How to Fishless cycle - easily and quickly
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- This video shows you how to successfully fishless cycle your tank with DrTim's Aquatics One and Only Live Nitrifying Bacteria and ammonium chloride. It provides hints and troubleshooting tip to help you get your aquarium cycle quickly. NOTE: Update Nov 2016 - use 4 drops per gallon of ammonium chloride not 1 drop as mentioned in the video.
Use 2 to 4 drops of the ammonium chloride - the concentration changed. Adding 1 drop is fine but the right amount is 4 drops per gallon.
DrTimsAquatics so if it’s a 10 gallon tank 40 drops???
DrTimsAquatics I’m using your updated formula but the 40 drops brought my 10 gallon to 4ppm. Also, on your site it says to add ammonia every time it drops below 2ppm... what do you recommend in 2020?
@@mogwaiz here is guide www.drtimsaquatics.com/information-center/recipes
It said on the bottle 1 drop per litre, I have a 460 litre tank - so I dosed that and most the bottle had gone (£15 I paid) I then went back to the bottle and at the bottom of the bottle it states 1 table spoon = 15ml = 300 drops. Very confusing and waisted alot of the bottle.
@@passenger3 not sure where the confusion is as you did not give enough information. 460 drops is 22.5 ml so most of the bottle. At the end of day - what is your ammonia level.
Finally someone with clear and direct instructions. All these damn fish forums have people chiming in with little to no experience, confusing the basic process so nobody knows what they are doing. I am SO glad I found this video. I bought a new tank. I removed the filter bag once the temp got up to 78. Then I added tetra safestart bacteria and 15 drops of pure ammonia from Ace hardware. Ammonia test read 2ppm. Now I wait. Very easy instructions to follow and I wish those fish forums were taken down as they only lead to confuse people looking for answers. Thank you!!!
I know right I have been looking for someone with good instructions to do this, and this is by far the best.
Warning: if you dose 4 drops ammonia per gallon without taking into account the space your substrate and rock work takes up in the tank, you will with certainty overdose ammonia past the recommended max of 2ppm. The reality is you do not actually have 20 gallons of water in your 20gal tank (for example), ultimately resulting in stalling your cycle. I believe this is one of the single biggest issues people face when fishless cycling their tanks. The reality is most people will need closer to 2-2.5 drops per gallon of ammonia to reach the required 2ppm dose in the tank when starting your cycle. Be cautious, dose 2 drops per gallon, wait 5 minutes and test your initial ammonia levels. Add more ammonia if needed. Hope this helps some people not make the same mistake I did.
I actually knew this before setting up my tank. Even with just sand my 20 gallon tank was about 15 gallons. Every tank even empty is actually smaller then what they say. They actually count the full volume of the aquarium so the glass is already taking some of that water volume
So I have a 10 gallon , how many drops would I need? Pls reply
Thanks for the new video Dr. Tim! I've used One & Only to fishless cycle several of my tanks, and also use the Ammonium Chloride drops twice a week (as you instructed in an email) to my quarantine tank when it's empty to keep the cycle going. I've never experienced a bacterial bloom, and have healthy cycled freshwater tanks thanks to you and your products.
Sherry Buras
@@christinemesi5366
What did yo mean?
Wish had seen this video before I used Dr. Tim's ammonia because the instructions on the bottle said to use 4 drops per gallon. Next day ammonia test reading was high off the chart. Best to put 1 drop or more in a gallon of water to determin the exact amount needed to reach 2.0 MLS or for the desired ammonia amount looking for. All is good after a 25% water change then added one & only purchased after the ammonia. Dr. Tim's is the best. Thumbs up!
If the bottle say 4 drops per gallon use 4 drops. If your ammonia is higher than 2 - check to see if there is another source like live sand
Thanks Dr Tim for the fast reply! I knew I missed something, I always do haha.
No worries!
Just did your cycle method. Wanted to provide feedback. It worked. I followed the printable pdf for using the one and only. I have 150 gallons. I used your ammonia and did 4 drops per gallon. I measured ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates everyday. I was at 1.022 salinity at 77.5 degrees on average. My nitrates spiked up to 85. I did a 30% water change. nitrites were deep purple. I checked the next day and nitrates went down from 85 to 50 ish. Nitrites were still high. Ammonia was starting to lighten up. 4 days later nitrates were down to 18, nitrites still deep purple. Ammonia was .25 or almost done. A few days later ammonia was gone, nitrites shifted to lavender, and nitrates were still dropping. Yesterday light blue nitrites, low nitrates, and ammonia is as low as it goes. I love your product. I didn’t have the data in front of me, but I checked the water every day. I the key was when I saw the ammonia start to drop and move closer to zero. Even though I had high Nitrites I was excited because I knew the bacteria was doing it’s thing. What surprised me the most was how the nitrates started dropping on their own. I looked it up, and since nothing is in the tank other than the bacteria, it must of been the movement into gas that made it drop. Thanks again!!! I will recommend your process to everyone. I will also recommend they watch your presentation you did at Macna on the brs website about cycling. I learned so much! Thank you. Please keep teaching us, you have so much to offer.
