QT Tank Headache

markysgirl · Feb 21, 2020

I got my QT tank up and running on January 22nd.
It is still not cycled!!!
I have a 10 gallon glass box with a heater, HOB filter, air bubble wand thingy, and PVC houses for fish. The HOB has a media bag full of plastic bioballs. The tank is bare bottom.
I added saltwater, Dr. Tim's One & Only and 2ppm ammonium chloride to the tank on 1/22.
On 2/15
I tested the tank and got:
Salinity 1.025
pH 8.2
NH3 8.0
NO2 .001
At this point I decided the cycle has stalled.
I did a 75% water change and that brought the NH3 down to 2.
And added another 1/2 of a 4oz bottle of Dr. Tim's.
I tested it again today and my numbers are:
Salinity 1.025
pH 8.2
NH3 2.0
NO2 .1
NO3 2.0
I guess it is finally moving but I thought I would reach out and see if anyone had any ideas to get this going!!!
It's the longest cycle ever!!!!

Reefer40b · Feb 21, 2020

Do you have a display tank running that is cycled? If so why not place a sponge in the sump and collect up some good bacteria from there and drop it in the qt

markysgirl · Feb 21, 2020

Reefer40b said:
Do you have a display tank running that is cycled? If so why not place a sponge in the sump and collect up some good bacteria from there and drop it in the qt

I forgot to mention, I did that about halfway through this debacle.

piranhaman00 · Feb 21, 2020

markysgirl said:
At this point I decided the cycle has stalled.

I cant help myself @brandon429 your favorite word.

How did you add 2.0ppm nh4 and it tested at 8.0? How did you test 0.001 nitrite?

When NH4 is 0 you are cycled. You will be there soon. Im guessing you had to high ammonia at first.

brandon429 · Feb 21, 2020

its already been dosed with one day cycling bac. you can carry the bioload relative to the amount of surface area in this tank right now, the ammonia holding won't apply. dont be triple redundant on bac, they're already selling u one bottle! this tank is as cycled as the amount of surface area you've permitted, it has max bac. the ammonia test is reading what most non seneye testers will read

adding more bac cannot help at all, the area you give them to attach to is the new limitation in a qt tank (without lr and sand)

markysgirl · Feb 21, 2020

piranhaman00 said:
I cant help myself @brandon429 your favorite word.

How did you add 2.0ppm nh4 and it tested at 8.0? How did you test 0.001 nitrite?

When NH4 is 0 you are cycled. You will be there soon. Im guessing you had to high ammonia at first.

My bad.....
I should have been more specific. I added what was supposed to be 2ppm of NH3 twice as per the instructions on he Dr. Tim's website.
How that got to be 8ppm of NH3 is a mystery to me as well.
I also mistyped the nitrite level. I meant .01 not .001.
I used the Salifert test read it by looking through the side of the vial to read it, as per the directions on the box for super low levels.
I guess I will just keep on keeping on.
I did think about the lack of surface area for bacteria slowing things down and have briefly thought about adding some smooth marbles to the bottom in order to make more surface area. I just want to make sure they are able to either be disinfected and/or are so inexpensive I can just recycle them.

Reef AquaCult · Feb 21, 2020

There is no such thing as a stalled cycle. Just wait a bit longer, patience is a virtue in this hobby.

piranhaman00 · Feb 21, 2020

markysgirl said:
My bad.....
I should have been more specific. I added what was supposed to be 2ppm of NH3 twice as per the instructions on he Dr. Tim's website.
How that got to be 8ppm of NH3 is a mystery to me as well.
I also mistyped the nitrite level. I meant .01 not .001.
I used the Salifert test read it by looking through the side of the vial to read it, as per the directions on the box for super low levels.
I guess I will just keep on keeping on.
I did think about the lack of surface area for bacteria slowing things down and have briefly thought about adding some smooth marbles to the bottom in order to make more surface area. I just want to make sure they are able to either be disinfected and/or are so inexpensive I can just recycle them.

Smooth marbles have a fraction the surface area of true bio filtration. Look for seachem matrix. But you are not stalled. I recommend Biospira, tank is always cycled overnight.

imo dr tims stuff is overpriced and not elite like it is made out to be.