Nitrogen Cycle

[kbekll]

i got this nutrafin biological aquarium supplement free with the kids tank

from the nutrafin website

- Nutrafin Cycle
- Biological Aquarium Supplement
- 30 ml(1oz)
- Contains beneficial bacteria; nitrosomonas and nitrobacter
- Works together with other beneficial strains to eliminate harmful toxins
- Super concentrated
- The ideal mix of beneficial bacteria to make the aquarium water purer and the environment healthy
- For fresh and saltwater aquariums

from a different website

Nutrafin Cycle filer starter
Concentrated bacteria that when added to the aquarium or filter chamber will initiate or strengthen the biological removal of ammonia and nitrate by beneficial bacterial strains. One teaspoon per 10 gallons weekly, contains 500 billion live bacteria per dose.

Effective biological filtration in combination with frequent small water changes is the most effective way to maintain healthy water conditions. The regular use of bacterial filter supplements such as Cycle can greatly help the process of biological filtration.


* Super concentrated formula to keep aquariums healthy

* Beneficial bacteria consume ammonia and nitrite to prevent fish loss.

* Quickly repairs filters damaged by medication or other treatments.

* For freshwater and marine aquariums.

first question is is this going to affect my water in any way ?


second how long should it take to cycle with this stuff theroreticly speaking of course ?

what i am planning on doing is

start a fishless cycle once i have my test kit at hand

so i am going to be dosing the tank with ammonia, but how much should i use ? now a fishless cycle normally try and get 5ppm but this is supposed to work straight away but i dont think that adding 5ppm of ammonia is going to be testing this product fairly

so what sort of an ammount of ammonia should i use to represent say 10 fish or would i be better of testing for less fish to start


i will test with the same kit and at the same time every day to see what readings we haveand will then give it a few days (as this is supposed to be a add and forget product) to see if the ammonia + nitrite is being processed and to what level e.g if it works the first day will up the ammonia to see what level it is capable of if it is working

 

[snowflake311]

I'm cycling my tank right now with pure ammonia. It took me 2 weeks to get the first batch of bacteria growing. It's not just one kind it's 2 one type. One type converts ammonia to nitrites the next converts the nitrites to nitrates then your cycle is done.

I tried using that stuff it did not help much a waste of money if you ask me. Use it if you have it. But don't expect it to cycle your tank in a week. This stuff is more of an aid giving a little boost but nothing more then a little boost if anything.

The Ammonia you use should say pure or clear. If you shake the bottle it should NOT bubble. That's how you know you have the right stuff. I'm cycling a 55 gal tank. I added like 3 cap fulls tested the ammonia it was at 4. and that's a fine amount to start with. You don't really want any more then that but if you add a pinch more don't freak out it will be ok. Then You wait. I did nothing just left the tank temp at 80F, have my air bubbles going, and filter running. I test my water every week or so. It has stayed at 4. But just yesterday the ammonia is at 3. and my nitrites are at .50 WOOHOO I am half way done. Now I have to wait for the ammonia to go down and when it starts to get really low like .25 or 0. add just a few drops of ammonia to feed the new bacteria you are going to want to feed your bacteria everyday till the Nitrates show up. Once your nitrates are up and your Nitrites are at 0. Then it is time to do a 50-70% water change Don't touch the filter or clean anything just change the water as if you had fish in the tank. Use de-chlorinator and the right temp. Then check your water again make sure its all 0 and the nitrate should be no higher then 20. less is good. Then if the water is all good add 2 fish and wait a week to add a few more. After the water change adding some of your bottle bacteria could be helpful.

I would add the bacteria stuff you have when I add new fish too the fully cycled tank. Or Add it when you first start the cycle whatever it does not matter. It will not mess with your tank it's safe. The most important thing to do it just cycle your tank. It takes a month to fully get it done.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Personally I would not use this product, just because it really has no effect on the biological filtration, but since you have it, why not throw it in right.

If you are doing a fishless cycle, you still want to add up to 4-5 ppm of Ammonia, and if this product really does work, you SHOULD see your Ammonia begin to drop around 2-3 days into the cycle.