Works absolutely perfectly. My tank was ready for fish within a week!!!!! Recommended highly!!! All fish did great no problems.
I used this product in 2020 in my tank followed directions pretty much exactly and it worked great.
What happens if my bacteria was only partially cloudy??
nothing bad - the cloudiness can vary
@@DrTimsAquatics Ok thank you!
When I first learned about the nitrogen cycle I didn’t want to get a fish anymore because I thought it was very confusing and it wouldn’t be fair to the fish if I did it wrong so I waited and didn’t get one, after watching this video I realize it’s not that difficult and I’m gonna cycle my tank I’ve had sitting in my room for months, thank you! This is the only video I’ve been able to understand completely
Thank you very much
Mines says 4 drops per gallon
Halim Bey then put 4
Yeah. Mine does too. And if you do 4 per gallon, your ammonia will be off the charts. Don’t. Do it. Trust me.
Omg this is the easist explanation out of all the cycle videos i have watched thank you so much subbed
thank you!!
Try put headset or earphones and play this video. There's something going on, it only play one earpiece lol
That won’t affect water quality😀
I've been doing it wrong this whole time! I've been adding ammonia to try and reach 2 PPM (Online forums are "amazing" by the way) my nitrites are literally above my test kit (Master API Test) levels. Guess who's gonna wait three or four days to see what happens. This guy! Thanks so much!
You're welcome
It's all cycled and I have my angels in the tank! Thanks again!
Hi Dr. Tim, is my tank only cycled if within a 24 hour period my ammonia and nitrite are zero? My ammonia is consistently zero after 24 hours but my nitrite takes about 48 hours to get down to zero. Thanks!
Nitrite always takes a little longer to completely cycle but you are close. Yes once the ammonia and nitrite disappears in 24 hours your tank is cycled. Enjoy.
+DrTimsAquatics Thank you for the reply. After 24 hours my ammonia is zero and my nitrite is .25ppm. I don't bother dosing additional ammonia, and my nitrites go to zero by the following day (48 hours). Am I still on the right track?
Yes you are cycled really unless you are going to add a lot of fish
+DrTimsAquatics Excellent. I'm going to do a large, large water change and then add two Percula Clowns and a Royal Gramma to my 91 gallon. Is that too much too fast? Thanks.
No, just do not disturb the substrate. Take the water from the top of the water column.
Dr. Tim
thank God I found this video. I plan to cycle my fish tank with your products. thank u for making it easy for Beginners like me. 🤗
Why in the hell would you leave this video up?!?!?!?
If it’s WRONG, take it down! I just started my tank TODAY using the 1 drop per gallon and thought, “great, I’m doing well”, then I read your bottle which states 4 drops per gallon. Hours later and I find out I should have read comments under this video??? Who the hell thinks to read all comments before taking a video at its word, YOUR comments “Dr Tim”! Leaving this video up for newcomers who are genuinely trying to do the right thing is blatantly ignorant and irresponsible! What the hell do I do now?!?!?!?!
I am pissed off!
TAKE THE VIDEO DOWN!
POST A NEW, CORRECTED VIDEO!!!
Read the instructions that came with it
Once I figured this whole process out, it really is quite simple. I started with spring water and soil. Under two weeks I am completely cycled. *I could have done this sooner perhaps but, it didn’t occur to check the pH. I was around 6.2. I added Alkaline boost and the results started happening fast. Great product if used correctly.
Increasing alkalinity will always speed things up - the nitrifies like high alkalinity water
Glad you made this video. There was a lot of confusion on this topic throughout the forums.
thanks Glad to hear it!
just started the process of cycling my 6 FT 125 tank.
I used Dr Tim's One and Only and added the ammonium chloride.
cranked the heaters up.
filters running.........magic
was your arm aching after adding 125 drops of ammonia? :)
FYI - 1 drop equals 0.05 ml. So 125 drops equals 6.25 ml which equals 1-1/4 teaspoons. You don't have to be super exact. So 1 or 1-1/2 teaspoons if fine.
DrTimsAquatics my 125 tank is cycled and currently has 6 milkula juvis in it...........
followed the directions, no problems.
Hello Dr Tim, thank you so much, irs wonderful to Finally find someone to clearly explain what is required to cycle I brand new aquarium. I’ve just ordered a 2 oz bottle of your ammonia chloride to start the process of cycling my new 135 litre aquarium. My new aquarium has new driftwood, rocks and live plants in it with black sand. It’s been running fir 6 days now and been doing water tests every two days, however there is no ammonia in my tank. Once the ammonia chloride arrives I can follow your precise instructions and get my new aquarium cycled, hooray, many many thanks Dr Tim, your a genius
Using this stuff now on my 50 gallon.. uses a bottle of the one and only.. added 200 drops because the new solution is 4 drops her gallon.. now its a waiting game.. i have my fluval aquaclear 110 running and my eheim 150w heater running as well. keep you guys posted.
