banjowalker
New member
Sounds good keep me posted. What was wrong with the ammonia you got?
Dr tims timeline
- Thread starter banjowalker
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whiteshark
Active member
I would guess it had surfactants in it.
Devi
New member
Yup. I really could give a hoot though. I mean, I should most likely panic, tear down everything, rinse a million times, or I could just realize surfactants do not bind and are only in the water column, and I have to do a freaking giant water change anyway at the end of the cycle, and once all filtration is running the minute amount in the water will have no effect on anything. I should have just used the bloody freaking shrimp. Anyway did a water test last night, everything is spot on. Exactly as I would expect it to be. I will post real numbers when I get home. At this rate, maybe two weeks left tops. Well three.
P.S. I guess we will answer the age old question about surfactants. The fact I am seeing a cycle here already proves my particular ammonia with surfactant is not harmful to bacteria. My Xenia have selflessly came forward to be the first inhabitants of the tank after it cycles. You know, for science. :spin1:
P.S. I guess we will answer the age old question about surfactants. The fact I am seeing a cycle here already proves my particular ammonia with surfactant is not harmful to bacteria. My Xenia have selflessly came forward to be the first inhabitants of the tank after it cycles. You know, for science. :spin1:
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banjowalker
New member
Haha good luck man! Just added my first fish today. Dr tims did the trick for me
Devi
New member
So I know I was going to post numbers I will, so on Monday ammonia was low and nitrites were both below 2ppm. So I dosed ammonia up to 3ppm, as per instructions on website. Last night Ammonia was below 2ppm but my nitrites were above 5ppm! So per website instructions I did a 25% water change, which goes against everything I have been told about cycling. Tonight after my stupid party, I really just want to be home with the tank and Dragon Age, I will test again.
banjowalker
New member
+1 this is what I did. If The nitrites are high the nitrates should start to rise. My nitrites almost disappeared and nitrates didn't get that high, but I did a large water change before I put my clowns in to be sure
m0nkie
Well-known member
Low ammonia, high nitrite and high nitrate. You were almost done cycling until you added more ammonia.
And stop doing wc. You are just prolonging the cycle. Let ammonia go down to 0. Then wait for nitrite to go down to 0. Measure nitrate. If you have high nitrate and 0 ammonia/nitrite, you are cycled.
Dose ammonia 1 more time to 2ppm and see if it can go to 0 in 24 hrs.. this is a test to see if your tank is really cycled. Only do this after you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrate.
Anyways.. stop dosing ammonia and stop wc...
And stop doing wc. You are just prolonging the cycle. Let ammonia go down to 0. Then wait for nitrite to go down to 0. Measure nitrate. If you have high nitrate and 0 ammonia/nitrite, you are cycled.
Dose ammonia 1 more time to 2ppm and see if it can go to 0 in 24 hrs.. this is a test to see if your tank is really cycled. Only do this after you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrate.
Anyways.. stop dosing ammonia and stop wc...
Devi
New member
OK so I gave up on Drs. Tim's instructions which were utter bullocks. M0nkie like you say, if the damn instructions say, "Only do water change if cycle stalls", then that would be clear. They don't. So I wrote them an email, and they sent, OMG real f-ing instructions, NOTHING like the website has! So I am officially done with that company.
OK so on to the good stuff. Once I forgot all that BS and remembered basic biology and chem, I LEFT THE DAMN TANK ALONE! LOL! So ammonia dropped almost overnight. Nitrites spiked like they should and peaked at around 5ppm, and have steadily been going down. So it's been about four days now, and I am almost at zero for nitrites, and nitrates are around 80. Luckily PH is stable. This would have been done a week ago if not for their stupid internet instructions. Or if they explained the why on the same page as the instructions versus having to go to another area of the website, or JUST PUT THEM ON THE DAMN BOTTLE!
I suppose it's mostly my fault.
