Fishless cycle

Dizzle26 · Sep 4, 2022

So I'm on day 8 of Dr. Tims fishless cycle and I haven't seen any progress. I have a 20gal fusion AIO nano tank. Pumps and powerheads are on and I took all filter floss and carbon out of the filter chamber. Water temp is 78 and salinity is 1.026. My LFS only had the 8oz bottle of One and Only which is more than I need. The directions say to use 2 cap-fulls for every 10 gallons. I dosed 5 cap-fulls. PH is 7.8. Ammonia has been between 2-4ppm. Nitrite and Nitrate are both 0ppm. Should I start worrying?

keatonmjenkins · Sep 4, 2022

Cycling take 2-3 weeks. Just keep testing nitrites and ammonia until they reach 0. Then test nitrates and your tank should be cycled if you have them.

Dizzle26 · Sep 4, 2022

Ok. I thought the fishless cycle was quicker. Thanks for the answer.

Lost in the Sauce · Sep 4, 2022

Take a breath. Nothing Good happens fast in this hobby, only catastrophes.

Dizzle26 · Sep 4, 2022

I've heard that said countless times. That's why I asked before I started changing anything.

Lost in the Sauce · Sep 4, 2022

It will take your dry rock a long time to achieve all of the benefits of live rock. The nitrogen cycle is just the first of many very important ones. 8 days isn't much in the longview.

keatonmjenkins · Sep 5, 2022

^^^ they’re right your tank still has at least 2-3 more months of cycling to build up bacteria. You can have fish in it at least but I would hold off on corals until your tank matures more and parameters are more consistent. Learn from others and take it slow lol

i cant think · Sep 5, 2022

Dizzle26 said:
Ok. I thought the fishless cycle was quicker. Thanks for the answer.

Fish in cycles usually finish after a few days to a week (Ammonia never gets into deadly levels).
As for a fishless cycle they can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a month (4-5 weeks).

If you’re doing a Dry Rock cycle, be prepared as you’ll be hit with algae MUCH later than you would be with a live rock cycle (I hate Dry Rock for this reason). In a Dry Rock Tank, usually algae rises 2-3 months in when you expect it to be clear for coral. Whereas in a Live Rock Tank, algae rises pretty much around 2 weeks into being setup and cycled.

MiamiAG · Sep 5, 2022

Dizzle26 said:
So I'm on day 8 of Dr. Tims fishless cycle and I haven't seen any progress. I have a 20gal fusion AIO nano tank. Pumps and powerheads are on and I took all filter floss and carbon out of the filter chamber. Water temp is 78 and salinity is 1.026. My LFS only had the 8oz bottle of One and Only which is more than I need. The directions say to use 2 cap-fulls for every 10 gallons. I dosed 5 cap-fulls. PH is 7.8. Ammonia has been between 2-4ppm. Nitrite and Nitrate are both 0ppm. Should I start worrying?

What are you using as your ammonia source?

Dizzle26 · Sep 5, 2022

i cant think said:
Fish in cycles usually finish after a few days to a week (Ammonia never gets into deadly levels).
As for a fishless cycle they can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a month (4-5 weeks).

If you’re doing a Dry Rock cycle, be prepared as you’ll be hit with algae MUCH later than you would be with a live rock cycle (I hate Dry Rock for this reason). In a Dry Rock Tank, usually algae rises 2-3 months in when you expect it to be clear for coral. Whereas in a Live Rock Tank, algae rises pretty much around 2 weeks into being setup and cycled.

That's good to know. Thanks for the info.