TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
Actually, I used dr. Tim;s method of cycling and then modified it. Dr. tim had people needing to test nitrite at lkevels most test kits wont read. That meant doing diuluted testing. I revised the dosing methodolgy to prevent nitrite issues stalling cycles. What is intersting about his method (which he has since revised some) and the mehod I worked out is when all uis said and done we have both addeed the same amount of ammonia to the tank if all of it is added up. What differed is when and how much ammonia is added. When I offered to rewrite the fisless article for the site the number of threads with stalled cycles was nuts. I lkie to think I canged that. I see very few stalled cycled now. Slow cycles maybe but not stalled.
Either are fibbing about Goop or they have no clue. The nitrifying bacteria can safely live in a bottle for at least 6 months. They go dormant in the bottle and are basically in a state of suspended animation. I hav eused Dr. Yim's One and Only for well over a decade. I normally keep a small bottle in my fridge for emergencies. it is good in there for almost a year. So when they say this about Goop they are confused about the nitrifying bacteria:
As far as I can tell Goop is basically filter squeezings. But how do we think it gets created. I know how to run a bio-farm for filters. I have been doing it for years. But I do not know the technique use to grow bacteria on a fine substrate, measure it out and then bottle it. What I do know is what allows Dr. Tim's and Tetra's bacteria to last in a bottle for as long as they do is because they are in tip top shape when they go dormant. This is important. The better condition they are in, they longer they can remain viable.
Finally, the say.
Anybody who has ever done a fishless cycle knows the above fact. However, dosing 3 ppm of ammonia into a tank all at once does not harm the bacteria. It makes them multiply. Read almost any set of directions for doing a fishless cycle and they say you are cycled when you can add 3 ppm of ammonia and 24 hours later test Both ammonia and Nitrite at 0 ppm. It is also why the scientist say do not let ammonia or nitrite as nitrogen exceed 5 ppm when doing a fishless cycle. This alters the cycle and can even slow it as different bacteria will start to colonize and the right ones can suffer from the elevated ammonia and/or nitrite levels.
And I put the equivalent numbers for this for the Total Ion scale used by mot hobby test kits. This turns the 5 ppm number into 6.4 ppm for ammonia and 16.4 ppm for nitrite.
One last observation here. There is a reason for using 3 ppm for doing a fishless cycle. If one has higher pH water, ammonia becomes more toxic. Think folks who keep right lake cichlids. They need more bacteria to insure a tank is safe. .25 ppm of ammonia in a higher pH tank can be very toxic. while 2 ppm of ammonia in my pH 6.0 Altum angel tank is not a worry unless it persists. So, for some tanks 3 ppm of ammonia will create more bacteria than needed, especially for lighter stocking level. But trying to write a cycling article for new fish keepers which tried to explain would just confuse heck out of everybody. So most use he universal 3 ppm and be safe.
Also, the folks who make Goop also sell cycled filters. How do we think they cycle them and keep them cycled? I know how I do it and it takes dosing a lot of ammonia several times a day. it takes close monitoring of water parameters not to stall it all.
Bear in mind that Dr. Tim and Tetra sell they products all over the world. The bacteria has to have a shelf life of it would not be possible. But ask yurslef this. How do they make Goop on demand? They have to be making it in advance.......
Either are fibbing about Goop or they have no clue. The nitrifying bacteria can safely live in a bottle for at least 6 months. They go dormant in the bottle and are basically in a state of suspended animation. I hav eused Dr. Yim's One and Only for well over a decade. I normally keep a small bottle in my fridge for emergencies. it is good in there for almost a year. So when they say this about Goop they are confused about the nitrifying bacteria:
Here is what the PhD microbiologist who changed the thinking about the bacteria in aquariums says:
and
As far as I can tell Goop is basically filter squeezings. But how do we think it gets created. I know how to run a bio-farm for filters. I have been doing it for years. But I do not know the technique use to grow bacteria on a fine substrate, measure it out and then bottle it. What I do know is what allows Dr. Tim's and Tetra's bacteria to last in a bottle for as long as they do is because they are in tip top shape when they go dormant. This is important. The better condition they are in, they longer they can remain viable.
Finally, the say.
Anybody who has ever done a fishless cycle knows the above fact. However, dosing 3 ppm of ammonia into a tank all at once does not harm the bacteria. It makes them multiply. Read almost any set of directions for doing a fishless cycle and they say you are cycled when you can add 3 ppm of ammonia and 24 hours later test Both ammonia and Nitrite at 0 ppm. It is also why the scientist say do not let ammonia or nitrite as nitrogen exceed 5 ppm when doing a fishless cycle. This alters the cycle and can even slow it as different bacteria will start to colonize and the right ones can suffer from the elevated ammonia and/or nitrite levels.
And I put the equivalent numbers for this for the Total Ion scale used by mot hobby test kits. This turns the 5 ppm number into 6.4 ppm for ammonia and 16.4 ppm for nitrite.
One last observation here. There is a reason for using 3 ppm for doing a fishless cycle. If one has higher pH water, ammonia becomes more toxic. Think folks who keep right lake cichlids. They need more bacteria to insure a tank is safe. .25 ppm of ammonia in a higher pH tank can be very toxic. while 2 ppm of ammonia in my pH 6.0 Altum angel tank is not a worry unless it persists. So, for some tanks 3 ppm of ammonia will create more bacteria than needed, especially for lighter stocking level. But trying to write a cycling article for new fish keepers which tried to explain would just confuse heck out of everybody. So most use he universal 3 ppm and be safe.
Also, the folks who make Goop also sell cycled filters. How do we think they cycle them and keep them cycled? I know how I do it and it takes dosing a lot of ammonia several times a day. it takes close monitoring of water parameters not to stall it all.
Bear in mind that Dr. Tim and Tetra sell they products all over the world. The bacteria has to have a shelf life of it would not be possible. But ask yurslef this. How do they make Goop on demand? They have to be making it in advance.......
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