New tank cycle - one and only

[ma77y]

Hi I’m new to the hobby setting up my first marine tank

I have a fluval spec 60 which I set up just over 3 weeks ago, I’ve probably read about 100 different posts about cycling a tank but still not sure on the best/ right way!

so what I’ve done so far...

day 1 fill tank and put microbe-lift gel filter on media and rock as recommended by the shop

test everyday for a week, ammonia between 0-0.25 (api kit) nitrite 0

Done a 15L water change at a week as recommended

Then start adding microbe-lift nite-out starter bacteria everyday as recommended

test everyday for a week, ammonia between 0-0.25 (api kit) nitrite 0

as I seen no progress I seen a lot of people used Dr Tim’s one and only to help things along

so I added that 3 days ago along with 2ppm of ammonium chloride as stated on the instructions

day 2 after adding, ammonia 2 ppm nitrite 0
Day 3 after adding, ammonia 1-2ppm nitrite 0

It might be me being impatient but I thought I would have seen some nitrite by day 3 as it can cycle a tank in 7 days, I know that’s controversial

any help or guidance would be much appreciated

 

[Jonify]

Hi I’m new to the hobby setting up my first marine tank

I have a fluval spec 60 which I set up just over 3 weeks ago, I’ve probably read about 100 different posts about cycling a tank but still not sure on the best/ right way!

so what I’ve done so far...

day 1 fill tank and put microbe-lift gel filter on media and rock as recommended by the shop

test everyday for a week, ammonia between 0-0.25 (api kit) nitrite 0

Done a 15L water change at a week as recommended

Then start adding microbe-lift nite-out starter bacteria everyday as recommended

test everyday for a week, ammonia between 0-0.25 (api kit) nitrite 0

as I seen no progress I seen a lot of people used Dr Tim’s one and only to help things along

so I added that 3 days ago along with 2ppm of ammonium chloride as stated on the instructions

day 2 after adding, ammonia 2 ppm nitrite 0
Day 3 after adding, ammonia 1-2ppm nitrite 0

It might be me being impatient but I thought I would have seen some nitrite by day 3 as it can cycle a tank in 7 days, I know that’s controversial

any help or guidance would be much appreciated

Don't worry about nitrite, that is a hold-over from older schools of thought. You can put fish in right when you put in your bacteria (like Dr. Tim's), and you will know you are cycled once you can get a reading of nitrate. You can read more about current cycling school of thought here.

 

[ma77y]

Don't worry about nitrite, that is a hold-over from older schools of thought. You can put fish in right when you put in your bacteria (like Dr. Tim's), and you will know you are cycled once you can get a reading of nitrate. You can read more about current cycling school of thought here.

thanks for the reply, I will have a read

 

[aquakj]

If you have no fish or aren’t ghost feeding (feeding the tank as if fish were in it) then most likely you won’t have any nitrates to read...I’ve always done a fish cycle I add bacteria (turbo start) which is the best of the best in my opinion but dr Tim’s on the same level. Then I add my fish something hardy that I know can get through the cycle like a damsel...and then just keep checking your parameters like you are and do the water changes and soon enough your tank will cycle then you can start adding fish little by little and I would quarantine them just to prevent any ich or diseases in the new tank as they can be very discouraging when starting up

 

[ma77y]

If you have no fish or aren’t ghost feeding (feeding the tank as if fish were in it) then most likely you won’t have any nitrates to read...I’ve always done a fish cycle I add bacteria (turbo start) which is the best of the best in my opinion but dr Tim’s on the same level. Then I add my fish something hardy that I know can get through the cycle like a damsel...and then just keep checking your parameters like you are and do the water changes and soon enough your tank will cycle then you can start adding fish little by little and I would quarantine them just to prevent any ich or diseases in the new tank as they can be very discouraging when starting up

I have no fish in the tank but I’ve added ammonia which I would have thought would do the same thing in getting the cycle going?

 

[Dr Pepper]

Hi I’m new to the hobby setting up my first marine tank

I have a fluval spec 60 which I set up just over 3 weeks ago, I’ve probably read about 100 different posts about cycling a tank but still not sure on the best/ right way!

so what I’ve done so far...

day 1 fill tank and put microbe-lift gel filter on media and rock as recommended by the shop

test everyday for a week, ammonia between 0-0.25 (api kit) nitrite 0

Done a 15L water change at a week as recommended

Then start adding microbe-lift nite-out starter bacteria everyday as recommended

test everyday for a week, ammonia between 0-0.25 (api kit) nitrite 0

as I seen no progress I seen a lot of people used Dr Tim’s one and only to help things along

so I added that 3 days ago along with 2ppm of ammonium chloride as stated on the instructions

day 2 after adding, ammonia 2 ppm nitrite 0
Day 3 after adding, ammonia 1-2ppm nitrite 0

It might be me being impatient but I thought I would have seen some nitrite by day 3 as it can cycle a tank in 7 days, I know that’s controversial

any help or guidance would be much appreciated

One drop of ammonia pergallon to start. Overdose Dr tims bacteria and keep feeding tank with ammonia drops but lower doses. It should cycle in ten days w/ live rock and live sand. That's how I cycled.

