update on my not so cycled tank

mjaquarium02 · Jun 15, 2023

Hey guys,

It has officially been two week since NOT touching the water. I haven’t made wc’s or anything like that. I was still having trouble cycling my tank again so I stopped dosing Microbacter 7. This past monday I took the recommendation of @EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal and got myself a fritz turbo start bottle bc my ammonia was starting to creep up since I stopped mb7. I did have another diatoms outbreak but as you can tell it has subsided. My levels are now .25 Ammonia , 1.00 Nitrite, and 0 Nitrate. I’m so glad cycling has finally started but I can’t help but wonder if this can harm the fish. I still only have 1 clownfish but what should I do now? Obviously the goal is to get some nitrates and Im halfway there but when should I consider high levels of nitrites? Ammonia hasn’t dialed down since I put Fritz Turbo but nitrites have definitely increased and I don’t want it to get out of hand. How much is too much nitrites? What’s the next step?
Should I still not do any wc’s?

Thanks for your help

1st picture is before and the 2nd is after. Tank is no longer cloudy…. I did add more dry rock but that’s about it.

j.falk · Jun 15, 2023

Keep doing what you've been doing until the cycle is complete.

TripFamAZ · Jun 15, 2023

Based on new science and amazing advice from @brandon429 if you have added Turbostart and a pinch food and let it sit for 10 days you will be cycled. It’s called a testless fish cycle. It’s pretty cool and this thread is def worth a read.

Dr Tims one and only

Hi all Iv just started the fishless cycle with Dr Tims one and only and Dr tims amonia I have a waterbox 100.3 gallon I have placed 400 drops ( 4 drops per gallon ) it is day 2 and I still have 0 amonia is this normal Thanks

www.reef2reef.com

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Jun 15, 2023

TripFamAZ said:
Based on new science and amazing advice from @brandon429 if you have added Turbostart and a pinch food and let it sit for 10 days you will be cycled. It’s called a testless fish cycle. It’s pretty cool and this thread is def worth a read.

Dr Tims one and only

Hi all Iv just started the fishless cycle with Dr Tims one and only and Dr tims amonia I have a waterbox 100.3 gallon I have placed 400 drops ( 4 drops per gallon ) it is day 2 and I still have 0 amonia is this normal Thanks

www.reef2reef.com

OMG! I've been cycling like that for over 10 years. Definitely not NEW, nor Brandon's idea! L M a O!

brandon429 · Jun 15, 2023

I sure haven't seen you write and guide any threads on the matter, to conclusion, that's for sure. in fact I recall your entire post battle history with me/years under Erin's profile before this one/to be polar opposite. but ok we can accept that you're a testless cycler as well no prob.

regardless of origination this cycle is ok now. within 3 days of fritz being added in the presence of a fish + it's daily fare the cycle bac are adhered to surfaces and there's not any need for cycling concern. again we arrive at fish disease

-it's true 10 days is a nice average, but they had some time underwater before the fritz with feed in place, and now a fish too, so that sped up the predicted cycle end date TripFamAz

when/if this fish dies in a few mos after being added to a dry rock setup with no supporting life seated in, look to the disease forum for the correction, it won't be a parameter you can test + relay + adjust from us. fallow and quarantine will be the fix and the preventative for fish disease.

OP, I recommend you read this post:

Has anyone done coral/inverts only and no fish at first?

Fish seem to be the main cause of disruption in a display tank, given the current circumstances in the hobby with pests (ich, velvet, parasites, etc.). I have been in this hobby for 18 years, and the amount of pests that are showing up lately is much more (could also be the fact that we have...

www.reef2reef.com

notice what order the fish go in...last vs first, that's a really big deal. your cycle isn't a problem now, that order of ops is the new challenge.

*I never liked MB7 bacteria for any use, so if it didn't work originally for your cycle that's not a stretch claim. I never use it nor recommend owning it. I use: fritz, biospira, dr tims, tetra cycling bac for fw and sw from wal mart is fine, and a few other strains but I don't use mb7 for cycling.

*I personally don't mind who invented testless cycling as long as each and every cycling thread isn't ran based on what api says. I struggle to find any in anyone's post history not relying on, or reacting to, test kits to discern a cycle close date. I deeply struggle to find any cycle umps on the site who reference seneye patterning/digital nh3 meters and the inherent timing they show/in cycle troubleshoots. testless cycling directly comes from studies showing how long cycles take using seneye, so I'd expect to see a lot of seneye posts from the inventers that's for sure.

Evil1 · Jun 15, 2023

reefaholic2023 said:
Hey guys,

It has officially been two week since NOT touching the water. I haven’t made wc’s or anything like that. I was still having trouble cycling my tank again so I stopped dosing Microbacter 7. This past monday I took the recommendation of @EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal and got myself a fritz turbo start bottle bc my ammonia was starting to creep up since I stopped mb7. I did have another diatoms outbreak but as you can tell it has subsided. My levels are now .25 Ammonia , 1.00 Nitrite, and 0 Nitrate. I’m so glad cycling has finally started but I can’t help but wonder if this can harm the fish. I still only have 1 clownfish but what should I do now? Obviously the goal is to get some nitrates and Im halfway there but when should I consider high levels of nitrites? Ammonia hasn’t dialed down since I put Fritz Turbo but nitrites have definitely increased and I don’t want it to get out of hand. How much is too much nitrites? What’s the next step?
Should I still not do any wc’s?

Thanks for your help

1st picture is before and the 2nd is after. Tank is no longer cloudy…. I did add more dry rock but that’s about it.

Keep the water level topped off. If it keeps evaporating and you don’t top off your salt level will rise too high. Make sure you use rodi water or at less distilled water