Can say this does work. :) After using the nitrifying bacteria and ammonia my tank was cycled in 10 days. Have a very happy betta swimming away in his 5 gal tank and water levels been perfect. 👌🏼
Great! Thanks
Love this kit! My new tank cycled in only 3 days, but of course I'm continuing the program for the full week. Then I plan to plant it and dose CO2 higher to give them a good start. Maybe a couple weeks later I will do a hefty water change and let everything settle back in before transfering my fish. At first I was so gung ho with this new tank, but there were several hiccups as I built the substrate (designed my own undergravel filter to have hills but also maximize water volume). Then my fish surprisingly spawned in the old tank and it forced me to slow down again... best lesson ever! I'm actually enjoying taking my time to be careful and educate myself as I go. Dr. Tim is a big part of that, and his bacteria/ammonia kit is a fabulous tool!
thank you
That's how it's done!! Excellent information
Thanks 👍
This video was sooooo helpful for me thank you so much, I'm very new to the fish community and I've been searching constantly for videos on how to cycle and none of them seem to have made sense to me... this however makes clear sense! Thank you!!!
You are welcome!
Thank you so much Dr tim for the response first time I cycle a tank was very easy, great products Dr tim
Great news! Enjoy your aquarium!
Thank you!!! Finally information that makes sense and is straight forward!
Thank you for the nice comment
Thank you for such simple instructions, great video!
It worked! Took my 20 gallon tank 3 weeks and 3 days.
That seems long no ?
@@jacklawer6389 every tank is different.
Thank you to you and/or your staff for answering my questions on your site the other day. I'm the person with the 55g dirted aquarium with CO2 who mentioned the pH. Currently, my ammonia dropped from 2 to 1 and my nitrite rose from .5 to 5. Furthermore, my nitrates are rising - from 0 to 10.
My question is if my ammonia drops to 0 and nitrites drop to 0 or near 0 with a further rise in nitrates should I add more ammonia or consider the cycle finished and water change + fish?
Thanks. We recommend adding the ammonia drops 3 times - once the tank can process 3 rounds of ammonia it is cycled!
Thank you!I was planning to get a fish next week but didn't realize I needed to cycle my tank.I don't have the tank but I am going to ask my parents to get my some of your product so I can have my tank cycled fast and get my fish!
Does anyone have any tips since this will be my first time cycling a tank?
The most important thing is to go easy on adding the ammonia. You do not have to add ammonia everyday. If ammonia OR nitrite is above 2 ppm do not add more ammonia until both drop.
+DrTimsAquatics ok thank you I am ordering your product for Dr Foster and Smith's website
great ! have fun
+DrTimsAquatics I might have to get a 2.5 gallon tank...:( my dad is getting it so I told him of it wasn't that much more money to get a 5 gallon so idk yet.If I did get a 2.5 gallon how many drops of ammonia would I put?
I bought a 10gallon kit. Added water in with dechlorinator. Heater set @ 78 degrees. Set everything up on the same day with the fish. Got fancy guppies, bristlenose pleco, african frogs.....I didnt cycle my tank. But my fishes are still alive. Got the fish for about 3 months now and seem comfortable
Sounds like you were partially lucky and probably were careful feeding. These are not the biggest of fish. Would not suggest you do this with bigger fish.
I believe this aswell pal .....this fish thing it draws you in to spend stupid money when certain things arnt really needed ...just let the tank take its natural cause keep up on water changes and just watch your PH ....and 80 year old excpert told me tht aswell
hey dr tim, im going to buy your ammonium chloride stuff online. i found it on amazon! yayyyyy!
OK sounds good I checked this morning and my ammonium read 0 and nitrite is at 0.25 ppm so I added a dose of 2 ppm ammonium chloride so far so good. Thanks
Thank you this is the best one i understand now!
Glad it helped!
I cycle my tank for 2 months my ammonia and nitrite was really high after i use Dr Tim product after 6 days my tank was fully cycle Dr Tim product is amazing it works if u listen to what he say. happy fish keeping.
Did the instructions on the bottle just get me to mess up my whole tank?
Hi Dr. Tim... I ordered your one and only, first defense,aquacleanse and ammonium chloride. Today I am on my 14th day of fishless cycle. I've added the full dose of ammonium chloride for the 3rd time. Also Im still in process of almost finishing my research on what fish to purchase. Even tho I've added the recommended dose for the 3rd time is it ok to continue to dose until I receive my fish? If so should it be half dose or full dose? Or should I do the recommended water change and if so then continue to dose? I have a 50 gallon. All Filters are running, heater is at 88 degrees. Ammonia 0.25 ppm, Nitrites drop slowly to 0.50ppm, Nitrates 5.0ppm. Also Thank you for the extras that you sent. You are a top notch business man! Thanks in advance for you reply. Happy Holidays.
