I remember my first big tank, some 20 or so years ago, 2 boxes of live rock shipped from Tonga 90lbs, landed in Las Vegas on a stop over that ended up delayed so sat on a tarmaq in lovely 110+ weather, then it finally landed in San Francisco which was going through a heat wave (90+°... at 4am!). Not knowing any better stuck it in my brand new 135G tank ready for cycling... OMG, the stench... had to close off the living room for over a week with the window open, ammonia spiked to the highest value on the chart in less than 12 hours... man those were some glorious times. Now dry base rock plus bacteria in a bottle, new reefers today don't know how good they got it!
I did the shrimp method though.. for anyone who may be interested 1. chop up the shrimp into 3-4 pieces and place inside a bag (filter bag etc...) 2. place it inside the tank for 3 days (72 hrs) and remove there after (this will stink the entire room but it will go away) 3. wait 4 weeks 4. done. make sure to test and record results of ammonia nitrite and nitrate. I did this with 20lbs caribsea life rock and 20lbs live sand in a redsea reefer nano. did a 25% water change there after and added my 1st fish.
Hey! I used your method for cycling my new 210 gallon system. I have a few questions regarding this cycling method. When I built my tank, I used some of my old filter material from my previous tank. After waiting a day for the water to clear up, I started off by adding the bacteria in a bottle and waited 1 day to add some fish (3 small fish). Right after adding the fish, I decided to test my waters out of curiosity. And to my surprise, NH3 and NH4 were both 0, NO2 was 0 and NO3 was 2-4. How is this possible?
Hey, I read that when you want to cycle your tank quickly by using bacs, you can also add a lot of corals (like soft corals) after few days to avoid algaes. Do you have some experience by adding corals after few days?
Hello started a 125 gallon tank with Dr tims and 2 clownfish and after a week not seeing any ammonia. Any tips on what to do? Add another fish or wait it out?
Used this before, it works well. Have a new question...used the turbo start on my 90g tank, and I added the fish, but my corals are all in my older tank. When should I add the corals to this new tank? Also, what’s your take on when I should be starting the PS in this new tank?
Okay...I'm at day 9 with the first bottle (i think it was bad) and day 6 with the new bottle which was active. My PH has gone from 8.0 down to 7.8/7.9 in the last 24 hours. My Ammonia has not gone down to below .50 and I only ever dosed the one time since it didn't mention to do any more on the bottle. My Ammonia went spiked to 2.0 two days ago but is back down to .50 this morning. My Nitrites however are crazy. I would say there were at or above 5ppm then went down to 2ppm and now they are back up to at or above 5ppm. My Nitrates did a small spike, went down and now are on the rise again. As of this morning I'd have to say about 40-60ppm. Question is, do I do a partial water change for those Nitrites? I see on Dr. Tim's that high Nitrites can stall a cycle. Long story short I'm past the 24-48 hours at this point with really high Nitrites.
What are thoughts on marine media material (ex. Biohome marine media) since it has bacteria in it but also acts as a filter similar to dry/live rock? Have you used it? Is it worthless?
So I have a 54 gallon corner tank I got off FB a couple days. Been running for a few days. Today I got 20lbs of live rock(which I regret after watching this video) should I continue to buy 25-30 more lbs of live rock or just get the dry rock and put the live rock on top? Thanks, Anthony
@NinJosh47 Why rain on Marks parade? Most beginners are to excited to do a fish less cycle at least he took time to put together a video. There are a few different ways to cycle a tank most folks like myself know there are. I have several tanks and never done a fish less cycle. I appreciate the time he put in pushing out content for those who need it.
I'm super new and am building a budget build using your videos. I was wondering how long do I need to wait after using turbo start 900 to add some coral??
I ended up using the doctor Tim's one and only .. except the next day I checked it at 24 hours and ammonia was at 1.5.... so I decided to pour more dr Tim's in and well I'm about to check it again ... hopefully it went down my poor clown ☹
So using 2 fishes for cycling the tank is the universal code or is there an inch per gallon rule? To break it down, 2 clowns in a 20 gallon is 1 fish per 10 gallons or go with 2 clowns regardless the size of the tank?
Is colombo test kit good? And the most important test kit for cycling is ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate right? I currently have ammonia, nitrate, phospate, and ph is that ok?
