Cycling with Dr.Tim's

[dt204]

Hey everyone, I'm looking for some advice on my cycling. I have done a ton of reading on it, but actually doing it has proven challenging!

I have a 60 gallon cube with a 20 gallon sump. So estimating 75 gallon volume.

I received Dr.Tim's fishless cycle ammonia chloride on Monday (the 4th). I added one drop per gallon (75), and tested the next day. Got nil on test.

Added 75 drops twice on Tuesday (150), still nothing on test.

On Wed I added a total of 300 drops to try to get a result. I started testing
.5ppm. I added a seachem ammonia alert badge for a secondary test and day to day visual. It matches the .5 ppm.

Today I added another 150 drops of ammonia. Still testing .5ppm.

Tested nitrite today and got .75ppm
Tested nitrate today and got 5ppm

The tank is all dry Marco rock. Caribsea live sand (20 lbs). Tank was running without ammonia for a week or so.

Test kits are Salifert for ammonia and nitrite, and API for nitrate. There is no De-chlor added.

Why can't I get my ammonia up to 2 ppm like the instructions want?
Should I be seeing any nitrites this early? How soon after I add ammonia can I test for it?

Let me know any questions that might help us figure it out! Thanks!

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[deave]

Following along..I will soon be cycling my tank with Dr. Tim's as well. Thanks

[dkeller_nc]

There are lots of potential reasons. One is simple testing error; it can be difficult to get precise concentrations for ammonia in seawater with hobbyist test kits.

But given your results, which is appreciable nitrite and nitrate, I'd guess that you had enough nitrifying bacteria in the sand to rapidly remove the ammonia you're adding.

I'd suggest continuing to test for nitrate every 3 days for a week or so without adding additional ammonia. You should see the nitrate concentration steadily rise and then level off. At that point, I'd introduce a bit of ghost feeding to the tank (with dry flake food), and keep that up for an additional 2 weeks. At that point, and presuming that your tests come up zero for ammonia and nitrite, you can very slowly start stocking the tank. The first critters I'd introduce would be a clean up crew if you plan to have them in the tank, followed a week or two later with your first hardy fish acquisitions.

[dt204]

Sounds reasonable. Thanks for your help! When the nitrates level off, should I stress test the tank with ammonia? Or that is what the ghost feeding is doing?
My first water change should be around this point as well right ?

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[dkeller_nc]

The ghost feeding will ensure that you maintain the bacterial base that you've built. And yes, I'd suggest a 20% - 40% water change to knock the nitrates down at the point that you start stocking.