For the $40 a bottle (120 size) add a "cold mark" indicator to the bottle for about $2.50 so we can tell if it froze during shipping from Dr Tims to the reseller.
And thats how U explain how its done! Thanx alot!!
Hi, I just added the solution this past Saturday, and added 4 drops per gallon as suggested. In all fairness i got my product from Amazon, I'm sure the temperature that is being kept in and transported is way above 80 Degrees, so most likely the bacteria is dead and not working as intended. So after 4 days still at 4PPM of amonia, I will just sit and wait till it goes down, the conversion to Nitrites has not begun neither is at 0. So going to assume product is good but my solution was not kept in the ideal temp...
I have a 20 Gallon tank and I added the whole 4 oz bottle.
ok dr. tim.... thank you for reply..as per post below. tank has now been sitting for about 5d (xmas) with nitrites at 3-5ppm. there are measurable nitrATes conpared with standard. i am have 60gallons of new SW made to do a water change. total system volume ~90 gallons when accounting for LR etc...
plan is to do this water change and test again in 24 hrs. hopefully i have naught except some NO3.
i am thinking my cycle is probably done.
Our standard is that once you can dose the ammonia and in 24 hours there is little to no ammonia or nitrite than you are cycled provided you have added ammonia at least two or three times.
Update: *Use 2-4 drops of Ammonium Chloride per gallon* NOT 1 drop per gallon as previously stated in 2013!! Please pin this comment so others can see. I was almost going to use 1 drop per gallon had I not read Mr. Tim’s recent reply to another commenter.
Will do
Hi Dr. Tim,
I am currently on my 13th day of cycling my 5.5-gallon freshwater tank. My ammonia levels have been pretty persistent at 3.0 ppm, and I began to get a nitrite reading of 0.25 ppm on the 28th. A lot has changed with my nitrite and nitrate levels over the course of a few days. Today my readings were:
Ammonia: 2.00 ppm
Nitrite: 5.00 ppm
Nitrate: 30 ppm
pH: 7.4 ppm
I'm not sure how to go about this--should I do a water change, and if so how much?
I do not have live sand, but I do have 3 moss balls sitting on the substrate on the bottom, along with a few toys and fake anemone.
Thank you so much!
Yes, change some water but do not disturb the substrate
This is a very helpful video thank you so much.
+mymovievideos Thank you!
So pumped! Thank you, sir!
If you don't add ammonia until the ammonia and nitrites are both zero how do you know that the bacteria hasn't just died off rather than turning it into nitrates? Surely you have to keep adding ammonia up to 3pmm to feed the bacteria or it'll just starve and died and give you a 0 reading. Without testing nitrates it's impossible to know, isn't it? I've probably misunderstood something? The fish will constantly be producing ammonia so don't we have to replicate that by keeping the ammonia topped up? I'd love you to reply. Great video: )
When you say remover filter socks do you mean also the floss pads inside a canister filter?
Very Informative - Thanks
Thank you, this helped so much
Glad it helped!
I have had high nitrite for ages (few months) with 0 ammonia. Using live sand and one dry rock. I asked for advice from my fish store and was told to do a 50% water change once a week for two weeks (I think to get the nitrites down a little) and add ammonium chloride each change from DrTim’s according to the bottle, it’s week 3 and I’m constantly checking my water, my ammonia has been following the same trend of going up then back to 0 while my nitrite stays at a constant purple (not a very dark one which I got previously)
Water changes yes but do not disturb the substrate. Also DO NOT add ammonia if the nitrite is over 4-5. The bacteria will not starve. The live sand is decaying adding ammonia anyways.
Yesterday I added beneficial bacteria and ammonia, today after 24 hrs I checked my pH 7.6, ammonia 0.2, and nitrite 0. Is it good?
I added 2 drops per gallon for my 9 gallon aquarium
I have 20 gallons also for that I used 1 drop per gallon
It’s been 6 months so far so good
Day 6 ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and ph 8.1
I used 2 drops per gallon
I started mine and 24 hours later I do have an ammonia reading. Seems to be between 1 and 2. Zero nitrites. Is my bacteria bad? I ordered it directly from Dr Tim's website and also ordered the climate control pack. I've been keeping it in the fridge like it says to on the bottle.