 

[ma77y]

Day 4 after adding one and only

just tested the water

ammonia - 2
Nitrite - 0

I don’t think the one and only has worked as from what I’ve read I should have seen the ammonia drop within 4 days

 

[ma77y]

One drop of ammonia pergallon to start. Overdose Dr tims bacteria and keep feeding tank with ammonia drops but lower doses. It should cycle in ten days w/ live rock and live sand. That's how I cycled.

Yeah I put the correct ammonia then a bottle of one and only that would treat 114L
Mines only 60L

I don’t need to put more ammonia in till it’s dropped below 1 ppm?

 

[Dr Pepper]

Yeah I put the correct ammonia then a bottle of one and only that would treat 114L
Mines only 60L

I don’t need to put more ammonia in till it’s dropped below 1 ppm?

Do you have live rock and live sand? I'd keep ammonia around 2ppm until you read nitrite.

 

[ma77y]

Do you have live rock and live sand? I'd keep ammonia around 2ppm until you read nitrite.

No I don’t have live rock or sand, I just got what my local shop recommended.

yeah that’s what I was going to do, it’s been at around 2ppm for 4 days now tho

 

[Dr Pepper]

Do you have live rock and live sand?

No I don’t have live rock or sand, I just got what my local shop recommended.

yeah that’s what I was going to do, it’s been at around 2ppm for 4 days now th

No I don’t have live rock or sand, I just got what my local shop recommended.

yeah that’s what I was going to do, it’s been at around 2ppm for 4 days now thoright well aquatics

No I don’t have live rock or sand, I just got what my local shop recommended.

yeah that’s what I was going to do, it’s been at around 2ppm for 4 days now tho

No I don’t have live rock or sand, I just got what my local shop recommended.

yeah that’s what I was going to do, it’s been at around 2ppm for 4 days now tho

You should read nitrites in a couple days. If not I'd try bright well aquatics bacteria it 15x.

 

[Dan_P]

Don't worry about nitrite, that is a hold-over from older schools of thought. You can put fish in right when you put in your bacteria (like Dr. Tim's), and you will know you are cycled once you can get a reading of nitrate. You can read more about current cycling school of thought here.

Wait! Don’t put fish in with all that ammonia though.

 

[Garf]

Don't worry about nitrite, that is a hold-over from older schools of thought. You can put fish in right when you put in your bacteria (like Dr. Tim's), and you will know you are cycled once you can get a reading of nitrate. You can read more about current cycling school of thought here.

Well with respect, that thread is not in any way official as far as I know. There’s more than one way to kill a fish.

 

[ma77y]

You should read nitrites in a couple days. If not I'd try bright well aquatics bacteria it 15x.

I hope so! I will look into it if I don’t see no progress

 

[ma77y]

Wait! Don’t put fish in with all that ammonia though.

I won’t be putting any fish in till it’s gone and I see some sort of cycle

 

[Jonify]

Wait! Don’t put fish in with all that ammonia though.

For sure--if you're cycling with an ammonia additive, need to do a fishless cycle. Meant to qualify that.

 

[aquakj]

I guess you could keep doing the ammonia dosage and ghost feed or you could do a few water changes fix the ammonia add some bacteria and then a cheap fish, perhaps get some rock that will help with filtration anyway and doesn’t necessarily have to be live it will become live eventually. The sand I guess you could go live. Personally I never do live rock or sand but that’s just me but between the two live sand is less work than live rock since you don’t know what can be living in those crevices

 

[CrimsonTide]

The Dr. Tim's you bought could be dead. It has to stay at a certain temperature if it was shipped in the summer or something it could have exceeded that temp. You can go to a petco or something and buy Bio-Spira bacteria and add that if you want. My ammonia didn't drop for like 6 days or so with Dr. Tim's added so I went and bought Bio-Spira and it dropped the next day. I counted that as a dead bottle. Without a Live element like sand or rock it could potentially take a little longer to seed. If you have any media in your tank like balls or a brick you could also dump some of the bacteria on to it directly in your tank. But this paet is really a waiting game when going fishless.

 

[ma77y]

The Dr. Tim's you bought could be dead. It has to stay at a certain temperature if it was shipped in the summer or something it could have exceeded that temp. You can go to a petco or something and buy Bio-Spira bacteria and add that if you want. My ammonia didn't drop for like 6 days or so with Dr. Tim's added so I went and bought Bio-Spira and it dropped the next day. I counted that as a dead bottle. Without a Live element like sand or rock it could potentially take a little longer to seed. If you have any media in your tank like balls or a brick you could also dump some of the bacteria on to it directly in your tank. But this paet is really a waiting game when going fishless.

I’m thinking it might have been dead, I’m in the uk so don’t know how it was transported.
I did put the one and only in the tank and over the filter media to give it the best chance.

 

[ma77y]

Day 6 after adding one and only

I did add more ammonia yesterday as it was around 1 ppm but still no nitrite

just tested

ammonia 2ppm
Nitrite 0