Extended fishless cycle using Dr. Tim's, and ammonium chloride dosing.

[feresadas]

I am waiting for my IM 15 to ship and arrive, and in the mean time have started cycling my aqua scape in a brute trash can. I was wondering if there was an agreed upon method for continuing to grow the bacteria culture until my tank arrives. intuition tells me that dosing to 2 ppm with increasing time spans between dosing should do the trick, but I want to be sure.

 

[Dan_P]

I am waiting for my IM 15 to ship and arrive, and in the mean time have started cycling my aqua scape in a brute trash can. I was wondering if there was an agreed upon method for continuing to grow the bacteria culture until my tank arrives. intuition tells me that dosing to 2 ppm with increasing time spans between dosing should do the trick, but I want to be sure.

I am under the impression that nitrifying bacteria will not easily starve to death. Periodic feeding would be fine.

Do I understand you correctly, that you would rinse off the aquascape and add it to freshly made saltwater, thus starting an an aquarium with little or no ni NO3? I have been thinking about this approach as a way to avoid high a high nitrogen start up without doing wasteful water changes.

 

[feresadas]

I am under the impression that nitrifying bacteria will not easily starve to death. Periodic feeding would be fine.

Do I understand you correctly, that you would rinse off the aquascape and add it to freshly made saltwater, thus starting an an aquarium with little or no ni NO3? I have been thinking about this approach as a way to avoid high a high nitrogen start up without doing wasteful water changes.

Yes that is my plan,

I am under the impression that nitrifying bacteria will not easily starve to death. Periodic feeding would be fine.

Do I understand you correctly, that you would rinse off the aquascape and add it to freshly made saltwater, thus starting an an aquarium with little or no ni NO3? I have been thinking about this approach as a way to avoid high a high nitrogen start up without doing wasteful water changes.

Ok that's good to know! Yeah that's my plan, just dump out the water, essentially doing a 100% water change.