Um. My ammonia (Biomature Aquarium Ammonia) says to add 2 ml per day to a 60 litre tank (I have 64 litres) so I do. Before I even started I added some "nitryfying bacteria" labelled as stress zyme (I know, I'm stupid). After adding ammonia on the first day I reached around 1.5 ppm of ammonia. After adding on the second day (TODAY) I reached 3 ppm of ammonia. Biomature reccomends getting 5 - 10 ppm of ammonia before you can add bacteria, but tells you to STOP after reaching your goal. I set my goal to 8 ppm. The bacteria that I added at the beggining (I imagine) are feeding on the ammonia and growing and stuff. Once I reach 8 ppm and add more nitrifying bacteria do I just STOP adding ammonia and wait for the level to become 0ppm or do I have to constanly add the same amount of ammonia. The thing is I have to go away in 8 days time, only 9 days of me being able to add ammonia daily. I'm not sure if the technique I am using will "work". In theory when I add more bacteria and they are able to consume all the ammonia and put it back to 0ppm they should be ready to feed on more ammonia (from fish) so If (after I establish my nitrite and nitrate levels to 0ppm and 25ppm or less of course) can't I just add fish and the bacteria will feed on the ammonia produced by the fish.
The fish I am planning to add to my 64 litre (16 gallon) are:
4x Panda Cory
1x Betta Fish
2x Nerite Snails
Is it possible this is too little fish and that my bacteria will die? I'm not really sure. Also is it safe to do 25% water change for the first two days when the fish are in the tank aswell?
Again, I'm not sure and I just want to make sure I get everything right.
Also My filter is not in my tank, its a fluval U2 internal filter, because I have to wait a week in order to get a cable to plug in my filter, same with the heater. I will have them setup by 48 hours before my fish are in. Is this enough? Or do I need to start this cycling process after. I would really want to avoid doing that. My temperature right now ( I will correct before adding fish) for cycling is 22 degrees celsius/ 71.6 Farenheight so will my bacteria be able to cycle in this?
I'm just curious and don't want my fish to catch the new tank syndrome. If you have the chance please reply. Anybody.
Thanks,
CookieDodger
Can we check ammonia level after adding ammonium chloride? before adding bacteria. How much minimum ammonia level should be there before adding the bacteria ?
So do I still need the first defense and the tap water detox? Or just these two?
Also my amonia bottle says to add 4 drops per gallon for fishless cycle and your saying one drop per gallon. Which one do I go by?
Use 4 drops per gallon like the bottle says. This video was done years ago.
When you say remove the socks, do you mean remove all physical filtering material?
NO!! just the micron filter socks. Many systems do not have these but if your does - remove them. Also keep the pump and filter running.
I put the one and only in my new marine tank a week ago with his ammonia per instructions. Ammonia levels are still exactly the same as day one and no nitrite to date yet using the api master test kit. Water temp is consistent at 79 and saltwater I bought in jugs so that shouldn't be the problem. Maybe I got a bad bottle, thought something should have happened.
Hei Dr Tim. Greetings from indonesia. I saw many reviews about your products. And i am order it from amazon and will be shipped to Indonesia next wednesday.
Want to ask you, i use HMF filter with biofoam and sponge filters. Should i turn it off when i set up the tank for few days? Or just let it on?
Leave the filter on and the foam inside
I use your product now. Overall it show good progress , nh3/nh4 from 4 ppm down to 2 ppm , with nitrite almost 0 and nitrate showed. Then until few days ago the nh3/nh4+ show
My tank has stalled at .50 ammonia, .50- Nitrite and 5.0 Nitrate, it’s been five days, now what? I have no added any more ammonia ..I’m on day 13
On your instructions it says use four drops of ammonia for every gallon. Is that wrong? I did that to my tank yesterday and it’s ready .5 ammonia and I did this at 2 o’clock yesterday and it’s 8 o’clock the next day and it’s reading .5 ammonia.
You did not mess up your tank. What is the issue? You added the ammonia and it it 0.5. Now be patient and let the bacteria go to work.
Hi Dr.Tim , I am currently day 14 into the fishless cycle and i cant seem to get my ammonia and nitrite to drop to zero within 24 hours to finish the cycle. It zeroes out in roughly 30-48 hours. I dose ammonia only when it drops to 0.25-zero ppm of ammonia and nitrite. Do i keep dosing ammonia when the ammonia and nitrite drop to 0.25-zero ppm, until it is consumed in 24 hours?
Why do you tell people to add ammonia on second and third day and saying don't add if your ammonia level is above 1? in new tank, ammonia should stay around 3-4 for weeks right? why would you test it day by day? and add day by day? do I add ammonia once it drops to 0(in how many days?) to 4ppm?
We tell people this because the goal of using our One & Only Live Nitrifying Bacteria is to get the tank cycled quickly so you don't have to wait 3 or 4 weeks. Even without adding bacteria the ammonia should be gone within 10 days. When fishes cycling the purpose is to add ammonia to grow the bacteria but not to add too much and the only way to know is to measure.
So you basically you add the Ammonia to get the bacteria to start working to keep your tank clean so it doesn't die off?
So my tank has been up for about 30 days with your product.
No my ammonia did recently drop to 0 within the last week, but my nitrites have stayed somewhere around 2pm-5 and have not moved.
I eventually did a 18% water change and did add a small six line wrasse to the tank and just add prime each day to detoxify those nitrites.
