A virtual talk DrTim recorded for the Marine Aquarium Fanatics Australia. Some helpful hints and guidelines to cycling a new reef tank using Dr Tim's One & Only Live Nitrifying bacteria.
I just bought my first bottle today, here in AUSTRALIA in 2023, to deal with an urgent ammonia problem.There is NO USE BY DATE or manufacturing date on the bottle anywhere. There is a 'batch number' where Dr.Tim said there should be a n expiry date. The batch number means nothing to me. What's going on Dr.Tim? How do I know from this meaningless batch number if my new bottle is still 'IN date'? Please advise good doctor 🙂 . . . further, is this a single dose regime or do I apply that same dose for the first 7 days or something like that
I always wondered how people set up a quicks quaratine if It takes a little while to cycle! Also I am adding your product tonight. How soon after cycling ends can I turn lights on and add zoas to a frag tank? I also only have rubble and bio balls. Are you saying it will take a lot longer because I dont have sand? I just thought of something. You said bacteria need something to adhere so should I add my frag racks first? I don t have them yet but can pick up soon and will that hurt the cycle if I add them later after cycling?
You need to rewrite the direction on the use of One and Only to state something to this effect "add 1 drop per gallon, test ammonia after X hour, if ammonia is
Thank you for the feedback, we changed the instructions on the ammonia several years back and it should be reflected on the product instructions, as well as in our information on the website and our recipe cards.
Hi, My tank was cycled a while ago but made the mistake off adding a lot more fish. Everything spiked. All died. I added more bacteria bug at same time wqs using prime Beacuse I had one surviving fish. I had stop dosing prime for a while. My ammonia is at 1ppm and nitrite at 1. Those numbers were higher a while ago. Diatoms are growing so I guess that’s a sign. When I first did my cycle with no fish, it took seven days. i’m on day 15 still at one part per million any ideas?
Good afternoon Dr Tim. I plan on dosing one and only to a newly set up nano tank. Your instructions say to remove the filter socks but keep the filter floss and biomedia in the filter while running. Will the filter floss trap the bacteria as well? Also, should I turn off the pump while dosing to allow the bacteria to settle on the substrate or can I leave it running?
Sooooo if you need the ammonia with the “one and only” why is it not included as a kit ? My local stores do not have the ammonia bottles. So how does one cycle a tank with zero instructions ? Bottle says dump it in and that’s it. Does NOT mention ammonia or testing or anything Kinda weird that’s stores carry half your product and there’s no info to be found
Your product says you can add fish right away. I set up a 10g quarantine tank for 3 fish and added them right after adding the bottle of one and only. The past 3 days I have had 0.8ppm ammonia, I dont like having any ammonia in with with fish. I did add another large bottle of one and only a day ago and im still at 0.8ppm ammonia. Hopefully it starts to kick in within the next day becuase if not I'm jusy going to have to do a large water change to get rid of the ammonia.
Would you also recommend leaving out *all* mechanical filtration while cycling with this bacteria? That way the only thing they can get stuck to is the substrate, rock, and biological filter media?
So I have a 20 gallon with a regular hang on back filter and a crolia pump and led lights. I also have live sand and live rock in there. I then added the whole bottle with everything running. Let it sit for a day, then I got 2 osellaris clownfish. Everything seemed fine but the next day they both died. Any reason why?
Hello again, @DrTimsaquatics, Is it possible to perform a water change on my 20 gal? It is day 9 on my aquarium cycle and my parameters are: pH 7.4, Ammonia 0 ppm, Nitrite 2.0 ppm, and Nitrate 160 ppm. So far the product is working. But, I’d like to see if I can address the problem. There hasn’t been any changes to the water chemistry for a few days. Thank you for reading this message, and I hope to hear from you soon. Javan.
I have a 20H freshwater tank. No fish. I tried everything to get the ammonia down. Nitrates are at 0 and ph is 7.5. Ammonia when I tested ranged from 6.0-8.0. I have done 2 50% water changes in a week I had the tank filled. I have live plants and rock decorations. I use Prime and stress coat +. But still no luck. Will your product work.
