Cycling My New Tank - Fishless Cycle

[ghbrewer]

I am going to document my process for cycling a new tank using the fishless cycle method. Seems like good timing since I am setting up my new tank, that and I have seen some questions recently about how to know when a tank is cycled. This process can be applied to any new tank, be it a main display tank (DT) or a quarantine tank (QT). I will outline what products I will be using, as well as some suggested alternatives that I know of. I will also outline how and when I test, and what test kits I would suggest using during and after the cycle. I will include pictures and illustrations as necessary to help visualize the process and get an idea of what to look for. I welcome any and all constructive criticism, comments and suggestions.

So if this interests you, please follow along...

 

[crew]

Finally... some water in that awesome tank!

 

[scramer74]

Cool, I'm interested to see what you document!

 

[dapperjman]

Nice, following!

 

[ghbrewer]

I think the best place to start is to give my perspective on the nitrogen cycle and why it is important for your tank to cycle prior to adding any livestock. My perspective comes from my experience while involved in the hobby, and it may not be shared by all. Professionally I work in the engineering field and am currently studying business management, so my perspective is process driven. When I look at things like this I look at the entire process from start to finish, and look for ways to improve the process. Like anything, there is more than one way to skin a cat, this is just my way.

While this may be elementary subject matter to a seasoned hobbiest, I still think that it is worth mentioning so that others can have a good foundation in which to build upon. A good portion of our hobby involves learning about and understanding what occurs inside our tanks, and sometimes relatively simple subjects such as this can be looked over in the excitement that inevitably follows the decision to set up a new tank. I think most responsible hobbiest would state that nothing good in this hobby happens fast. This statement is especially true when discussing the time, effort and attention that should be given to a new tank.

To put it simply, the nitrogen cycle is a biological process in which highly toxic chemicals are processed into less toxic materials. This process is a biological process because it involves work performed by naturally occurring bacteria in the aquarium. It is important to note that it is not a single type of bacteria we are discussing, rather it is a variation of different strands of bacteria that serve different functions. Just like any other organism, aquarium livestock eat and in turn produce waste. When discussing reef tanks, the majority of this waste ends up becoming a source of ammonia and phosphates. For this discussion, I am not going to be covering phosphates, but it is important to note that phosphate levels play an important role in water quality and should be monitored and managed.

Ammonia is chemical that is toxic to fish and lethal when in concentrations greater than 0.5 parts per million (ppm). Left unchecked, ammonia can build up to toxic levels rather quickly (in some cases over night) and stress your fish to the point that they will be susceptible to disease, and eventually to levels in which they will be poisoned, which inevitably can lead to death. This is where those hard working little organisms comes into play.

If you are interested in learning the ins and outs of these bacteria, the following wiki provides a pretty good description:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrifying_bacteria">http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrifying_bacteria</a>

The gist of it all is that there are ammonia oxidizing bacteria that will convert ammonia into nitrite. Nitrite is another chemical that is toxic to your aquarium inhabitants, but a little less so than ammonia. From there a nitrite oxidizing bacteria will convert the nitrite into nitrate, the least toxic of the the three chemicals found in aquaria. While nitrates are least toxic of the three, it is still toxic and should be managed through proper water changes and/or other export methods (i.e. Deep sand beds (DSB), macroalgaes, etc...). This is another area that beginners should research.

With that said, it is important to note that while these bacteria occur naturally, they can take time to populate your tank in levels great enough to process the waste your livestock will produce fast enough that it does not harm them. Unassisted, and depending on the type of rock or sand you use in your tank, it can take anywhere from 30 to 90 days to have a large enough population. It is also important to note that there must be an ammonia source in order for the bacteria to grow and populate your tank. Without an ammonia source they will not grow to the appropriate levels to support fish and other livestock. There are products that can be purchased to better manage and speed up this process, and I will describe these in subsequent posts. To get to the real meat of this discussion, my position is that when the population levels of these beneficial bacteria have matured to the point that they can process 3 ppm ammonia in less than 24 hours, I would consider your tank to be cycled. When cycled, your tank will be ready to receive livestock.

 

[declanisadog]

Nice write up grant. I'm really looking forward to watching your tank progress


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[urbanknight]

Hmm! If I decide to enroll in a PHD Program, I know who I can call to help with writing my thesis! &#55357;&#56832;Great job Grant. Tagging along....

 

[ghbrewer]

If you have been following my build thread (http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=93292">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=93292</a>), then you will know that I decided to use dry rock for this build. I like using live rock, but in this case, dried rock was what I had at my disposal from previous tanks. I took many steps to ensure that the rock was cleaned properly, including both a bleach bath and then a muriatic acid bath. The rock has been sitting in the tank for a few weeks, and just added saltwater and aragonite reef grade sand this last week. So, last night I finally began the fish-less tank cycle.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/PJIDFSM.jpg alt="" />


For years, hobbyists have used live rock and fish to cycle a tank. While it might be considered cruel by some, it is just how it has been done. I personally think that with live rock that has properly cured, using fish to cycle is not that big of a deal as long as you perform water changes as necessary to keep ammonia and nitrite below 0.2 ppm during the cycle. Through the years many people have lost fish due to not testing and performing water changes through the cycling process. This lack of responsibility inevitably ends in the death of many fish and discourages new tank owners. Enter the fishless cycling method.

