perhaps in a spreadsheet or app. The more data points you collect over time will graph the rise and fall of each of these parameters. No livestock of any kind should be placed in the aquarium as long as you have any measurable traces of ammonia or nitrite because these are toxic to fish and invertebrates. Start planning what you'll want to put in your aquarium while you have a few weeks to wait. There's no reason to rush this process. A good solid foundation will benefit your future reef and handle the bioload adequately.
Also - If you are running the system with a sump that has a refugium or Algae Turf Scrubber section, don't add any light or plants because the system is too clean.

 

[dawi03]

True about waiting for the cycling but live bacteria in the bottles and what is left from your first cycle attempt should be sufficient to get things going again I suggested the small (converted) freshwater fish to keep the cycle going and you have at least one fish to look at too

Thanks Bruce! i might get the water in and test paramaters tomorrow, give it 24 hours and to heat up etc, then go to fish shop tomorrow

Ammo lock is useless in marine setting and recommended for freshwater. Seachem Prime will help but not a solution either

Ive got seachem stability but thats more nitrifying bacteria. Vetteguy what would you do in this situation with a tank thats partly cycled and had a WC?

 

[dawi03]

Why is it called a cycle? Because the tank will go through three phases: ammonia will rise and fall, then nitrite will rise and fall even quicker, and lastly nitrate will rise and fall. Once Ammonia and Nitrite read 0 and Nitrate is less than 20ppm, the cycle is complete and livestock can gradually be introduced. The bacteria population will increase with the new bioload, processing waste and converting it to nitrate rapidly.
Test the aquarium daily for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate, logging the information on graph paper or perhaps in a spreadsheet or app. The more data points you collect over time will graph the rise and fall of each of these parameters. No livestock of any kind should be placed in the aquarium as long as you have any measurable traces of ammonia or nitrite because these are toxic to fish and invertebrates. Start planning what you'll want to put in your aquarium while you have a few weeks to wait. There's no reason to rush this process. A good solid foundation will benefit your future reef and handle the bioload adequately.
Also - If you are running the system with a sump that has a refugium or Algae Turf Scrubber section, don't add any light or plants because the system is too clean.

i definitely dont want to rush things, i just dont know what to do next, as i really dont want to dose it with ammonia and stuff it up again

 

[Brucealmighty]

Ammo lock is useless in marine setting and recommended for freshwater. Seachem Prime will help but not a solution either

My bad, like I said I was showing my age as I haven't cycled a tank in many years and was the best named product for the purpose of what I was saying I stand corrected

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks Bruce! i might get the water in and test paramaters tomorrow, give it 24 hours and to heat up etc, then go to fish shop tomorrow



Ive got seachem stability but thats more nitrifying bacteria. Vetteguy what would you do in this situation with a tank thats partly cycled and had a WC?

me- Add liquid bacteria such as Micro Bacter Xlm at 1.5ml per 10 gallons daily and test as mentioned. Dr. Tims although pricey also effective.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hi guys,

So I did the Dr Tims bac/ammonia cycle, did it exactly to the bottle, day 3 i had no ammonia which was awesome.

when I redosed the amount of ammonia they recommended, it spiked the ammonia to 8+

i crapped myself but let it go for another day, did not change at all.

I then did a 50% water change, this dropped the ammonia to around 4+ but i was still concerned, basically topped the tank up again with bacteria

3 days later it was still reading around 4+ so ive now decided, lets fix this for good and make sure i dont overdose ammonia again and ive done a 100% water change.

Ive jsut got to get some more water to top the tank up, but the scape is 3/4 in water 1/4 out, will this kill the bacteria fully or will they move into the water?

also, what is the best way forward now? i dont want to overdose on ammonia again, but do want to get this bloody thing started and not stall and overdose again.

SHould I get live rock to chuck in from the lfs and just do a couple of drops of ammonia? or shrimp?

Hiya,

It takes at least 21 days for a tank to cycle.

It will do it with or without added bacteria, and no matter how often you test it won't go any faster.
Test away if you're just interested in watching, but down't worry about anything stalling. It doesn't happen.

Leave the tank for a couple of weeks and then test ammonia and nitrate. If you have zero ammonia and nitrates above 40 you have finished the cycle.

Don't bother testing for Nitrite, not only is it harmless to marine life

 

[dawi03]

me- Add liquid bacteria such as Micro Bacter Xlm at 1.5ml per 10 gallons daily and test as mentioned. Dr. Tims although pricey also effective.

Whatwould be the ammonia source?

 

[dawi03]

Hiya,

It takes at least 21 days for a tank to cycle.

It will do it with or without added bacteria, and no matter how often you test it won't go any faster.
Test away if you're just interested in watching, but down't worry about anything stalling. It doesn't happen.

Leave the tank for a couple of weeks and then test ammonia and nitrate. If you have zero ammonia and nitrates above 40 you have finished the cycle.

Don't bother testing for Nitrite, not only is it harmless to marine life

Thanks mate, so don't even worry too much about re dosing ammonia? Just the once?