[HELP] First Timer Cycling Tank

[CallMeLloyd]

Tank: 55 Gallon Breeder, Fiji Pink Live sand, Dry rocks

So I am on day 13 of my cycle. On day 1 I added Dr. Tims One & Only & Pure Ammonia and waited 24 hrs and tested the water. I had Ammonia and Nitrites present. On day 12 my Ammonia & Nitrites went to 0. So yesterday I dosed more Ammonia to see if I would get the 24 hr conversion of Ammonia/Nitrites. This morning I did a water test and got these readings 7.8 pH, 1.0 Ammonia, 2.0 Nitrite, 40 Nitrates (guess cycle is not complete). So my question is do I just keep dosing Ammonia when it zero's out until I can dose Ammonia & have a 0 reading of Ammonia/Nitrite in a 24 hour period?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

 

[CoralB]

Welcome!! And I’ve never did it that way but in theory that’s one way ! I’ve always taken a shrimp from the meat market and thrown it in the tank

 

[907_Reefer]

Hey Lloyd! I believe as long as your ammonia doesn't get over 5 you can keep dosing on schedule. That 24 hour period of nitrification (ammonia -> nitrite -> nitrate) is what you want, ammonia dose one day, levels of ammonia/nitrites close to or 0 the following = good. Nitrates will be up but that is expected. I'm not sure on the routine if the ammonia stays up longer than expected, but Dr. Tim's website and YouTube videos are helpful as well.

How much sand & rock? Did you record your daily schedule for dosing/levels (to post here), etc? Also just to confirm, are you dosing based on water volume or tank volume? For example my 55 gallon has 33-34 gallons of water (the rest sand/rock), so I dose 132 drops each time (4 per gal), vs 220 drops (55x4).

 

[CallMeLloyd]

Thanks for the reply, yes I did keep notes on my day by day readings. I have about 40-45 lbs of rock & 40 lbs of sand. And I dosed using the volume of water not the tank. Would it be useful for me to post my day to day readings? Also I dosed using a teaspoon not using drops. Since they give 100 drops = 1 teaspoon on the Ammonia bottle.

 

[CallMeLloyd]

Got home and checked on the tank and noticed I now have brown algae on sand and rocks!

 

[ScubaFish802]

Dinos if I had to guess

 

[CallMeLloyd]

Yeah, should be heading in the right direction. Once my Ammonia drops to 0 I'll do a WC then get my clowns

 

[jmatt]

Got home and checked on the tank and noticed I now have brown algae on sand and rocks!

If you have the lights on, turn them off.

 

[131696]

Way to fast, slow down, already got Dino's ,not good ,at all leave tank alone.

 

[Harold999]

Your nitrate readings are false because of the present of nitrites.

 

[CallMeLloyd]

Way to fast, slow down, already got Dino's ,not good ,at all leave tank alone.

Thought Dino's was normal in the cycling process? I'll post water readings today when I get home.

 

[CallMeLloyd]

Your nitrate readings are false because of the present of nitrites.

I know the Nitrates will rise after the Nitrite's convert. Not too worried about the Nitrate's, WC will solve that.

 

[iMi]

You do not have Dinos. Relax. Diatom bloom is all you've seeing and it's a normal part of the "ugly" stage. Keep dosing bacteria. I like BioSpira, Stability and MicroBacter. All work well. MicroBacter "clean" combined with Stability has produced great results for me.

I would also recommend you invest in the right kind of UV light with the proper flow rate up front and just run it as part of your filtration system.

 

[melonheadorion]

Thought Dino's was normal in the cycling process? I'll post water readings today when I get home.

they are probably not dinos, and it isnt too soon to get diatoms. cant refute it if you have them this soon

 

[CallMeLloyd]

You do not have Dinos. Relax. Diatom bloom is all you've seeing and it's a normal part of the "ugly" stage. Keep dosing bacteria. I like BioSpira, Stability and MicroBacter. All work well. MicroBacter "clean" combined with Stability has produced great results for me.

I would also recommend you invest in the right kind of UV light with the proper flow rate up front and just run it as part of your filtration system.

Currently running 2 CurrentUSA 1050 Powerheads & 2 CurrentUsa IC PRO lights

 

[iMi]

Currently running 2 CurrentUSA 1050 Powerheads & 2 CurrentUsa IC PRO lights

UV light is a different type of light and you wouldn't want to expose anything you want healthy and living to it...

8 Watt Classic UV Sterilizer - Black Body (Up to 70g)

Aqua Ultraviolet UV Sterilizers will eradicate algae, bacteria, and protozoa without any harmful chemicals or additives! UV lamps emit a wavelength that will alter and disrupt the DNA or RNA of single-celled organisms. Combining the UV lamp into a large housing allows for maximum contact time...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

This will give you an idea...

 

[907_Reefer]

Also just to add for the Dr. Tim's, he recommends higher temp, lower salinity to help the cycle. When I did mine, I ran temp 81 F and salinity 1.018, then reset to 78/1.023 with a water change before adding fish, once the cycle was complete.

 

[CallMeLloyd]

Also just to add for the Dr. Tim's, he recommends higher temp, lower salinity to help the cycle. When I did mine, I ran temp 81 F and salinity 1.018, then reset to 78/1.023 with a water change before adding fish, once the cycle was complete

I'll knock the temp up a bit. Would adding another bottle of the One & Only bacteria help/hurt anything?

 

[CallMeLloyd]

I also installed a canister filter like 6-7 days into the cycle. Yes I know a sump would be more ideal but don't have much space under stand.

 

[907_Reefer]

I'm not a pro, but he does say "it is not possible to overdose the bacteria"..

Think you should be fine with the filter, he only notes to turn off lights, filtration for the first 48 hours. I run my 55 (newly setup) with a protein skimmer and no sump (have done the same prior with success).

Maybe log your steps/measurements in the thread here for reference if you have time?