Dr. Tim's Fishless Cycle Isssuues

Brock_Reed · Feb 16, 2023

Hello I'm having some issues with the cycling method for my saltwater tank. I have a 40 gallon breeder tank with live sand and life rock with a hang on filter. It's heated to about 80 degrees and the salinity is about 1.024. Before I added the ammonia drops on day 1, I had .5 Ammonia and 0 nitrites. Unfortunately I didn't see until later not to add ammonia until mine from the live sand was down to 0. I added the dosage of one and only bacteria along with 4 drops per gallon of ammonia. Day 2 I had 2 ammonia and .25 nitrites. Day three I didn't add more ammonia because I was reading 2 ammonia again and .25 nitrites. Day 4, 2 ammonia and 2 nitrites. Day 5 same thing. It seems I'm at a stand still. Do I continue to wait it out or do I go with a water change? If so how much water do I change? I used a 60 gallon dosage of one and only as well and only added ammonia drops on day 1 as well. PH has been about 8 every day. Also want to add that the nitrate reading was 20ppm on day 5 if that matters at all. Sorry, saltwater newbie here!

Brock_Reed · Feb 16, 2023

brandon429 said:
opinions range on that but I would not use them. we handled ammonia and nitrite off timing alone, nitrate is an ongoing measure but api just isn't accurate for nitrate compared to other kits, in comparison threads.

Since it’s 40 gallons, do you still recommend changing all of the water? Don’t think I could get away with 80%?

brandon429 said:
all you do is this

add in one finely ground up pinch of fish food, ground into powder in your palm

wait eight more days, change your water to some degree and it's cycled and the test kits you're using can't be used to verify it, since those test kits are found to misread in hundreds of thousands of cycling posts. you can use calculated # of days underwater for the system vs testing to be certain of a closed cycle date. the fish food adds carbon per Dr. Reef's study thread, and eight more days equates you to the ammonia line # of days to control from any cycling chart. you'll be past ten days actually by waiting eight more days after the feed, you'll be done easily by then and can reef if you have normal degree of rocks stewing in the tank this whole time.do I add anymore food after today or just keep it at today?

brandon429 said:

all you do is this

add in one finely ground up pinch of fish food, ground into powder in your palm

wait eight more days, change your water to some degree and it's cycled and the test kits you're using can't be used to verify it, since those test kits are found to misread in hundreds of thousands of cycling posts. you can use calculated # of days underwater for the system vs testing to be certain of a closed cycle date. the fish food adds carbon per Dr. Reef's study thread, and eight more days equates you to the ammonia line # of days to control from any cycling chart. you'll be past ten days actually by waiting eight more days after the feed, you'll be done easily by then and can reef if you have normal degree of rocks stewing in the tank this whole time.

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