Hi.. Im new here, i got sump tank and inside sump i have marine pure (biofilter media). So the question is should i put bacteria stater in sump or in display tank which is in display tank have dead rock and my display tank is bare bottom
I know its bit silly but I am serious. So i dont need to get sea water? Just a tap water? Step1 Decholorinate the tap water Step 2 apply dr tims bacteria Step 3 put a fish inside aquarium Then wait 2 weeks to add more? Is there any missing? Thanks a lot godbless
Hi Mark, great video, need some advice He we go filled tank saltwater heater pumps. Dry sand real reef rock dry. Then added turbo start 900 bacteria then added 100 drops ammonia chloride and another 80 drops next day as bottle from dr timms advised. 11 days now ammonia is now zero and nitrites are still purple 2.0ppm and nitrates dark orange 160ppm. Should I do.a water change the nitrite and nitrates aren't coming down. Dr timms ammonia chloride says on bottle 4 drops per gallon I have 53 gallons so would have been around 220 drops of ammonia but I put under this. Pls help
Very late. But for future reference a different strain is required for ammmonia-nitrite/nitrite to nitrate. I believe they are called nitrobacter and nitrosoma (dont quote me on that) when nitrite is present in the water, nitrate readings are innacurate and substantially higher. To produce a stable cycle. Dose ammonia until bacteria can convert 1 ppm ammonia in 24 hours
As always I follow your videos. Quick and to the point and makes life easier...I’m upgrading a tank and about to restart. Also I see ich on one of my fish but the new tank is coming...I have so much rock that’s in saltwater and no heater but with a powerhead. Do you think it still alive? I was going to acid wash and bleach the rock and detoxify with prime. Do you think that’s fine?
I’m planning on a 16-gallon planted aquarium with fish. Should I add substrate and the plants as soon as I get the tank, before I start my cycle process?
I am currently doing Dr. Tim's one and only, when should I add the filter media, such as filter socks, carbon pads, and skimmer, I was advised to wait but not sure when to add those. any ideas?
Hi, I'm starting my saltwater tank and I didn't understand if I have to put the bacteria when the fish are already in the tank or not. Also, how much time do I have to wait before buying the first fishes? Thanks!
Well this way of cycling you add the chemical the same time as the first fish, and then wait until the cycling process is done to add the rest of your fishies.
i got sponges in my 2yrs old tank if i take that out and put that in my new tank will that cycle the tank? my fish have ick and i need to put them in a tank i just got, i took my old filter out of the tank that i was going to wash it, i put that in my new tank, looks like when i tested it, nitrite is done it was very light cyan color. now my ammon 1-2 still high, should i do a water change or wait another 24/hrs even with ick they're eating good, once i get the tank stablish and cycled i am going to leave them 80days in the tank hoping within that 80days running fishless in my display tank ick will get killed i will have a ickless tank what comes to copper and ick X how long should i dos it, 1 months then stop dosing or 2 months? not sure what should i do
If i do use live rock how long do i need to cycle before ading fish? my tank crashed and some coral is still alive i have given it a small bucket home because i happened to have a little water but i whant to ceep it alive. my water got cloudy in just 2 hours and all my fish snails and cleanup crew died.
Set up a evo 13.5 reef and used dr tims one and only and the ammonia to fishless cycle it. Dry Rock and live sand (fiji pink) and 2 packs of marine pure gems for extra bio media.. The ammonia was doesed to about 2ppm, 24hrs later ammonia was the same still but nitrite was high as test could read and nitrate was around 25 using all salifert kits. Been another 24hrs and all levels the same? This doesn't seem like it's going right am I wrong to assume something is wrong
Yes you are wrong to assume something it wrong. First, the Salifert kits max out at a low level for ammonia and nitrite so it will seem nothing is happening when it actually is. You need to dilute the sample with RODI water and measure to get a true idea. Second, you are using live sand - the organics in live sand decay and produce ammonia. So you have ammonia from the drops and the live sand so you need to give it some time. Third, you said ammonia was dosed to 2 ppm - does that mean you added ammonia until you got a reading of 2 ppm (we recommend not doing that) or did you add rough 52 drops?