Hello, I have a question about the fishless cycle. I have a 10 galoon aquarium but filled with only 7.5 galoon of water (after substraction of the gravel volume). I have added 7.5ml exactly of the one and only bacteria and 30 drops of the ammonium chloride. It is now day 2 and the ammonia is at about 2ppm but no sign of nitrites. Should I add the rest of the one and only Bacteria bottle or just wait? Thanks in advance, Ido.
I use Dr Tim's method and cycled my 120 gallons fishlees method, in 8 days, but I did a 50% water change to reduce the nitrates that was to high and look like a back the process and now a have .25 ppm of ammonia and nitrites too, I just drop some more bacteria my question is I still should wait a little time to add fish?
Hi i started a 110 gallon salt water aquarium I am cycling the tank with a zibra eel,lion fishTang and two puffer fish all doing fine just i have about 120 lbs of live sand on bottom some rock about 30 lbs also have a wet dry filter and 2 eheim canster filters with a skimmer my problem is that my nitrite and nitrate went all the way up but never droped to 0 after 5 weeks of cycling up. today i bought a bottle of your one and only live nitrifing bacteria 8 oz size put the whole bottle in. How long do you think it will take to see a 0 nitrire and nitrate thank you Bart Giacalone
Because of the large amount of live sand the contains organics that need to degrade into ammonia then nitrite and finally nitrate it could be a week or two until you stop seeing any nitrite.
quesrion about the ammonium chloride, does it expires? i ordered two when i first set up my tank. then i have to quit because i need to migrate. now im back (after 4 yrs)and want to set up a tank again. can i still use the other ammonium chloride i have?
For fishes cycling - fish food works ok. Also cut shrimp or fish will stink and cloud the water. OR add a hardy fish or two and a whole bottle of One and Only.
I've lost confidence in this approach and it's my first time using it. I've been in the hobby for over 20 years and decided to give this a try and forego the traditional cycling approach of feed the tank and wait two months. I dosed ammonia based on the instructions and on day 7, my ammonia was at 2.0. I dosed the recommended dosage and this sent my ammonia to 8.0 for 4 straight days and then it went to 2.0 (day 11) and today (day 14) finally tested at 0. My nitrites are above 5 and my Nitrates are at 160! This process seems to be so broken (IMO) and it's extremely frustrating because the website say one thing but then you have posts here and there and paper instructions that say another. What steps am I supposed to do with my current readings the way they are? Any help would be appreciated.
Sorry for the frustration but you are adding a fair amount of ammonia so you are going to have a lot of nitrate produced - that tells you the process is working. Not sure how your ammonia jumped to 8 - does you tank have live sand? Every tank step is different and the time table can be different - what we are consistent about is 1) fishless cycling is not faster than non-fish less cycling 2) try to not let the ammonia and nitrite get about 5 ppm - the dosing schedule is suggestion not an absolute, 3) live sand and other additives can increase the ammonia.
Good evening @Drtimsaquatics, After our last talk, I’ve managed to bring my pH back to 8.2. However, my nitrite and nitrate levels are still the same. I was curious if dosing ammonia again would help rid of the nitrite and nitrate issue? Would it also hinder the cycle? Thank you for reading this message. I hope to hear from you soon. Javan.
@Drtimsaquatics, Yes. But I haven’t dose ammonia just yet. I’ve held off my action until I could hear advice from you. Right now, it is day 15 of my aquarium being up.
Hi Dr. tim, I am currently cycling a tank that has about 2 ppm of ammonia, no nitrites and no nitrates. I just purchased your ammonium chloride and your Freshwater One and Only. Should I just add the one and only right now, or should I use a tiny bit of the ammonium chloride to raise the levels? Also, what water temperature is optimal for the freshwater One and Only bacteria? Thanks!
This is a four year old video. I highly doubt their team is looking back through RU-vid comments to answer questions. You are better off emailing them at the email Dr. Tim mentioned in the last moments of the video. Cheers!