If you do a google search on fish less tank cycling you will see that there are many approaches, the one that I like to use is a system developed by Dr. Timothy A. Hovanec. Dr. Tim’s system incorporates the use of ammonium chloride and a bottled solution that is claimed to have live strands of marine nitrifying bacteria in it. There are other manufacturers of bacteria in a bottle, this is just the one that I have had success with in the past and that has gotten good reviews by experienced hobbyists. He does state that live fish can be used in place of the ammonium chloride, but I am not going to do that.

Basically, how it works is that you pour in the bottle of bacteria and then add enough ammonium chloride to bring the concentration of ammonia in the tank up to around 2-3 ppm (much, much higher than it should ever get when cycling with fish). Testing is staggered, and only required on days 1, 3, 5, 8, & 11. If the ammonia and nitrite level drops below .5 ppm during this period you must add more ammonium chloride to bring it back up to 2-3 ppm. Also, it is suggested that PH levels be kept above 7 during the cycling process, and if it gets below 7 to do a partial water change to bring it back up. After day 11 you start to measure each day, and as soon as the tank can process 2-3 pmm ammonia to 0 ppm ammonia and 0 ppm nitrite in a 24 hour period (or less) you are finished. You just do a partial water change, and then you can start to add livestock. I started with and I am going continue to follow these directions as outlined by Dr. Tim on his website (http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling">http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling</a>).

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/j6wZGme.jpg alt="" />

Last night I added an entire 8 oz. bottle of One & Only Live Nitrifying Bacteria for Reef, Nano, & Seahorse Aquaria to the tank in a high flow area. (It did cloud the water up, but was clear the next morning.) Next, I added 6 ml of ammonium chloride solution to bring the concentration of ammonia in the tank up to around 2 ppm. The directions state that it takes approximately 1 drop of ammonium chloride solution for every gallon of water to bring the tank’s ammonia concentration up to around 2ppm. I found that it took about 1.5 times that amount for me to get it to 2 ppm, so I had to add around another 3 ml. (As a side note, I am using an API test kit for the cycling process, as well as testing an ammonia strip that seachem makes. At this point, all that I am after is a range of values and being able to identify how quickly the tank can process ammonia. IMO, there is no reason to purchase a high end test kit at this stage.)

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I will not be testing tonight (day 2), but will update you tomorrow after I have tested. I will continue to post my test results, as well as how much ammonium chloride solution I am adding.

 

[scramer74]

digging it so far! thanks for posting this stuff Grant. Us newbies are always interested in this.

 

[thanhreef]

I used Seachem Stability to cycle my tank couple of years ago. It took about 45 day.

 

[mystery_me]

following this thread.....

 

[ghbrewer]

While I am planning on testing ammonia, PH, Nitrite, and Nitrate this evening at around the same time I tested Monday night, I just couldn't help but run a quick ammonia test this morning before heading to work.

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Looking good so far, already down around 1 ppm in about a 36 hour period. I will run all 4 tests at around 10 pm tonight, that will be the 48 hour mark.

 

[ghbrewer]

The Seachem Ammonia Alert has yet to register any ammonia. The instructions did say it could take a couple of days to register a reading as it takes a while to saturate the little dot in the middle.

 

[rjanes1951]

I was wondering about the ammonia alert. Sounds like a good purchase.

 

[ghbrewer]

Rjanes1951;1020443 wrote: Sounds like a good purchase.

I wouldn't say that quite yet, still hasn't registered any ammonia (when I know that is not the case

 

[ghbrewer]

Tests for day 2:

Ammonia: ~0.5 ppm
Nitrite: Not tested
Nitrate: Not tested
PH: ~8.2

I had a lot going on last night with installing the new PHs and T5 bulbs, so I did not test for Nitrite & Nitrate. I will test only those tonight to see if they register. I will likely have to add more ammonium chloride tomorrow since ammonia levels will have likely dropped below 0.5 by tomorrow evening (if it has not already).

 

[genesis]

I've used the same method using Ace hardware janitorial strength pure ammonia and some Smart Cycle bacteria in a bottle, live sand, 100 lbs dry rock, 25 lbs live rock to do the cycle of my tank. Did periodical videos on YouTube.

 

[ghbrewer]

K, so a little update. It has been 2 weeks since I started the cycle. I added another 6ml of ammonium chloride last week when ammonia levels fell below .5 ppm. I will begin testing daily now that all three tests are registering. I performed a partial water change tonight and have added 6ml of ammonium chloride since the test indicated it is at or below .5 ppm.

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[ghbrewer]

Also had a pretty good diatom bloom last week that has cleared up for the most part.

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[picoreefguy]

hey grant where did you get the ammonium chloride?