Ghost Feeding after MicroBacter Cycle? Raw shrimp? PEE!?!?!?!

[FrickMasterFlex]

Preparing to test my water on Thursday for the first time after I used the MicroBacter bacteria in a bottle that came highly recommended from a knowledgeable fellow from the local fish store that specializes in reef tanks. If I measure this Thursday what should I be looking for from an ammonia/nitrite/nitrate level? I've seen around a few threads that the must have measurements to confirm the cycle is complete is 0 for ammonia/nitrite and nitrates around 25ppm.

Now, if that's correct, and those are the readings I get on Thursday, is it necessary to try and do another form of cycling to ensure I'm good? As a newb, I'd rather be ULTRA safe to ensure it's complete. I've read about the raw shrimp method where you leave it in for 24-48 hours to spike ammonia levels as it decays, and then see if the tank can cycle ammonia levels back to 0 within 24 hours after you remove it. Also saw some old R2R threads from 7 or so years ago where people said they actually used their own urine to confirm/help the cycle! Is that real life? TIA for the help!

 

[lapin]

Did you feed the bacteria anything to get them to start multiplying?

 

[brandon429]

save yourself a headache, modify the plan around you having test kits that wont read accurately:

add the bottle bac into rocks and sand and water

add a pinch of fish food, doesn't matter whether or not you add ammonia too. add some if you have it.

wait 20 days due to that brand. if it was fritz or biospira, =within a week but that mix wait 20.

on day 20 you are cycled, take a single nitrate reading to make sure there is a little, that proofs your bottle bac wasn't dead. this way can't fail.

 

[Ludders]

To cycle a tank microbacter7 alone is not enough.
Have you any ammonia source?

 

[Ludders]

All 3 of us posted at the same time here. Listen to @brandon429 he is a SME in this area.

 

[FrickMasterFlex]

save yourself a headache, modify the plan around you having test kits that wont read accurately:

add the bottle bac into rocks and sand and water

add a pinch of fish food, doesn't matter whether or not you add ammonia too. add some if you have it.

wait 20 days due to that brand. if it was fritz or biospira, =within a week but that mix wait 20.

on day 20 you are cycled, take a single nitrate reading to make sure there is a little, that proofs your bottle bac wasn't dead. this way can't fail.

Appreciate the response! It was actually MicroBacter Start XLM.. not sure if that changes things. As for the pinch of fish food, should I do that once? Daily? Any particular type of fish food or does it not matter? No issue waiting the 20 days I want to be patient and get this as close to right as I can the first time. Should I make any water changes or top offs during those 20 days of cycling?

 

[lapin]

To perform a Fishless Cycle: Purchase a bottle of MicroBacter QuikCyclTM to use simultaneously with this product,.MicroBacter Start XLM.

 

[FrickMasterFlex]

To perform a Fishless Cycle: Purchase a bottle of MicroBacter QuikCyclTM to use simultaneously with this product,.MicroBacter Start XLM.

Looks like this is what the man at the store forgot to mention for a fishless cycle. So glad I joined up here this is so helpful. Both sets of feed back from you and Brandon are awesome. Thanks!!!!!!!

 

[LegendaryCG]

5ml of vinegar would do the job too. This simply provides a carbon (food) source for the bacteria to use to rapidly develop.

 

[brandon429]

the fish food wont matter. once, four times, doesn't matter these bacteria are getting fed regardless

Dr Reef found out the fish food trick provides carbon in addition to ammonia we eventually add or create.

how do reefs do without fish food then, in cycling? everything that constitutes carpet dust and dust on the blinds and dust on top of my stereo uncleaned for three years is all carbon

its getting in without fish food, we're just boosting so that super slow mix u got w complete by day 20 I like to pick on certain brands lol for fun. fritz and biospira are the most reliable, per posts. that xlm will come around, and you'll be lucky if your tests actually allow you to begin in 20 days. by then its so many days underwater we know your tank will be safe, even if your ammonia still appears stuck out to then.

 

[ReefRusty]

Ok great, finally share my experience with the MicroBacter Start XLM bacteria.
1. Filled tank with dry rock, sand and water.
2. Added the directed amount of bacteria to water.
3. Measure ammonia to see of you have any in my case I didn't so I added an ammonia source which mu starter kit came with. If not as @brandon429 said a pinch of fish food.
4. Wait what it states on the bottle 7-9 days Measure ammonia and nitrates.
5. If signs of nitrates in my case i was at 0 day 1 and was 5ppm on day 6 to day 9 then up to 10ppm from day 10 till 15. This is a sign your bacteria is live and solid in a tank.
5. Measure your ammonia, mine has always been difficult to read salifert test kit. But appears now it reads 0
6. Your tank is cycled as mentioned as you are feeding fiah food wait 20 days.
7.complete a water change. It does state on bottle 25% however I'll be doing a 50% for my first WC then 20% weekly.