Hi Dr Tim, I tried cycling with Seachem Stability and on day 3, I still haven't traced any sign of nitrite. I bought your One And Only product but unsure if I should change the whole water now or if I'm alright to just add your product regardless. I have only added 25 ml of Seachem Stability so far. Your response is highly appreciated. Edit: my tank is 125 litres, ammonia is at 2.0ppm, nitrite at 0.0ppm, nitrate at 0.0ppm, temperature at 83F and the pH is at 7.4.
They 'hibernate'. Think of bacteria like batteries. When there are plenty of resources they are fully charged. Once the resources are depleted the bacteria slowly losses energy but they do not die - they don't starve, they slowly go into a resting stage.
Hi Dr Tim for the one and only At 8 oz Sorry new to this product and to confirm if I done it correctly Do I have to pour whole bottle into a 120 gallon tank since bottle stated it's for up to 120 gallon tank I will be filtering with bare tank
How do we know when our cycle is finished? How many times a day do we put the one and only and ammonia ? Do we do water changes? Do we keep our filter on with the filter media? Thanks 🙏🏽
go to this link - there is a lot of information and you can download a step by step guide that should answer all your questions www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling/
Hi Dr Tim,. 14 day and 0 ammonia, 2 nitrites, 100 nitratee after 40% water change. 1.23 salinity, 7.9 ph amd alkalinity is 10.9. What do you recommended the mext steps? Or what ks happening? thank you.
I just added a bottle of the One and Only to my new tank. I wish i did my research before hand because I dont have Ammonium Chloride. Is it ok to start adding the Ammonium Chloride and start the daily instructions once received?
Do I need to add Dr. Tim's one and only to my system if I am upgrading to larger tank and moving over my 4 years established live rock, even if I am adding some man made Caribsea rock?
43 days cycling and 3 bottles one and only with dr. tims ammonia. Nitrites are still between 0.5 and 0.7 and it takes 8 days to bring ammonia from 0.25 ppm to zero. How long do I have to wait? your product does not work !
There has to be something else going on in your system - after 43 days the tank should cycle without having added bacteria - sorry for the late reply. This just showed up.
Hi there I am following your cycling directions. Day 1 I added 4 drops per gallon, day 3 I added the same amount and today being day 4 my ammonia is reading 6ppm there abouts. What do you sugggest I do? Water change to bring it down?
Do you have the guide? You don't add the ammonia IF the ammonia or nitrite is high. In any case, yes a partial water change would be good but do not disturb the substrate. www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/recipes/
@@DrTimsAquatics yes I have the guide but it said not to add if over 5ppm, which it wasn’t, but when I added in day 3s ammonia it sky rocketed. I have done a 50% water change keeping well far from the substrate. Do I need to add in another bottle of one and only? Or should there still be sufficient amount there to complete the cycling process without adding another bottle?
I start cycling a 54 gallon tank, only on the 2nd day, but when I added the one and only and ammonia, i realize 3 hours later that I did not remove the filter sock, I quickly did after that. Im sure some the bacteria are already trap in the sock. Should I add more nitrifying bacteria or should I keep going with the cycle as it is?
Hey Dr. Tim I just added your one and only with the ammonia chloride today. No filtration at all no filter socks, UV or skimmer. The only flow in the tank right now is coming from my return pump I don’t have a powerhead just yet . My AI Nero 3 powerhead comes this Wednesday. Will adding a pump and stronger flow disrupt the nitrifying bacteria/cycle at all ?
@@DrTimsAquatics i have sand and live rock shouldnt that be enough ? its day 3 right now... the last three days i tested my amonia tests were 8ppm, 6ppm, 4ppm and my nitrite 0.1 ppm, 0.2ppm, 0.3 ppm... i should just let the tank do its thing and not add anymore ammonia just yet until both are below 2 ppm?
Hi @DrTimsAquatics I used your bacteria to cycle a reef tank and left on the protein skimmer on accident I am weeks past the initial start what should I do?