@@DrTimsAquatics thank you for responding. Makes perfect sense on test kits looks to be doing nothing in reality it won't change until levels drop down low enough to read but they are dropping. Sand added more ammonia so even more nitrites were made from that ammonia...got ya and dosing ammonia I counted the drops as recommended and tested like an hour later but guessing ammonia from live sand kept it raising giving it the appearance of not going down like the nitrites only it was indeed lowering. Test the following day after this msg ammonia dropped to 0 and nitrites were still maxed so who knows how high they actually are which makes sense now thanks to u explaining and makes it obvious now why nitrates are super high 😀 as of today ammonia remains 0 nitrites and nitrates still doing their thing but I'm confident knowing its working I just got the levels up higher then I should because the sand so its a waiting game as usual with this lol
@@DrTimsAquatics its obvious to me now the one and only is doing its job and doing it well considering it converted all the ammonia to 0 in a matter of a few days and are working hard on them nitrites as well. When nitrites finally make it down to 0 I will do my water change and probably dose ammonia again in a small amount and retest cycle. No fish so just a matter of spending the time waiting I believe it will finish cycle here in the next couple days. Goes to show how great the product actually is and that even on a much higher batch of ammonia and nitrites its still does its job well and its obvious had there been a single small fish in there it would've made it through the cycle unharmed and would've been done already 😀 fhx so much for ur help
need help used atm colany on 52l nano yesterday and 2day amonia nitrate nitrites hsve risen off charts on two separate tanks same issue is it normal everything think to go stuped high 24hr after using it set up is fluval evo live sand rodi water two babby snowflake clowns filtration chamber one filter floss cemi-pure blue secand chamber ceramic bio
When is it too late to cycle your new tank, apparently I didn’t read enough and missed this part. Do I still need to cycle it if I never did this??? I have some fish and coral and anemone and have had it all going for about 3 months.
Mark, this might be a stupid question, but can you use salt water from the ocean for your tank. My brother is starting up a fish only tank and wanted to know if he could use ocean water to start his tank. I didn’t really know what to tell him since I had never thought about doing that. I wasn’t really sure if the salt water from the ocean is clean enough to start a tank. What are your thoughts and suggestions.
I have an important question: In the last 3 weeks, I've been changing 30% of the water in my old tank which makes 44 gallons to prepare to my new 200 gallons tank that is coming this week. I have the water saved in 5 44g with heat, live rocks (that was 1 year in my previous tank) and water pumps to circulate. Is that ok to put the water in my new tank, add some bacteria and fish right the way? I order 10 fishes which are waiting to be shipped to me. Thanks
That will work fine as long as there isn’t any die off of the rocks due to temp or water conditions. You can always just set it up and test the water. I’d recommend a bacteria in a bottle and don’t add a ton of fish Day one. Do it slowly and test the water.
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom you guys are the best...my new waterbox peninsula 7226 plus that I bought from your company is coming today and I will make a video from the beginning to the end and send to your company
Hopefully I’ll get a response, so I’m going between the Dr Tim’s and this T900, with the dr. Tim’s I see they had an ammonia after dumping the one and only, do you not have to add ammonia with this T900?
No matter what product you use you need a source of ammonia. You can go fishless and add ammonium chloride (sold separately) or you can add a few hardy fish. Either way make sure to measure ammonia and nitrite be prepared to change water with going with fish in the tank cycling if ammonia get above 1.
@@dp-r.est.8995 50% you want the ammonia below 0.5. Also when changing the water do not disturb the substrate or change the filter pad in the first 2 weeks.
@@DrTimsAquatics you’re awesome! God Bless You. I’m pumped! Lol One more question. I have a 75G tank. I’m going to double the amount of Dr. Tim’s and buy an 8oz and 2oz which will cover 150 gallons and add two small clownfish. I should be good right?
my ammonia is probably 0.25 nitrite is 0 and nitrate is like stuck on 10-20 tank is about 4 weeks old I used Fritz turbo start 900 which is suppose to cycle very quickly now I have brown spots with clear bubbles on my reef saver rock .. so would anyone say that it cycled? Or still cycling?
@@shais.5783 My ammonia read 0.5 and no nitrite for about 2 weeks and I got extremely frustrated. Finally I realized that I couldn't use my freshwater API test kit on my salt water tank 😒. I had it tested at my LFS and it was 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and 0 nitrate. Apparently it cycled in 24 hours and I was frustrated for 2 weeks for nothing. It is now 2 years old.
Hey can anyone help me so I just started my 20 gallon nano tank about 2 weeks ago today and I used the bacteria he used and for the past 2 weeks my levels has been Ammonia 0.50 Nitrite 0 Nitrate between 10-20. I used live sand and dead rock, 20 gallon of already made salt water from Pacific Ocean water and one small clown fish but my levels don’t change at all. Should I buy another bottle of bacteria? only feed my fish once per day and minimum food
@@zachburleson7482 The bacteria need substrate to settle on. Bare bottom tank or QT tank with just a sponge filter will take a lot longer to cycle. Do not start your GFO during cycle - the bacteria need phosphate.
Everyone keeps talking about quick cycling and bacteria but never mention they have a 180 gallon tank. What most people want to know is how to quick cycyle a smaller tank from 40 and below. Most people own 40gal and smaller. Its my understanding that this will kill all fish in your tank if you have a smaller tank. Is this true?
