Dr. Tims, here we go...

[1DeR9_3Hy]

The back story:

i just setup my prop system (Two 48*24*12 glass tanks, stacked on top of each other with the bottom one AIO style). I moved LR from a 1 year old system that is five feet away, and used new dry special grade reef floor from CaribSea. I did not expect a cycle at all, but being cautious because i have a pair of maroon clowns going in, i tested it after a day of setup and got this:

So i have ammonia...i dont know how, but i do.

I was talking with a friend at a LFS, he told me to give the Dr. Tims stuff a try:

He gave it to me, he said it was given to him by a rep to use and test himself...but he never needed it, so it found its way to me.

Im a big skeptic, so i figured others probably are as well. For how expensive this stuff is, it better work. At least we can have some amateur experimentation online right?

I added both full bottles after thoroughly shaking it per the instructions. I will test the water tonight, tomorrow and another day after that to see if it makes a difference.

Updates later with more pics of course

 

[1DeR9_3Hy]

I forgot to take a pic..but take my word for it, very little changed. The green in the viles were slightly lighter in color, but it could be my eyes...it was very little change. Ill test again tomorrow evening, maybe ill be surprised on day 2.

 

[NemesisElite]

ooo cant wait

 

[es1887]

i went out of town for a weekend and i left a friend in charge of my tank. i returned to a tank with 5 ppms of ammonia. all of my fish were dying! it was set up as a fowlr. i lost a tusk, naso, lion, maroon, niger, bursa, snowflake, dogface, i think there is a few i am missing. when i got home and saw this happening i FREAKED! i immediately went and bought some biospira bacterial cultures. i added twice what they recommend and it worked like charm. in one day my ammonia was gone and i actually had 1 fish live, it was a passer angel. one tough fish i must say. lets just say i dont really talk to that guy too much anymore. i dont know about dr. tims, but i must say that some of those products really do work.

 

[es1887]

i forgot to say, good luck on the tanks, and cant wait to see the set up

 

[davocean]

I took 2 exact same tanks, added a couple pieces of LR I had sat in sun long enough to have dieoff, and tested for a couple weeks, and the tank W/OUT Dr Tims actually cycled faster.
Granted the dieoff amount on each rock may not have been exact, but they were close in size, and from same system, so close enough for me to not be impressed w/ it.
Tell us how your exp goes, curious.

 

[Peter Eichler]

i went out of town for a weekend and i left a friend in charge of my tank. i returned to a tank with 5 ppms of ammonia. all of my fish were dying! it was set up as a fowlr. i lost a tusk, naso, lion, maroon, niger, bursa, snowflake, dogface, i think there is a few i am missing. when i got home and saw this happening i FREAKED! i immediately went and bought some biospira bacterial cultures. i added twice what they recommend and it worked like charm. in one day my ammonia was gone and i actually had 1 fish live, it was a passer angel. one tough fish i must say. lets just say i dont really talk to that guy too much anymore. i dont know about dr. tims, but i must say that some of those products really do work.

I would attribute the reduced ammonia the following day to your biological filter simply catching up, the same thing will most likely happen with the OP's tank as well even though some people will want to attribute it to the Dr.Tim's.

 

[1DeR9_3Hy]

I would attribute the reduced ammonia the following day to your biological filter simply catching up, the same thing will most likely happen with the OP's tank as well even though some people will want to attribute it to the Dr.Tim's.

Thats the way im leaning...

I just tested again, and got the same results as last night. A trace of Nitrite, so nothing is being sped up here. But for S&J's ill test again tonight, and get pics to show where we are at.

Also, i had a mushroom become unmounted from its rubble last night in my main tank. Instead of chasing it around the main tank, i throw it in the prop tanks...ill see how it fairs the cycle lol...

It may work, but in what quantitys? This stuff is $65 for the 16oz...I could not imagine dumping that much into a tank to get things going. I would rather by better aged LR with that money.

 

[hottuna]

next time try AQUA GOLD by nat;l fish pharm...its a superior dry product that works as advertised..I set up about 16 different tanks with it so far and havent lost a single fish....hth

 

[1DeR9_3Hy]

next time try AQUA GOLD by nat;l fish pharm...its a superior dry product that works as advertised..I set up about 16 different tanks with it so far and havent lost a single fish....hth

Thanks Tuna, if this was expected i might of tried a few different products and done some controls...but this was a bit of a suprise since the LR is over a year old and the sand was dry...i dont know where the amm is/was coming from. Grrr...

 

[lordofthereef]

i went out of town for a weekend and i left a friend in charge of my tank. i returned to a tank with 5 ppms of ammonia. all of my fish were dying! it was set up as a fowlr. i lost a tusk, naso, lion, maroon, niger, bursa, snowflake, dogface, i think there is a few i am missing. when i got home and saw this happening i FREAKED! i immediately went and bought some biospira bacterial cultures. i added twice what they recommend and it worked like charm. in one day my ammonia was gone and i actually had 1 fish live, it was a passer angel. one tough fish i must say. lets just say i dont really talk to that guy too much anymore. i dont know about dr. tims, but i must say that some of those products really do work.

Off topic but what on earth did the guy do to let your system go to s*** under 5 days and have it be his fault, turn everything off a dump a month's worth of food in day one?

 

[es1887]

Off topic but what on earth did the guy do to let your system go to s*** under 5 days and have it be his fault, turn everything off a dump a month's worth of food in day one?

he was inviting mutual friends over to my house, i told him he could, and they would hang out and feed the fish. he probably put a whole package of silversides in there and did not take any of the uneaten food out. when i got back there was rotting silverside carcasses all over my tank. i did not tell him to make sure that he pulls out the food that they do not eat, but he had fed about a months worth of food. all just to get my eel to come out so everyone could see it. i assume the eel would come out and try to get the food but would not have eaten it cause he was so full.

 

[stanlalee]

thats just another one of the zillion bacteria products. may speed things up but you are probably better off using an ammonia neutralizer like Prime if you still have to put livestock in there now. with old established live rock this should pass quickly (even though 2.5ppm is quite high for basically a transfer).

 

[1DeR9_3Hy]

In this situation ill have to give Dr Tims no credit at all for anything. Amm is still present (although lessened...but read on) and my nitrite is through the roof. So it sounds like a regular old mini cycle from moving rock...