Hope any of this information helps. Lots of people are willing to help.

 

[brandon429]

agreed make that the new directions on the bottle

 

[FrickMasterFlex]

the fish food wont matter. once, four times, doesn't matter these bacteria are getting fed regardless

Dr Reef found out the fish food trick provides carbon in addition to ammonia we eventually add or create.

how do reefs do without fish food then, in cycling? everything that constitutes carpet dust and dust on the blinds and dust on top of my stereo uncleaned for three years is all carbon

its getting in without fish food, we're just boosting so that super slow mix u got w complete by day 20 I like to pick on certain brands lol for fun. fritz and biospira are the most reliable, per posts. that xlm will come around, and you'll be lucky if your tests actually allow you to begin in 20 days. by then its so many days underwater we know your tank will be safe, even if your ammonia still appears stuck out to then.

this is awesome. if i added in the proper amount of bottle bac already about a week ago, when i start this fish food method, should I add in more of the bacteria and restart that 20-day cycle? also should I water change during the 20-days?

 

[Tired]

Well, urine definitely contains ammonia. That would be an effective test if you knew how much was required to raise the ammonia to the right level. That said, I don't think I'd do it- grossness aside, there might be things in urine that are fine for you and your organs, but not desirable in a reef tank.

 

[brandon429]

even that wont matter, anywhere roughly 20 days is fine give or take

sounds like we moved the bar lol to accommodate the request, but the bar is secretly just the ammonia portion of a cycling chart. those are all ten day timeframes

the 20 days was just to account for that type of unspoken customization~

heck u might even get nitrite compliance by then...but we don't care if you don't. only ammonia matters, the other two params cannot burn, stall, or harm anything in reefing. nitrite is harmful only in freshwater tanking. only ammonia matters in reef cycling.

 

[FrickMasterFlex]

even that wont matter, anywhere roughly 20 days is fine give or take

sounds like we moved the bar lol to accommodate the request, but the bar is secretly just the ammonia portion of a cycling chart. those are all ten day timeframes

the 20 days was just to account for that type of unspoken customization~

heck u might even get nitrite compliance by then...but we don't care if you don't. only ammonia matters, the other two params cannot burn, stall, or harm anything in reefing. nitrite is harmful only in freshwater tanking. only ammonia matters in reef cycling.

Got it! Dropping some fish food in the tank starting tomorrow and will monitor and run the tests for ammonia! I read your long post on nitrite levels and and how obsolete they may now be in reefing. Very informative, my thanks again.

 

[Jeffcb]

put some hermits in.

 

[Tired]

I wouldn't be adding animals to a tank that isn't cycled yet. Less to worry about that way.

 

[FrickMasterFlex]

Ok great, finally share my experience with the MicroBacter Start XLM bacteria.
1. Filled tank with dry rock, sand and water.
2. Added the directed amount of bacteria to water.
3. Measure ammonia to see of you have any in my case I didn't so I added an ammonia source which mu starter kit came with. If not as @brandon429 said a pinch of fish food.
4. Wait what it states on the bottle 7-9 days Measure ammonia and nitrates.
5. If signs of nitrates in my case i was at 0 day 1 and was 5ppm on day 6 to day 9 then up to 10ppm from day 10 till 15. This is a sign your bacteria is live and solid in a tank.
5. Measure your ammonia, mine has always been difficult to read salifert test kit. But appears now it reads 0
6. Your tank is cycled as mentioned as you are feeding fiah food wait 20 days.
7.complete a water change. It does state on bottle 25% however I'll be doing a 50% for my first WC then 20% weekly.

Hope any of this information helps. Lots of people are willing to help.

Thanks Rusty! I think my final question is for you and @brandon429 in regards to that final water change post-cycle. Given that I am dosing with fish food, would I be OK to break up and sift through the sand whilst doing that water change to pick up some of the decayed fish food? I've read that the beneficial bacteria lives on surfaces, not in the water column, so just want to make sure if I sift through the sand I'm not going to mess anything up. I assume I'd be OK given that the bacteria doesn't live ONLY in the sand, but figured I'd double check.

 

[brandon429]

agreed that will not hurt, to mess around the sand as long as it doesn't cloud things up.

new sand is safe, but old sand if set in place a long time is best cleaned all at once so you can control clouding vs any kind of kicking up/old beds.