Cycling my aquarium.

Spdjnky · Aug 29, 2023

The procedure below I'm sure you recognize it, it's Dr Tim's aquatics for cycling and aquarium.
I am cycling another aquarium, and I don't think in all the Times I've done that I have ever done it correctly. I would think this would be the correct way to do it but I had started wrong already and would like some advice. Thank you.
I have an 80 gallon display and a 30 gallon sump The numbers are pretty close I have. an artificial reef and with the displacement of that in the display tank and the sump displacement from the protein skimmers and bio reactor Around 100 gallons total..
I started things totally wrong. It's been up and running for about three, I think, 4 days now And I added Dr Tim's One and Only Nitrifying Bacteria three days ago. I just received my Ammonium Chloride Solution to start I have not tested anything yet The only thing that's been done is. working on the plumbing. Where do you think would be the best place to start now? Test, first, or just go ahead and dose the ammonia to 2PPM and go from there.
I will make some modifications to a Google photo album that I have and post that next so everyone can see what I have as far as a setup goes. Thank you.
Day 1 – dose ammonia to 2 ppm ammonia-nitrogen [NH3-N] using our ammonium chloride (1 drop per gallon [After Nov 2016 when using DrTim’s ammonium chloride use 4 drops per gallon]) [NOTE: do not expect your test kit to exactly read 2 ppm and it is not critical to get exactly 2 ppm. The key is to not add too much ammonia]. If using DrTim’s Aquatics One & Only Live Nitrifying bacteria add it now (turn skimmer, UV and ozone off and remove filter socks for 48 hours).
Day 2 – Measure ammonia and nitrite.
Day 3 – If ammonia and nitrite are below 1 ppm add more ammonia: four drops of our ammonium chloride per gallon (check the label).
Days 4 & 5 – Measure ammonia and nitrite.
Day 6 – If ammonia and nitrite are below 1 ppm add 2 ppm ammonia. Four drops of our ammonium chloride per gallon. [NOTE: since you have added the One & Only your ammonia kit will not read 2 ppm and DO NOT continue adding ammonia trying to get to 2 ppm – just add 2 ppm ammonia (4 drops per gallon of our ammonium chloride) and carry-on.
Days 7 & 8 – Measure ammonia and nitrite. On the first measurement day (Day 2, 4, 5, 7 or 8) that BOTH ammonia and nitrite are both below 0.5 ppm (NH3-N or NO2-N) your tank is close to being cycled.
Now start to measure ammonia and nitrite every day.
When BOTH ammonia and nitrite are below 0.2 ppm (NH3-N or NO2-N), add another 2 ppm ammonia.
Continue to measure every day. When you can add 2 ppm ammonia and BOTH ammonia and nitrite are below 0.2 ppm (NH3-N or NO2-N) the next day your tank is cycled – congrats! You’re done!
Do a partial water change and add some fish.

Propane · Aug 29, 2023

Honestly just put in the appropriate amount of ammonia, wait a few days and start looking for nitrates. If you want you can add more ammonia later on and see if it disappears in 24 hours. There’s a lot of tips and tricks you can use but it’s really just as simple as feed and wait about 10 days and see where you are at.

Spdjnky · Aug 29, 2023

Lavey29 · Aug 29, 2023

Nitrite is irrelevant in salt tanks. Just check ammonia and nitrates. Once ammonia reads 0 after 24 hours and you show measurable nitrates your tank is cycled.

vetteguy53081 · Aug 29, 2023

Spdjnky said:
The procedure below I'm sure you recognize it, it's Dr Tim's aquatics for cycling and aquarium.

I am cycling another aquarium, and I don't think in all the Times I've done that I have ever done it correctly. I would think this would be the correct way to do it but I had started wrong already and would like some advice. Thank you.

I have an 80 gallon display and a 30 gallon sump The numbers are pretty close I have. an artificial reef and with the displacement of that in the display tank and the sump displacement from the protein skimmers and bio reactor Around 100 gallons total..

I started things totally wrong. It's been up and running for about three, I think, 4 days now And I added Dr Tim's One and Only Nitrifying Bacteria three days ago. I just received my Ammonium Chloride Solution to start I have not tested anything yet The only thing that's been done is. working on the plumbing. Where do you think would be the best place to start now? Test, first, or just go ahead and dose the ammonia to 2PPM and go from there.

I will make some modifications to a Google photo album that I have and post that next so everyone can see what I have as far as a setup goes. Thank you.

Day 1 – dose ammonia to 2 ppm ammonia-nitrogen [NH3-N] using our ammonium chloride (1 drop per gallon [After Nov 2016 when using DrTim’s ammonium chloride use 4 drops per gallon]) [NOTE: do not expect your test kit to exactly read 2 ppm and it is not critical to get exactly 2 ppm. The key is to not add too much ammonia]. If using DrTim’s Aquatics One & Only Live Nitrifying bacteria add it now (turn skimmer, UV and ozone off and remove filter socks for 48 hours).

Day 2 – Measure ammonia and nitrite.

Day 3 – If ammonia and nitrite are below 1 ppm add more ammonia: four drops of our ammonium chloride per gallon (check the label).

Days 4 & 5 – Measure ammonia and nitrite.

Day 6 – If ammonia and nitrite are below 1 ppm add 2 ppm ammonia. Four drops of our ammonium chloride per gallon. [NOTE: since you have added the One & Only your ammonia kit will not read 2 ppm and DO NOT continue adding ammonia trying to get to 2 ppm – just add 2 ppm ammonia (4 drops per gallon of our ammonium chloride) and carry-on.

Days 7 & 8 – Measure ammonia and nitrite. On the first measurement day (Day 2, 4, 5, 7 or 8) that BOTH ammonia and nitrite are both below 0.5 ppm (NH3-N or NO2-N) your tank is close to being cycled.

Now start to measure ammonia and nitrite every day.

When BOTH ammonia and nitrite are below 0.2 ppm (NH3-N or NO2-N), add another 2 ppm ammonia.

Continue to measure every day. When you can add 2 ppm ammonia and BOTH ammonia and nitrite are below 0.2 ppm (NH3-N or NO2-N) the next day your tank is cycled – congrats! You’re done!

Do a partial water change and add some fish.

When you add the ammonia chloride- the ammonia and nitrate will rise. This is normal. As mentioned - disregard nitrite unless sky high. When the ammonia drops to zero for 5 days and nitrate is 20 below for 5 days consecutively - you are cycled. When fish are added, it will increase the bioload and your ammonia and nitrate will rise and fall which is normal.

brandon429 · Aug 30, 2023

Use testless cycling. I could have your tank ready by September 8th specifically on that date, using the same methods 400 vendors use to show up on the start date of every reef tank convention since 1986.

what you’re planning in the first post is what the buyers do, who depend on the sellers to sell them things for stuck cycles

I noticed nobody listed an exact date you could be ready...this means you aren’t getting the full option set. If you want to cycle the right way, let’s do, let me know. Then when you begin reefing on the ready date I’ll add your tank to page forty of our testless cycle thread, approximate job #134

or, you can hold course, wait arbitrary weeks to completion and have a fifty percent chance of a false stall adding weeks more to your wait. Don’t add the ammonia if you want the testless cycle, that’s what buyers do at the convention, the sellers who control the money flow don’t do that. We would use another type of fuel.

when cycle umpires withhold specific ready date options, it means they could never be invited to be sellers at the reef convention because they’d miss the start date with the display tank. Buyers options are all they know- they‘d be ready 30-60 days well past the end of the convention.