What I’m wondering is, is the bioload in the tank too small with a small Wrasse in a 75 gallon tank that the cycle is just stalled?
If so, would it be ok to go ahead and add 3 more smaller fish to the tank and dose more Safe and Easy bacteria while having existing nitrites already in the tank? My thinking is the Safe and Easy will add more bacteria to help with the new fish, and the fish themselves will give the nitrites what’s needed to convert into nitrates.
Hello Dr. Tim. I'm having some issues getting my 60 gallon cycled and I could use some clarification please. I dosed the Dr. Tim's One and Only and added ammonia as per the instructions. The next day I measured the Ammonia and it was at or around 2ppm and Nitrite also around 2 ppm. A day later the Ammonia level was 1 ppm and Nitrite around 3 ppm. I happen to have read on a Seachem support forum that in order to speed up the nitrogen cycle it was recommended to add Seachem Prime every 48 hours. Along with Seachem Stability every day. The reason for adding Prime being that it makes the Ammonia and Nitrite easier for the bacteria to consume. Indeed the Ammonia level went to 0 ppm but the Nitrite level from what I can tell are at 5.0 ppm. Tonight I read on your website the following: Do not add ammonia removers to bind the ammonia - overdosing with these products will just increase the cycling time. However in your video titled: "How to Set Up a New Aquarium - Fishless Cycling." You add AquaCleanse. Afterwards stating that if we choose to do a fishless cycle that we would only need to add the ammonia. So my first question is: For a fishless cycle do we need to add AquaCleanse or? Secondly I read on your website quote: "If either ammonia or nitrite concentration get above 5 ppm, do water changes to lower the concentration." I'm sure that my Nitrite level is at or above 5.0 ppm so do I need to perform a water change and if so how much of one do you recommend? I ask this because you say in the How to Fishless cycle - easily and quickly video that if we have elevated level of Ammonia or Nitrite to wait. However there is no mention of performing a water change if Nitrite is at or above 5ppm. That being said, in my case having dosed Seachem Prime twice 5 ml x 2 over the past 4 days and having an Ammonia level of 0 ppm, Nitrite at or above 5 ppm and Nitrate at 20 ppm. Do I need to start the process over? I.e empty my tank buy another bottle of One and Only and start over using One and Only and Seachem Stability to supplement the nitrifying bacteria? Or can I salvage this by not adding any more Prime, performing a water change to get the Nitrite levels down below 5 ppm and supplementing with Stability? Thanks in advance and btw I love all of freshwater products and your videos.
First - stop adding Prime, Whoever wrote that "adding Prime ... makes the Ammonia and Nitrite easier for the bacteria to consume"- know nothing about nitrifying bacteria - this is 100% wrong. For fishless cycling use First Defense to get rid of chlorine or chloramines - no need to add AquaCleanse or Prime. If the ammonia or nitrite is above 5 ppm do a 25-33% water change but do not disturb the substrate. For you right now - no need to start over. Do a 33% water change, stop adding Prime. Wait overnight - measure ammonia and nitrite. If both are lower than say 2 ppm add 1/2 dose of ammonia and measure again in 24 hours. If either are still high do another water change. The results after 24 hours will tell you how the cycle in progressing. You can add more One & Only at any time if you want or wait until after the testing to see how the cycles going. Thanks for the kind words.
Thanks for taking the time to respond to my inquiries and for the helpful advice :)
Question. The tank is have is a 31 gallon. After sand and rock I only put in 22 gallons of saltwater. Should I dose for the tank size or the actual amount of water that is is the tank?
The amount of water is what matters. Dose to your water amount. If you had a 100 gallon tank, and filled 25 gallons of water, then dosed to 100 gallons, it would be a disaster.
Should I have my filter running through the cycle? I have an Aqua Clear 30 with the AquaClear Foam, Activated Carbon Filter and BioMax Cycle Guard.
Yes have the filter running and all the components inside. Also turn on the heater.
Hi. Do we just have to use One and Only once at the beginning, correct? tks
Would this process change if you had plants in the tank in the initial setup before you started this process?
I tought my headphones broken this video only has sound on my left earphone. Weird
Yea I made the mistake of having the filter socks in and noticed after about 4 days that ammonia was stuck around 2ppm and 0 on nitrate and nitrite so I went ahead and took the socks out and added a new bottle. I tested today and nitrate and nitrite are up and ammonia is down to .25 ppm. Would you say just wait untill it all zeros out then proceed with fish or would you run another round of ammonia and once that clears then add fish. Thanks for the awesome products.