Working on this. But the company that did ship up there is located in the UK and now with Brexit everyone is trying to figure our the new procedures and the costs
Hello @DrTimsaquatics, I have a question about your product. Is it normal for my ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate spiking up at the same time? It does feel quite worriesome for me right now. According to your video, you mentioned that the all in one contains ammonia and nitrite oxidizers correct? So, are these oxidizers causing these spikes to occur? I have a 20 gal reef aquarium, with clip-on LED lights, 20 gal filter, heater, 20 lb real reef rock, silver heater, powerhead, and live sand. Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon. Javan
In your case yes. The live sand is adding ammonia to the water as the organics in the live sand decay - so that is the ammonia spike. The bacteria converting ammonia to nitrite are causing the nitrite spike. As for the nitrate spike - the way the nitrate test work is that it first convert nitrate to nitrite and then measures nitrite. So in fact it measures BOTH nitrate and nitrite. Since you nitrite is spiking due to the bacteria you would expect the nitrate to spike since the nitrate kit measures nitrite also. So just stop measuring nitrate when your nitrite is spiking - don't worry about nitrate at this point.
Great info thanks!! I’m starting a new saltwater tank and I’m using your products to cycle, there was no guide included except instructions on the bottle. Where can I find the guides can I download them or can they be emailed? Thnx!
Hi Dr Tim, I tried cycling my 20 gallon tank (50 gallon Aquaclear HOB: Sponge, Carbon, Loads of aquaforest biomedia) but it refuses to process ammonia after 2 months. I started with stability but moved to this product after 3 weeks, I dosed per bottle recommendations but it still refuses to process ammonia. I have a clownfish, sand (not live) & live rock 12kg & some dry rock. I stayed away from water changing in the first 3 weeks to allow bacteria to develop. However as I was using tap water there seems to be a lot of brown / green sludge developing. I have since invested into your "Refresh" product and also a RO DI system to hopefully get over the diatom's and allow good bacteria to grow. Is there anything I am doing wrong or could do to speed up the process. Are more regular water changes recommended potentially? Ammonia: 0.5pm Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 0 PH: 8.2-8.4 Water Temp: 25c-26c Your reply is highly appreciated. Regards, Lewis
I think your problem is carbon when you introduce bacteria to the tank you should never have carbon added as i think the carbon will kill the bacteria.
Cant seem to lower my Nirates showing red color. I have a 125 gallon and I did water change 60 gallon, 25 gallons, 25 gallons, 20 gallons and the color hasn't change. I have 2 canister filters and sand substrate . and no ammonia or nitrite. These readings been this way for a month after it went through the cycling process.
@the goat Because adding a lot of ammonia (the drops) to establish the bacteria generally causes the pH to drop and alkalinity (the buffering of the water) to be consumed, plus can put a lot of nitrate into the water. Change some water (but do not disturb the substrate) fixes this. Yes the bacteria live on the wall, the filters, all surfaces.
Dr Tim I added my one and only 48 hours ago and then I added the ammonium chloride. But then my ammonia spiked to 8 ppm should I pour in another bottle or is the bacteria working but it’ll take much longer ?
What is the recommend procedure for adding more after the first cycle? Say a few months down the road and you have fish & coral now. You said in the video you can add more later on after water changes and such.. are we to run the system without a filter sock when we do this? Hope this helps others as well, thank you!
Anytime you add One and Only remove the filter sock for at least 24 hours. You can more One and Only anytime but a good idea after a big cleaning or any big changes to the system.