WARNING!! I cycled my tank based on this guy's advice and lost both of my clownfish in the process. I used 3 bottles of bacteria throughout the process so I know I used more than enough bacteria. My cycle stalled with high levels of nitrite which stressed out and killed my fish even with some desperate water changes to help lower the nitrite didn't help. If I were to do it again I'd stick with a fishless cycle.
I just did this... now I have cloudy/milky water and pretty sure dangerous levels of ammonia. What is recommended? Can I use sachem prime to help with the ammonia?
So a little confused.......supposed to quarantine fish before putting them in the tank, but supposed to use a new purchase fish or two to cycle the tank..... These instructions contradict each other...... 🤪🤔😵
This seems fine and all, but this won't work for people without much patience and want things NOW. Lol Those kind of people should not have any kind of animal, as unless like you, that has done this for years and knows how to do this, there will be many people that will skip vital steps, and jack up their setup.
Not trying to argue with your success, but there are much better videos and more complete information on cycling your tank for long term success. I doubt many will watch just this one video and never learn more, but doing this right when you start is a big factor in long term success - watch the many other videos and fully research the options before starting. Some questions to consider that are not answered here: Lights on or off during the cycle, various filtration on or off, dosing ammonia instead of using fish or other sources, and many more. Research and patience. Some recommend a "4 month cycle" even. Research it and know why before you choose your path.
Your right, there are lots of ways to cycle an aquarium. This is a quick and easy way to cycle an aquarium for beginners. Something that’s easy to understand, fast and budget friendly.
Why would you want to wait 4 months, that's a bit pointless. What are you waiting for. I can't think of any methods that needs to take 4 months. Unless you are using live rock, which might have stuff on that needs light, why does it matter if the lights are on, or off. In this case you want the lights on, so you can see your fish, but it makes no difference. Why would you dose ammonia, that just adds to the cycling time. Filtration on in this case, because you have fish in the tank, but it does not matter that much, because you are not adding all the fish at once. You need a method that is easy and works every time. Reefers like you just complicate things for no reason.
@@MsPaulopacheco I didn't post links because they could be seen as competition. So to not try and sound like someone shilling for another company, I won't post those links. They are super easy to find if you Google it though.
@@Johnaubreyduncan To each his own. There are reasons given, and testing methods performed that show why you might want to consider these things. If you don't want to look for it, and what works for you works for you, then great. My recommendation is to consider them. Read about it, watch the videos and decide. Most of this hobby has "sides" and controversy everywhere that is mostly just anecdotal opinion. Yes it complicates it to do the research, but I think it is worth it. Others don't.
Followed all the steps and my tank is looking great!
I used that dr Tim’s on my latest tank and it worked great.
Nice video just what I needed. Starting up my new tank now and was wondering what to do next.
Best start up video in existence... Thank you!
I remember my first big tank, some 20 or so years ago, 2 boxes of live rock shipped from Tonga 90lbs, landed in Las Vegas on a stop over that ended up delayed so sat on a tarmaq in lovely 110+ weather, then it finally landed in San Francisco which was going through a heat wave (90+°... at 4am!). Not knowing any better stuck it in my brand new 135G tank ready for cycling... OMG, the stench... had to close off the living room for over a week with the window open, ammonia spiked to the highest value on the chart in less than 12 hours... man those were some glorious times. Now dry base rock plus bacteria in a bottle, new reefers today don't know how good they got it!
Awesome
I did the shrimp method though.. for anyone who may be interested
1. chop up the shrimp into 3-4 pieces and place inside a bag (filter bag etc...)
2. place it inside the tank for 3 days (72 hrs) and remove there after (this will stink the entire room but it will go away)
3. wait 4 weeks
4. done. make sure to test and record results of ammonia nitrite and nitrate.
I did this with 20lbs caribsea life rock and 20lbs live sand in a redsea reefer nano.
did a 25% water change there after and added my 1st fish.
Can I add the fish the next day? Or is that not okay?
Thank you very much for sharing your video's I wish they would have been out when I first got started in saltwater hobby
Hey! I used your method for cycling my new 210 gallon system. I have a few questions regarding this cycling method. When I built my tank, I used some of my old filter material from my previous tank. After waiting a day for the water to clear up, I started off by adding the bacteria in a bottle and waited 1 day to add some fish (3 small fish). Right after adding the fish, I decided to test my waters out of curiosity. And to my surprise, NH3 and NH4 were both 0, NO2 was 0 and NO3 was 2-4. How is this possible?
Nice no nonsense , no look at me videos . Good job !!
Hey,
I read that when you want to cycle your tank quickly by using bacs, you can also add a lot of corals (like soft corals) after few days to avoid algaes. Do you have some experience by adding corals after few days?
