Dr Tims one and only.

Mussin

Mussin

New member
Im going to be purchasing a bottle of Dr. Tims one and only to cycle my 90G.

My question is do I run the return pumps or just power heads? Im guessing no skimmer? Lights? Do I want this stuff to go throughout my DT and sump?

Thanks


Jeremy
 
I've used Dr. Tim's and I can't recall if you're supposed to shut off the skimmer; just follow the instructions. Keep all pumps - power heads and main pump - on.
 
If it were mine, I would leave everything on. And skip the Dr. Tim's - there are plenty of great things in this hobby to spend money on - IMHO, Dr Tims is not one of them.

Remember - quicker almost always DOES NOT equal better. Only bad things happen fast.
 
Remove any filter socks, keep skimmer off for 48hrs. Btw, drTims works great, and I ran all pumps while letting the bacteria populate.
 
+1^^^ dr.tims works great and fast still take your time with cycling the tank.. i bought live sand and live rock from marine depot and my tank cycled in under 2 Weeks.
 
Ok so leave every thing on except the skimmer. Thanks. Just bought it today should have it by thurs or fri. I know a few people who have used it with great success. One even cycled his 125 in 3 days.


Jeremy
 
Mussin said:
Ok so leave every thing on except the skimmer. Thanks. Just bought it today should have it by thurs or fri. I know a few people who have used it with great success. One even cycled his 125 in 3 days.


Jeremy
Click to expand...

Having a tank showing "cycled" test results and having a bacteria colony that can support a tank of life can be two different things. Dr. Tim's does seem to get more favorable reviews than all of the similar products that have come and gone; but I still haven't read much about the long-term muse of the stuff. Most of these ''miracle grow" products are bacteria that can actually destroy the natural strains. I would proceed with extreme caution.
 
Dr.Tim's one and only does work rather well, but don't expect it to cycle your tank completely in 1 week. It might take 1 week to go through the ammonia phase if your tank is using all dry rock and dry sand. All tanks are different. Leave the skimmer and if you have it UV off for at least 48 hours. Do leave the powerheads, heaters, and return pumps on. Take off any filter socks and/or prefilters before adding the bacteria. Also make sure your salinity and pH are in the correct range and adjust accordingly. You may be adjusting pH daily. Keep pH between 8.1 - 8.3 if you can. It will help the bacteria do their thing faster.
 
Dr, Tim says the bacteria like to attach...so if the return pump is left on the bacteria have a harder time attaching no? I am wondering if i should leave ALL pumps off for a few hours till the bacteria settles in the sand and on the rocks?
 
Sohal Tang Tim said:
Dr, Tim says the bacteria like to attach...so if the return pump is left on the bacteria have a harder time attaching no? I am wondering if i should leave ALL pumps off for a few hours till the bacteria settles in the sand and on the rocks?
Click to expand...

You turn everything on..bacteria has no problem settling/attaching to surfaces when there is water movement..
 
The WATER is a fairly minor locale for the bacteria that will keep your tank proper. The place the bacteria really live is the sand and live rock, and not just the surface of either of these, but deep inside. They get there by eating and dividing, eating and dividing---ie, growing big enough for two and then becoming two. And getting the tank fully cycled means having far, far, far more bacteria than comes in that bottle. TIME and good conditions for the bacteria are the only thing that can get it there. You can imagine it takes a while for bacteria to populate a rock. I know you're in haste to have it all perfect, but this is a process that doesn't work any more than you can toss seed out onto bare dirt and plan a garden party for next Friday. READ the sticky notes atop this forum. There's a lot more to this than barely cycling.
 
Thanks.

Thanks.

I fully realize that...in truth...it takes a YEAR roughly for a tank to REALLY BE CYCLED WELL ... in the meantime there is always some cycling going on....


Cheers and thanks

Tim:beer:
 
But re your skimmer question, until you have amino acid (protein) waste to pick up, no use for a skimmer. You want the dieoff in there to feed the bacteria and let them prolifterate. I'd run the system, no socks or filter pads---for one thing, if you have any live rock in there yet, you may well have micro-hitchhikers like copepods that are good to have, and they don't circulate through filter socks.
 
no skimmer and no socks

no skimmer and no socks

Ya I dont want to put socks in because the Dr Tim's bacteria will get stuck in them and when clean the socks outttt goes the bacteria..

Dont want to run skimmer because want to let a bit of die off stay in the tank to feed the bacteria etc....will turn the skimmer on in a week or so...

Thanks

Tim
 
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