You're welcome! If nitrite is below 1 or so you can add 1/2 dose of ammonia. If nitrite is below 0.25 you can add a full dose of ammonia. You do not have to wait until ammonia and nitrite are both 0. After you have dosed ammonia 2 - 3 times and the ammonia and nitrite are below 0.25 we recommend a partial water change (do not disturb the substrate) and then you can add fish and enjoy.
hey Dr Tim
I decided to use your product on my new saltwater tank [ 70 gallon cube ] . I started 4 days ago... this is day 4. I put in the one and only -4 oz bottle and added 4 drops per gallon as directed on the bottle. waited 24 hrs and tested... ammonia was off the charts 8ppm... nitrate was 0. I skipped day 3 of adding more drops of ammonia. Im waiting till day 6 as it says on your sheet from your website....
my question is... come day 6 and if there is 0 ammonia... do I add another 4 drops per gallon or cut it back to 1 drop per gallon? and how many more times will I add ammonia till fully cycled... I know when ammonia and nitrate is 0 .. but since the initial readings were off the chart [ 8ppm ] ... does the tank need more ammonia to cycle??
thanks for any help on my confusion.
John F
You need to also be measuring nitrite. If ammonia or nitrite are need 5 or above do not add more ammonia. The bacteria will not starve, Did you use live sand?
Attached is a link to a step by step guide.
www.drtimsaquatics.com/solutions/fishless-cycling/
@@DrTimsAquatics thanks so much for the quick response. Yes I used live sand and yes I have been checking nitrite as well...as of yesterday ammonia was like 4ppm
Nitrate was still -0ppm
Do I add another round of ammonia when they both go to 0ppm? Or water change and add fish..thanks
Dry Life Rock, Live Sand. Dosed 64 drops of Dr. Tim Ammonia for the 16 gallons of water on a 20 gallon tank. Added One and Only. Ammonia through the roof on day 2. Ammonia is high because of live sand, I'm assuming, right? Best way to proceed from here? Water change? Wait to see if the One and Only takes care of it? Dose another One and Only bottle? Quickest way to combat this is preferred. Thanks in advance!
Don't know why but your comment just showed up -apologize for the later reply - what is the status of your tank?
DrTimsAquatics took about 3 week to cycle after 2 bottles of dr Tim’s, couple water changes. Everything is thriving now. Including SPS. added some micro bactor as well as bio spira to diversify.
Thanks.
I'm on day 16. Haven't had zeros on the ammonia and nitrite the next day after adding the ammonium chloride. Last time I added ammonium chloride, it took 3 days to get down to zero. I added some two days ago, yesterday I was at 1 ammonia and .5 nitrite. Just keep on? I've added ammonium chloride 3 times so far.
Do I need to turn off my filter? I have left it running is this right?
Don’t turn off the filter. The filter oxygenates the water for the bacteria when it’s running.
Yes leave the filter running and leave the filer pad, carbon etc inside it
Thanks for the video. Shall I remove carbon and zeolite when I do this?
remove the zeolite, keep the carbon
Ok so I want to make sure i do this right, so can you tell me if this is ok
1.Shake Bacteria and add into water
2.Add 1 drop per gallon of ammonia
3.wait 24 hours
4.measure ammonia and nitrite levels
5. Add more ammonia 1 drop per gallon
6.wait 24 hours
7.measure levels if both are at zero that means it’s good
8. Add ammonia for the last time 1 drop per gallon
9. Wait 24 hours
10.if both are at 0 then the tank is ready.
11.Take out some water and put some more in
???? Is that what I’m supposed to do???????? I’m very confused
Gaby Diaz ya but I’m pretty sure the ammonia from dr Tim has been changed a little read the instruction
Actually, don’t follow those directions. Follow the ones I’m going to give you instead. Shake the bacteria, add the bacteria, and add enough ammonia so that your tank has 4 ppm ammonia initially. Test your water every few days until you read 0 ppm ammonia. The readings will probably stay the same for a few weeks until you read 0 ppm. Once you read 0 ppm, add 4 ppm of ammonia again and keep testing the water. Every time you read 0 ppm, add 4 ppm ammonia. Do that until your ammonia goes from 4 ppm to 0 ppm within 24 hours. Once that happens, just keep adding 4 ppm of ammonia daily until the end of the cycle. Now stop testing for ammonia and test for nitrites only. At first, the nitrites will be really high. But once you have 0 ppm of ammonia and 0 ppm of nitrites within 24 hours of adding the daily dose of ammonia, your tank is cycled. This whole process might take a month or two. But all you have left to do after that is do a 75% water change. This will reduce the nitrates. Your tank is now ready for fish and fully stock it with fish immediately.
Also, do more research on this kind of stuff. It’s really important to know about this. If you have any problems, let me know. I’m currently cycling my 20 gallon tank using these products as well.
How would i fishless cycle a planted aquarium? Would i cycle a bare tank or would i cycle the tank whilst the soil substrate and plants are already in the tank?
I added bacteria and the Dr tims ammonia. I waited 24 hours! Like it says!
My ammonia is 4.0ppm after 24 hours and my nitrite is still zero!! What do I do? Did I do something wrong?