Hello started a 125 gallon tank with Dr tims and 2 clownfish and after a week not seeing any ammonia. Any tips on what to do? Add another fish or wait it out?
I already bought some live sand. Can I still do this same quick cycle with it or do I need to take it back and get regular sand? Thanks
Used this before, it works well. Have a new question...used the turbo start on my 90g tank, and I added the fish, but my corals are all in my older tank. When should I add the corals to this new tank? Also, what’s your take on when I should be starting the PS in this new tank?
Okay...I'm at day 9 with the first bottle (i think it was bad) and day 6 with the new bottle which was active. My PH has gone from 8.0 down to 7.8/7.9 in the last 24 hours. My Ammonia has not gone down to below .50 and I only ever dosed the one time since it didn't mention to do any more on the bottle. My Ammonia went spiked to 2.0 two days ago but is back down to .50 this morning. My Nitrites however are crazy. I would say there were at or above 5ppm then went down to 2ppm and now they are back up to at or above 5ppm. My Nitrates did a small spike, went down and now are on the rise again. As of this morning I'd have to say about 40-60ppm. Question is, do I do a partial water change for those Nitrites? I see on Dr. Tim's that high Nitrites can stall a cycle. Long story short I'm past the 24-48 hours at this point with really high Nitrites.
What are thoughts on marine media material (ex. Biohome marine media) since it has bacteria in it but also acts as a filter similar to dry/live rock? Have you used it? Is it worthless?
So I just get a bottle of dr Tim’s and put it in my tank and I will be good that’s all I need ?
So I have a 54 gallon corner tank I got off FB a couple days. Been running for a few days. Today I got 20lbs of live rock(which I regret after watching this video) should I continue to buy 25-30 more lbs of live rock or just get the dry rock and put the live rock on top?
Thanks,
Anthony
How long after I get my tank setup should I do this?
@NinJosh47 Why rain on Marks parade? Most beginners are to excited to do a fish less cycle at least he took time to put together a video. There are a few different ways to cycle a tank most folks like myself know there are. I have several tanks and never done a fish less cycle. I appreciate the time he put in pushing out content for those who need it.
Can I add fish before cycling and changing water every 2 days until cycling completes work?
I'm super new and am building a budget build using your videos. I was wondering how long do I need to wait after using turbo start 900 to add some coral??
Start slowly with fish at first and test your water. You can do it almost as soon as you add the turbo.
I ended up using the doctor Tim's one and only .. except the next day I checked it at 24 hours and ammonia was at 1.5.... so I decided to pour more dr Tim's in and well I'm about to check it again ... hopefully it went down my poor clown ☹
I plan to buy a setup for mixing salt water but can I initially mix the RODI and salt directly in the 90 gallon tank?
So using 2 fishes for cycling the tank is the universal code or is there an inch per gallon rule? To break it down, 2 clowns in a 20 gallon is 1 fish per 10 gallons or go with 2 clowns regardless the size of the tank?
So we shouldn’t add Live rock with the Fritz Turbostart 900 but rather use dry rock with the turbostart. Correct?
Is colombo test kit good? And the most important test kit for cycling is ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate right? I currently have ammonia, nitrate, phospate, and ph is that ok?
Great series. Appreciate it!
Hi.. Im new here, i got sump tank and inside sump i have marine pure (biofilter media). So the question is should i put bacteria stater in sump or in display tank which is in display tank have dead rock and my display tank is bare bottom
I know its bit silly but I am serious.
So i dont need to get sea water? Just a tap water?
Step1 Decholorinate the tap water
Step 2 apply dr tims bacteria
Step 3 put a fish inside aquarium
Then wait 2 weeks to add more?
Is there any missing? Thanks a lot godbless
If you are setting up a saltwater aquarium you will need to mix a salt powder in the water to the correct salinity.
Hi Mark, great video, need some advice
He we go filled tank saltwater heater pumps. Dry sand real reef rock dry.
Then added turbo start 900 bacteria then added 100 drops ammonia chloride and another 80 drops next day as bottle from dr timms advised. 11 days now ammonia is now zero and nitrites are still purple 2.0ppm and nitrates dark orange 160ppm.
Should I do.a water change the nitrite and nitrates aren't coming down.
Dr timms ammonia chloride says on bottle 4 drops per gallon I have 53 gallons so would have been around 220 drops of ammonia but I put under this. Pls help
Very late. But for future reference a different strain is required for ammmonia-nitrite/nitrite to nitrate. I believe they are called nitrobacter and nitrosoma (dont quote me on that) when nitrite is present in the water, nitrate readings are innacurate and substantially higher. To produce a stable cycle. Dose ammonia until bacteria can convert 1 ppm ammonia in 24 hours
As always I follow your videos. Quick and to the point and makes life easier...I’m upgrading a tank and about to restart. Also I see ich on one of my fish but the new tank is coming...I have so much rock that’s in saltwater and no heater but with a powerhead. Do you think it still alive? I was going to acid wash and bleach the rock and detoxify with prime. Do you think that’s fine?