Hi Dr Tim, i have a question if you have time. I have used the one and only. I am on day 6 and my ammonia has sat steadily at 0.25ppm the whole time. I was hoping to see that drop back down by now. Everything else is where it should be other than PH which is about 8.0. I am using api tests from the master kit (salt water). Should i add more bacteria? Do a water change? Or just wait? And if the answer is to wait, my next question is, what do i do IF it does spike? I have 2 clownfish in a 180l tank with no skimmer, a filter sock (removed for 48 hrs after adding bacteria) and 20 bio balls. and in the main tank, a thin layer of crushed coral sand and about 6kg of dry rock. Sorry for the long question and i eagerly await a response. Thankyou from Australia. And thankyou for the videos and products :)
Hello i started my new 20 gal april 3. I set every thing up filter heater and substrate and live and fake plants. Then i used api stress zyme+. And left it alone to cycle. Can i still use dr tims one and only or should i just leave it to cycle
Hi Dr. Tim I have a cycled tank that will be empty for a couple days after my betta passed. How many drops of ammonia should I add to maintain an empty cycled tank? Thank you in advance
@@DrTimsAquatics thank you so much. Unfortunately it was dropsy. I think he may have been injured after swimming into my siphon while I was doing a water change
Hello Dr. Tim, This is my 5th day of cycling and I cant seem to get my ammonia level below 2ppm. My parameter are: Ammonia = 2ppm, Nitrite = 0 and Nitrate oddly enough is at 40 ppm. I used 4oz bottle of One and Only bacteria. Tank is 13.5 gallon using 10lbs of live sand and 12lbs of Real Reef Rock. Chamber 1 of filter is filter floss, Chemi-Pure and a bag of ceramic rings, Chamber 2 is a sponge block with a carbon bag and a small bag of bio-balls. Have not done any water change. Will time eventually get my ammonia level to where it needs to be ? Should I do a partial water change to bring down the ammonia level ? Thanks
@@DrTimsAquatics I have gravel, with 2 silk plants, a Top Fin Silenstream 10 power filter. It's a 5.5 gal freshwater tank. I added the One & Only and the ammonia.
@@DrTimsAquatics I appreciate the fast response. I used the whole 4 ounce bottled and made sure to spread it out away from the drain. This is a 10g nano with a deep sand bed and dry rock.
Hello Dr. Tim, first time salt water hobbyist, using a 20g IM tank with live sand and following your guide for cycling. On day 6, readings are Ammonia: 0, Nitrite 2, and Nitrate 50-70. Do I add ammonium chloride or wait another few days? Thanks and happy new year to you!
@@DrTimsAquatics on day 10 Dr. Tim, added Ammonium Chloride on the 3rd, measurements today: Ammonia 0, nitrite 4, Nitrate 40. Should I wait a few more days, add half dose of ammonium chloride, or do water change? I watched your speech on the updated cycle @ MACNA 2019 and using that as a guide. Thanks!
Hey dr Tim. When adding the ammonia do I need to take all my filtration out of tank. I have a 30 gallon and I added 4 drops per gallon and tested for ammonia 24 hrs later and got a zero reading? Should I add more ammonia? And I also have live rock and sand.
Leave the filter material in the filter. Only remove the filter sock IF your systems has a filter sock. Not all systems do. Learn more here. www.drtimsaquatics.com/blog/filter-socks-remove-from-aquarium-when-cycling/
I'm in the 7th day and the ammonia drop from 5.0 to 1.2, I added ammonia just 1 time. Should I add more ammonia or let cycle finish? Other parameters are up. I'm using live sand and live rock. Thank you.
@@DrTimsAquatics hi, sorry for late reply checked parameters yesterday ammonia was still 0.8 nitrite i think was 0.2 and nitrate 10ppm but not entirely sure I've read that one right, does this all sound about right after nearly one week? i plan to test again tomorrow.. this was using red sea reefer test kits..
Hi Dr tim So I just buy the one and only for fresh water aquarium with the ammonia chloride Can confirm with you Once I added water in my new tank I on my filter running water for 1 day with anti chlorine Then I add the one and only into the tank Do I need to off my filter or still keep the filter running then add the ammonia chloride after 24 hours Hope to hear from you soon
Hey, Dr. Tim, thanks for the guide! A couple questions: 1. Would using something like the ceramic biomedia bricks (the 8x8x4, for instance) slow down the cycle? I know it offers much higher surface area, but - given the bacteria would need to colonize the media and there would be much less water flow throughout the media - would the minimization of water exposed to the media be expected to result in a slower cycle? 2. I inadvertently added a ~60% dose (30 gallons) to a system with total water volume of 50 gallons. My ammonia dropped to zero within 72 hours, but my nitrites have been high for roughly six days now (API indicator shows dark purple and has not changed color period; API AquaSpin states 1.7 ppm). Would you recommend continuing to wait, adding a half, or adding a full dose of the One and Only with the 4 drops/gallon of ammonia? Thanks!