OK so on to the good stuff. Once I forgot all that BS and remembered basic biology and chem, I LEFT THE DAMN TANK ALONE! LOL! So ammonia dropped almost overnight. Nitrites spiked like they should and peaked at around 5ppm, and have steadily been going down. So it's been about four days now, and I am almost at zero for nitrites, and nitrates are around 80. Luckily PH is stable. This would have been done a week ago if not for their stupid internet instructions. Or if they explained the why on the same page as the instructions versus having to go to another area of the website, or JUST PUT THEM ON THE DAMN BOTTLE!
I suppose it's mostly my fault.
m0nkie
Well-known member
lol dont worry. I tried to follow instruction to the dot the first time and messed up. I kept dosing ammonia every other day until someone told me to stop. By then my ammonia was at 8ppm+. I thought my cycle stalled. But it started going down after 3 weeks.
but at least that gave me a super cycle. my tank can handle anything afterwards. haven't seen ammonia ever since
but at least that gave me a super cycle. my tank can handle anything afterwards. haven't seen ammonia ever since
dwebster86
New member
What instructions did they send you?
banjowalker
New member
I Googled instructions and followed them off the website. Even after my accidental dose of ammonia my tank was cycled fairly quickly. it is doing great now. Had an algae outbreak but such is having a reef tank I guess. Gfo and patience
asl4me76
New member
I think you are just doing nothing but confusing yourself. As a result, you keep throwing your tank into a cycle. I've read the instructions and they're pretty straight forward. Maybe just wasn't paying attention? Also - you were focused on some various other variables and etc. As a result, it took from your actual experience in my opinion of Dr. Tim's.
I didn't have any trouble with the instructions either which, in my case, indicated that I was to add ammonia until I reached a certain level (2 ppm or something low like that) and wait for the bacteria to do its work. I checked my levels every few days and in a week I was done.
Devi
New member
The directions they sent me were 100% straight forward. The directions online are not. They tell you to do one thing then tell you not to that thing! I'm glad you all had an easy time. I really was like DA FUQ? The instructions they sent are straight forward. Pour in contents of bottle, (then it has the measurements and explains you can't over dose), use enough ammonia to read 3ppm, (then has a calculator link), bacteria does not need to be fed every day. Then goes on to explain what to look for in testing. None of that day 4, 5 6, crap. LOL!
Now I am also cycling a 29 gallon QT tank. I used Instant Ocean's Biospira. It is day five, tank is cycled. I saw ammonia creep up slightly, then went down to zero caught the tail end of the nitrites, then all zero except for a slight nitrate reading I did a water change. Dosed ammonia to 3ppm, and checked it this morning, zeros across the board. So maybe Dr. Tim should realize we ain't all drs, and dumb it down for us noobs. Instant Ocean did!
OK so anyway Dr. Tims. Day before yesterday had zero ammonia, and nitrites, 80 or so nitrates. Dosed ammonia to 2ppm, as suggested to see what it can handle, today it is sitting at 1ppm for ammonia, and 1 for nitrites. So it still can't handle a small load in 24 hours. Thinking of dumping a bottle of Instant Ocean Biospira in there since it worked so well on the QT. I almost broke down and moved all my live rock from my old tank into this one just to be done with it, but I really wanted to try a tank with dry.
Now I am also cycling a 29 gallon QT tank. I used Instant Ocean's Biospira. It is day five, tank is cycled. I saw ammonia creep up slightly, then went down to zero caught the tail end of the nitrites, then all zero except for a slight nitrate reading I did a water change. Dosed ammonia to 3ppm, and checked it this morning, zeros across the board. So maybe Dr. Tim should realize we ain't all drs, and dumb it down for us noobs. Instant Ocean did!
OK so anyway Dr. Tims. Day before yesterday had zero ammonia, and nitrites, 80 or so nitrates. Dosed ammonia to 2ppm, as suggested to see what it can handle, today it is sitting at 1ppm for ammonia, and 1 for nitrites. So it still can't handle a small load in 24 hours. Thinking of dumping a bottle of Instant Ocean Biospira in there since it worked so well on the QT. I almost broke down and moved all my live rock from my old tank into this one just to be done with it, but I really wanted to try a tank with dry.
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