I’m planning on a 16-gallon planted aquarium with fish. Should I add substrate and the plants as soon as I get the tank, before I start my cycle process?
Ive never had an issue with adding plants before a cycle. Id add a little bit of bacteria to be surs
I am currently doing Dr. Tim's one and only, when should I add the filter media, such as filter socks, carbon pads, and skimmer, I was advised to wait but not sure when to add those. any ideas?
What about microbacter7? Is this a nitrifying biotic mix that will achieve the same outcomes?
Hi, I'm starting my saltwater tank and I didn't understand if I have to put the bacteria when the fish are already in the tank or not. Also, how much time do I have to wait before buying the first fishes? Thanks!
Well this way of cycling you add the chemical the same time as the first fish, and then wait until the cycling process is done to add the rest of your fishies.
Did you end up doing it already? How is your tank going and how did your cycling work out?
Hi, I will be cycling a 220G tank and would like to know if I can start with more than 2 fish, since it's much bigger?
i got sponges in my 2yrs old tank if i take that out and put that in my new tank will that cycle the tank? my fish have ick and i need to put them in a tank i just got, i took my old filter out of the tank that i was going to wash it, i put that in my new tank, looks like when i tested it, nitrite is done it was very light cyan color. now my ammon 1-2 still high, should i do a water change or wait another 24/hrs
even with ick they're eating good, once i get the tank stablish and cycled i am going to leave them 80days in the tank hoping within that 80days running fishless in my display tank ick will get killed i will have a ickless tank
what comes to copper and ick X how long should i dos it, 1 months then stop dosing or 2 months? not sure what should i do
Did u turn on the tank lights during the cycle?
Any idea what to use in Europe? We don't have Dr Tims or Fritz products.
Should I feed the fish within the 24 hours I wait ?
wait, it can poop what the filter cant handle yet
Do you add prime to the tank in the event on an ammonia spike, and what about stability do you add this at all during the cycling start up ?
Did you ever get an answer? I have the same question
If i do use live rock how long do i need to cycle before ading fish? my tank crashed and some coral is still alive i have given it a small bucket home because i happened to have a little water but i whant to ceep it alive. my water got cloudy in just 2 hours and all my fish snails and cleanup crew died.
Set up a evo 13.5 reef and used dr tims one and only and the ammonia to fishless cycle it. Dry Rock and live sand (fiji pink) and 2 packs of marine pure gems for extra bio media.. The ammonia was doesed to about 2ppm, 24hrs later ammonia was the same still but nitrite was high as test could read and nitrate was around 25 using all salifert kits. Been another 24hrs and all levels the same? This doesn't seem like it's going right am I wrong to assume something is wrong
Yes you are wrong to assume something it wrong. First, the Salifert kits max out at a low level for ammonia and nitrite so it will seem nothing is happening when it actually is. You need to dilute the sample with RODI water and measure to get a true idea. Second, you are using live sand - the organics in live sand decay and produce ammonia. So you have ammonia from the drops and the live sand so you need to give it some time. Third, you said ammonia was dosed to 2 ppm - does that mean you added ammonia until you got a reading of 2 ppm (we recommend not doing that) or did you add rough 52 drops?
@@DrTimsAquatics thank you for responding. Makes perfect sense on test kits looks to be doing nothing in reality it won't change until levels drop down low enough to read but they are dropping. Sand added more ammonia so even more nitrites were made from that ammonia...got ya and dosing ammonia I counted the drops as recommended and tested like an hour later but guessing ammonia from live sand kept it raising giving it the appearance of not going down like the nitrites only it was indeed lowering. Test the following day after this msg ammonia dropped to 0 and nitrites were still maxed so who knows how high they actually are which makes sense now thanks to u explaining and makes it obvious now why nitrates are super high 😀 as of today ammonia remains 0 nitrites and nitrates still doing their thing but I'm confident knowing its working I just got the levels up higher then I should because the sand so its a waiting game as usual with this lol
@@DrTimsAquatics its obvious to me now the one and only is doing its job and doing it well considering it converted all the ammonia to 0 in a matter of a few days and are working hard on them nitrites as well. When nitrites finally make it down to 0 I will do my water change and probably dose ammonia again in a small amount and retest cycle. No fish so just a matter of spending the time waiting I believe it will finish cycle here in the next couple days. Goes to show how great the product actually is and that even on a much higher batch of ammonia and nitrites its still does its job well and its obvious had there been a single small fish in there it would've made it through the cycle unharmed and would've been done already 😀 fhx so much for ur help
will this work if i just want to add coral and not fish?