Hello Dr Tim, I am in my sixth week of fishless cycling and starting to give up on holding a fish tank in general. I have a new 75 gallon tank, below are the results: Day 1: Put the one and only ammonium chloride and BB. Day 2: Ammonia-4ppm, Nitrite-0ppm, Nitrate-0ppm Day 3 - 6: Cloudy white by Day 3, but then cleared by Day 6 Day 7 till end of week 6 (now): Ammonia-1ppm, Nitrate-0ppm, Nitrate-2-3ppm (noticeable orange tinge) Major concerns: water is very clear, with very slight green tinge in water (not on surface) only noticeable from the side since Day 7. There was never nitrites in the tank; instead skipped to nitrate, and ammonia won't go down since Day 7. Please, please help. PS: sent you an email as well. Thanks!
For me ALL very dark ammonia. Stopped dropping ammonium. Above 4ppm. It's now stuck to very dark green. Don't see a hint of NITRITE. This is my 9th day. Help please. TX.
Been cycling my tank for 3.5 weeks. Ammonia is yellow (maybe trace ammonia). Nitrite is dark purple. Some nitrates present. Do i just wait it out? Or should i do a water change?
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Dr Tim, I am on day 12 of the fishless cycling process where I am using your ammonium chloride. I added your One and Only solution along with Bio Spira over the course of a few days. While using your ammonium chloride, I dosed it now a few times over the course of 12 days, according to the directions (4 drops per gallon), and my ammonia has been able to lower its levels, but my nitrites have been through the roof. It’s been around 4-5 days now that these levels are this high as I was expecting a gradual decline like the ammonia. Should I perform a water change in order to lower these levels. Since I dosed it to the recommended dosage, I am just wondering if I did something wrong or if I should wait it out and have patience
Hello Yes, a water change is fine but do not disturb the substrate. And yes, patience is needed. Also, FYI you are not suppose to continue adding ammonia when the nitrite is so high. That is why you are seemingly 'stuck'. Do not pay attention to anyone that tells you the ammonia bacteria have to be fed everyday. Bacteria are not human that don't need to be fed everyday.
This is a long time about but if the ocean rock is LIVE rock you do not need to add his one and only because the rock already have the population of bacteria you need. Unless it is dried up on you when it gets to you. I personally went with dry rock it allowed me to make a really cool NSA scape and no pests to worry about !!
I’m looking to cycle a freshwater tank. I watched your tutorial that you made a while back and bought the ammonia and one and only. Should I leave on my filter, heater, skimmer, and light?
Can you overdose this? I have a 10 gallon and I’m going to get the bottle that can cover 30 gallons do I put the whole thing in or just the measurements that measure 10 gallon
@@DrTimsAquatics I've been getting the same reading of about two ppm for the last three days. I've followed the instructions and only have added ammonia once but still have got the same reading. Do you have any solution to this?
Angel Mares Did you end up seeing any results? Im beginning to thing this is a waste of money. Ive dosed 2 cycles of Bacteria in a week and ammonia and numbers have not budged. Gimmick
@@angelmares8601 How did the ammonia get to 8 and the nitrite at 5? We clearly state that you do not want ammonia or nitrite to get above 2 and if they get near 5 or higher do a water change. Your cycle has stalled because the values are too high.
@@CreativeCutsMedia22 The product is not a gimmick but it also has a range of parameters it works within (as do most all living things). If your ammonia or nitrite are high (above 5 for sure) the cycle will stall. What are your water conditions and your filter?