Similar scenario with mine I have 2ppm ammonia still sixth day completed
Wigneshwaran Ganesh sounds like i’m not the only one encountering this problem! wow. i just did a 40% water change. i will be dosing bacteria again when i do another large water change. but i’m holding off until i get a reply from them.
I'm on day 4 now and my ammonia is still 4-8ppm. However my nitrites did spike a tad bit. They went from zero to 0.25ppm. So I'ma just wait it out a bit longer and see.
Would be nice Dr Tim if you could reply and help us out.
Wigneshwaran Ganesh what is a skimmer. I turned my filter off but idk if that’s right
Brog I didn’t add my skimmer yet. Couple of days ago I added one more bottle of one and only nitrifying bacteria now my ammonia in 1.2ppm nitrite is 0.05ppm according to Redsea test kit.
Greetings @drtimsaquatics I will be completing the cycle soon. I won't be able to get fish for another 2 weeks, do I continue to dose 2ppm ammonia and how often?
NO.
Sir is it necessary to change 20% of water during the whole 1 month nitrogen cycle period??
not required unless you pH drops
Hello dr Tim I used one and only as you said and it's second day ammonia is 0.25 and no3 is 0
Why ammonia still same as first day why not 0 and should I add more ammonia or wait
Hi Dr Tim i have cycle my tank for 2 months now but my ammonia is 8 ppm do i need to do a 100 percent water change? or i just add your product in? without doing water change?
Thank you dr tim.
It would help if you put links to your products in your description. just for the future.
working on this
I have a filter with a filter pad that I believe has carbon in it. Do I need to remover the pad during this process?
How do set up a small half gallon tank chemically with one small Java plant? This is for a betta and I realize that betta needs a 2 gallon tank at the minimum.
Is it safe to get one and only shipped from Amazon?? As in it wont be dead on arrival?
You said after it’s cycled I do a water change. How much water do we get rid of?
generally recommend 25% but do not disturb the substrate
Very helpful
hey Dr Tim, great videos. Im using both the nitrifying bacteria and the ammonium chloride and im on day two and my readings are 0 amm /2.0 nitrite/10ppm nitrate do I just wait another 24hrs to re test to let nitrite and nitrate levels go down then add more ammonium?
Yes wait a little longer for the nitrite to drop and then add more ammonium.
Can you add this to a still-cycling tank with fish and shrimp already in it?
Hi Dr Tim,
I started the cycle in my tank, I saw the ammonia at 2ppm for a couple days and then it lowered. 24/hrs later I saw a nitrite spike.
Long story short, I eventually saw the ammonia and the nitrite lowered to .25ppm. each. So I added more ammonia. I waited 24hrs, and tested again to see ammonia at 1ppm and nitrite at .50ppm...AND nitrates at 30ppm! I noticed my tank was really dirty and that there was a bunch of ditritus and brown algae. The filter media and sponge was so mucked up, they were all brown and gross. I did a water change (50%) and rinsed the media in old filter water, I also cleaned about 40% of my substrate with a syphon. This is a freshwater tank, no live rock or sand. Do you think I did the right thing or have I screwed up my tank. What should be my next steps?
As long as your water quality is fine then nothing seems wrong but where did all the muck come from - did you have plants or ??
DrTimsAquatics yes I have a planted aquarium and there was a brown algae looking sludge all over my sponge and bi media
I have a 30 G tank, I used Dr. TIm's All in one 8oz and Ammonium Chloride. Added the whole bottle of all in one, added 30 drops of ammonium chloride in it. After 48 hours, the Ammonia is 2ppm and Nitrite is 2ppm and Nitrate is 10ppm. Should i wait for ammoina/nitrite to go down? i also have a fretZyme turbo 900 live bacteria: it's live and kept in a fridge. Can i Add that into the tank as well so it helps with the ammonia?
I added your ammonia chloride and used another brand of bacteria that I had from before . Is this ok ? Thanks
So you put ammonia and the other in the tank at the same time in the beginning?
Wish I had known not to continue adding ammonia to bring it back to 2ppm whilst my nitrites and nitrates are sky rocketing I have like 1-2ppm nitrites and 40-80ppm nitrates think I’ll just leave things alone for a few days.
Also dose PH drop from co2 injection effect the cycle as my PH is only 6.6 before co2 comes on then drops to around 6 after a couple of hours. Plants are growing insanely fast 4 weeks into planting and cycling, thank goodness it’s fishless.
So I got my tank cycled, thanks, Dr. Tim! But I'm wondering how long will the bacteria survive without food? ie the ammonia chloride.
+DigitalViking the bacteria eats the wast of fish, which creates ammonia
+Albino Tortoise This is not quite correct. Fish excrete ammonia not urea so most of the ammonia come directly from the fish. As you say bacteria decay the waste the fish produce and process does produce ammonia but the majority of the ammonia in a fish tank comes directly from the fish themselves
+DigitalViking they can go a long long time. They do not need to eat everyday.