need help used atm colany on 52l nano yesterday
and 2day amonia nitrate nitrites hsve risen off charts on two separate tanks same issue is it normal everything think to go stuped high 24hr after using it set up is fluval evo live sand rodi water two babby snowflake clowns filtration chamber one filter floss cemi-pure blue secand chamber ceramic bio
When is it too late to cycle your new tank, apparently I didn’t read enough and missed this part. Do I still need to cycle it if I never did this??? I have some fish and coral and anemone and have had it all going for about 3 months.
If its all alive and well. Your fine. Its definitely already cycled or the anemone would be dead and the clownfish would be burned
Brandonez Doofenshmirtz
Thank you so much for the reply!!
My Tank Has Been Going for 3 Weeks Is it time 2 Buy Fish??
@@shawaiz6022 that does answer it
great video! like following the channel
How much longer would the process take when using fish food instead of a fish?
You haver to wait for it to rot. It's best to use turbostart and if not fish then just dose ammonia.
Most helpful video I’ve seen
Mark, this might be a stupid question, but can you use salt water from the ocean for your tank. My brother is starting up a fish only tank and wanted to know if he could use ocean water to start his tank. I didn’t really know what to tell him since I had never thought about doing that. I wasn’t really sure if the salt water from the ocean is clean enough to start a tank. What are your thoughts and suggestions.
I have an important question: In the last 3 weeks, I've been changing 30% of the water in my old tank which makes 44 gallons to prepare to my new 200 gallons tank that is coming this week. I have the water saved in 5 44g with heat, live rocks (that was 1 year in my previous tank) and water pumps to circulate. Is that ok to put the water in my new tank, add some bacteria and fish right the way? I order 10 fishes which are waiting to be shipped to me. Thanks
That will work fine as long as there isn’t any die off of the rocks due to temp or water conditions. You can always just set it up and test the water. I’d recommend a bacteria in a bottle and don’t add a ton of fish Day one. Do it slowly and test the water.
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom you guys are the best...my new waterbox peninsula 7226 plus that I bought from your company is coming today and I will make a video from the beginning to the end and send to your company
@@MsPaulopacheco please do. Thanks for choosing us for all of your aquarium supplies, we are humbled by the support.
Hopefully I’ll get a response, so I’m going between the Dr Tim’s and this T900, with the dr. Tim’s I see they had an ammonia after dumping the one and only, do you not have to add ammonia with this T900?
No matter what product you use you need a source of ammonia. You can go fishless and add ammonium chloride (sold separately) or you can add a few hardy fish. Either way make sure to measure ammonia and nitrite be prepared to change water with going with fish in the tank cycling if ammonia get above 1.
@@DrTimsAquatics thank you. What percent do you recommend to change if that happens?
@@dp-r.est.8995 50% you want the ammonia below 0.5. Also when changing the water do not disturb the substrate or change the filter pad in the first 2 weeks.
@@DrTimsAquatics you’re awesome! God Bless You. I’m pumped! Lol
One more question. I have a 75G tank. I’m going to double the amount of Dr. Tim’s and buy an 8oz and 2oz which will cover 150 gallons and add two small clownfish. I should be good right?
@@dp-r.est.8995 Are you going to use live sand? You need substrate. But that is plenty of bacteria for 2 fish. Should be good.
my ammonia is probably 0.25 nitrite is 0 and nitrate is like stuck on 10-20 tank is about 4 weeks old I used Fritz turbo start 900 which is suppose to cycle very quickly now I have brown spots with clear bubbles on my reef saver rock .. so would anyone say that it cycled? Or still cycling?
I only have like 5 kilo of live rock and som dry rock but i have a 300 l aqarium and i im using 2 clown fish and 1 hermet crab
can I use seachem stability instead?
Why is there a 767 on the thumbnail?
After introducing the first fish how long until you can add more fish?
He said 2 weeks.
Following your steps exactly, I'm at the 24 hour mark and ammonia is 0.5 no nitrite yet. Is this normal, how much ammonia can the clown take?
please answer did it work out for u? i have those same results rn
@@shais.5783 My ammonia read 0.5 and no nitrite for about 2 weeks and I got extremely frustrated. Finally I realized that I couldn't use my freshwater API test kit on my salt water tank 😒. I had it tested at my LFS and it was 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and 0 nitrate. Apparently it cycled in 24 hours and I was frustrated for 2 weeks for nothing. It is now 2 years old.