A normal fishless cycle; it takes about a wee or 2 before we see any significant drop in Ammonia, so you should know right away if this product is working or not.

This is going to be very interesting to see if this product really does work!

This is what I, and other people will LOVE to see!

Since there is A LOT of controversy about whether this product works or not, I would really appreciate if if you could keep accurate records of your tank water parameters.

Think of it as sort of a science experiment.

So, add the product, add up to 5 ppm of ammonia, and check Ammonia, NitrIte, NitrAte and pH every 12 hours.

Like I said, this is going to be very interesting to see whether this product really does work or not.

Please relay all of your records of your water parameters on this thread every 12 hours, so we can see how your cycle is going.

You up for the challenge? lol

-FHM

 

[kbekll]

I'm cycling my tank right now with pure ammonia. It took me 2 weeks to get the first batch of bacteria growing. It's not just one kind it's 2 one type. One type converts ammonia to nitrites the next converts the nitrites to nitrates then your cycle is done.

I tried using that stuff it did not help much a waste of money if you ask me. Use it if you have it. But don't expect it to cycle your tank in a week. This stuff is more of an aid giving a little boost but nothing more then a little boost if anything.

The Ammonia you use should say pure or clear. If you shake the bottle it should NOT bubble. That's how you know you have the right stuff. I'm cycling a 55 gal tank. I added like 3 cap fulls tested the ammonia it was at 4. and that's a fine amount to start with. You don't really want any more then that but if you add a pinch more don't freak out it will be ok. Then You wait. I did nothing just left the tank temp at 80F, have my air bubbles going, and filter running. I test my water every week or so. It has stayed at 4. But just yesterday the ammonia is at 3. and my nitrites are at .50 WOOHOO I am half way done. Now I have to wait for the ammonia to go down and when it starts to get really low like .25 or 0. add just a few drops of ammonia to feed the new bacteria you are going to want to feed your bacteria everyday till the Nitrates show up. Once your nitrates are up and your Nitrites are at 0. Then it is time to do a 50-70% water change Don't touch the filter or clean anything just change the water as if you had fish in the tank. Use de-chlorinator and the right temp. Then check your water again make sure its all 0 and the nitrate should be no higher then 20. less is good. Then if the water is all good add 2 fish and wait a week to add a few more. After the water change adding some of your bottle bacteria could be helpful.

I would add the bacteria stuff you have when I add new fish too the fully cycled tank. Or Add it when you first start the cycle whatever it does not matter. It will not mess with your tank it's safe. The most important thing to do it just cycle your tank. It takes a month to fully get it done.

this will be my fourth fishless cycle todate

i am just doing it out of intrest and see if they really do what they say on the bottle at least you will have a basis to choose from if it is good or bad

i'll do the 12hr tests no probs lol

i am just awaiting the new test kit so i should be up and running in a couple of days

tank is full of water and is being filtered now and when the test kit arrives i will

do a sample of tap water, sample of tank water, then sample of the tank when added ammonia

 

[rabbut]

I'd proceed as per a normal fishless cycle. 5ppm shoudl be dropping to zero Ammonia and nitrite inside your usual 12 hour target within a week if the product works for a full fish load at once, a week and a half tops if designed to allow 1" per 5 gallons initial stocking right away

I tried a similar experiment on Seachem Stability about 1.5 months ago. 4 weeks in and Ammonia had just got to a point of hitting zero in 12 hours. After 5 weeks, I stripped the tank, still in a nitrite spike, re-filled, tank cloned and added my Quarantine stock anyway, I couldn't wait any longer. the last fishless cycle i did too 4 week to complete. If I were narrow minded I'd have said stability hindered the cycle. In reality though, with so many variables, I'd say it's more likely that the product did nothing and it was a slower cycle.

There was a thread earlier today stating that this product can speed up a cycle. It will be nice to see if it does... My Practice with fish-in cycles has shown no notable difference in cycle time, but a proper controlled cycle experiment will be good to see

All the best
rabbut