Hey can anyone help me so I just started my 20 gallon nano tank about 2 weeks ago today and I used the bacteria he used and for the past 2 weeks my levels has been Ammonia 0.50 Nitrite 0 Nitrate between 10-20. I used live sand and dead rock, 20 gallon of already made salt water from Pacific Ocean water and one small clown fish but my levels don’t change at all. Should I buy another bottle of bacteria? only feed my fish once per day and minimum food
Yes I would get another bacteria
Great video, Mark.
Can you include the bacteria in your kit
The tank is out of...STOCK!!!👀
What if I have live rock?
Hey I have a question!!!
While I’m Cycling do I use any media in the filter? Bio balls? Chemical/mechanical filtration anything?
@@zachburleson7482 The bacteria need substrate to settle on. Bare bottom tank or QT tank with just a sponge filter will take a lot longer to cycle. Do not start your GFO during cycle - the bacteria need phosphate.
@@DrTimsAquatics How do I know when is ok to add the filter socks, filter pad and skimmer? I am currently running Dr. Tim's one and only.
What about a tank with no fish. What is required?
Patrick Duncan are you using live rock or dry rock?
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom since it is going to be a frag tank k, had planned in using something like matrix with no sand or rock.
It’s been a week and my fritz still hasn’t finished the cycle. Starting to think it’s a waste of money
Everyone keeps talking about quick cycling and bacteria but never mention they have a 180 gallon tank. What most people want to know is how to quick cycyle a smaller tank from 40 and below. Most people own 40gal and smaller. Its my understanding that this will kill all fish in your tank if you have a smaller tank. Is this true?
What fish for cycling?
tim Bauer a pair of clownfish works great!
WARNING!! I cycled my tank based on this guy's advice and lost both of my clownfish in the process. I used 3 bottles of bacteria throughout the process so I know I used more than enough bacteria. My cycle stalled with high levels of nitrite which stressed out and killed my fish even with some desperate water changes to help lower the nitrite didn't help. If I were to do it again I'd stick with a fishless cycle.
Hello, thanks for the insight, what size is the tank you were cycling?
Good kit bug no light :(
Did you ever cycle a fish tank?
I just did this... now I have cloudy/milky water and pretty sure dangerous levels of ammonia. What is recommended? Can I use sachem prime to help with the ammonia?
So a little confused.......supposed to quarantine fish before putting them in the tank, but supposed to use a new purchase fish or two to cycle the tank..... These instructions contradict each other...... 🤪🤔😵
I know this is late af but for the first fish you purchase you can use the tank as quarantine
This seems fine and all, but this won't work for people without much patience and want things NOW. Lol Those kind of people should not have any kind of animal, as unless like you, that has done this for years and knows how to do this, there will be many people that will skip vital steps, and jack up their setup.
Not trying to argue with your success, but there are much better videos and more complete information on cycling your tank for long term success. I doubt many will watch just this one video and never learn more, but doing this right when you start is a big factor in long term success - watch the many other videos and fully research the options before starting. Some questions to consider that are not answered here: Lights on or off during the cycle, various filtration on or off, dosing ammonia instead of using fish or other sources, and many more. Research and patience. Some recommend a "4 month cycle" even. Research it and know why before you choose your path.
Your right, there are lots of ways to cycle an aquarium. This is a quick and easy way to cycle an aquarium for beginners. Something that’s easy to understand, fast and budget friendly.
when posting comments like this, just complete by adding the links that you are mentioning instead just blow off the great work these guys do.
Why would you want to wait 4 months, that's a bit pointless. What are you waiting for. I can't think of any methods that needs to take 4 months. Unless you are using live rock, which might have stuff on that needs light, why does it matter if the lights are on, or off. In this case you want the lights on, so you can see your fish, but it makes no difference. Why would you dose ammonia, that just adds to the cycling time. Filtration on in this case, because you have fish in the tank, but it does not matter that much, because you are not adding all the fish at once. You need a method that is easy and works every time. Reefers like you just complicate things for no reason.
@@MsPaulopacheco I didn't post links because they could be seen as competition. So to not try and sound like someone shilling for another company, I won't post those links. They are super easy to find if you Google it though.
@@Johnaubreyduncan To each his own. There are reasons given, and testing methods performed that show why you might want to consider these things. If you don't want to look for it, and what works for you works for you, then great. My recommendation is to consider them. Read about it, watch the videos and decide. Most of this hobby has "sides" and controversy everywhere that is mostly just anecdotal opinion. Yes it complicates it to do the research, but I think it is worth it. Others don't.