How to unstick any seemingly stuck cycle

AyoItsRocco

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This is a testless cycling thread see post #1

That above is zero ammonia, it's yellow, not green were we using api as a reference. The reason we have to have a testless cycle thread is to know how to process the subjective levels people relay in cycling threads. Your cycle was done a while ago, several days ago
Thats true sorry about that, thanks nonetheless though.
 
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brandon429

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Hey how many days was your setup running after the bottle bac and feed
 

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Not to revive a dead thread but...

fluval 32.5, added water 2 days ago
Turbo start 9000 was added yesterday. I did a test 6 hours later and all the test came back good, so I figured that was fishy ( no pun intended) I found this thread, and I added a pinch and a half of fish food flakes.

Now we wait 10 days-hopefully i did it right!
 
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brandon429

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Thank you for the post I can't believe six mos went by, it'll work for sure :)
 
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brandon429

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1st post of the thread: no testing

this is a testless cycling thread, if we begin testing then nothing we do stands apart from the other thousands of cycling threads. if you're going to test, only post seneye readings. if you don't have a seneye meter, skip the testing and focus on fish disease preps

the reason why: reef tank cycle stalls are falsehoods that only happen when people test via cheap non digital kits, so we don't want those readings.

I can tell you the exact date your cycle will be done before the tank is even built, that's every example here from start to finish.

*its nothing special we're doing: this is a ten day wait calculation thread. we set up any common cycling arrangement, project a ten day wait for it to all stew among the rocks in the display, and that's cycled-for everyone.

whatever you mix up to cycle we're just going to add +10 days and that's your start date, all cycling charts show a ten day drop to ammonia control that's where we got our ten day wait timing.
 
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brandon429

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remember the most important part of cycling: your disease preps

need to be reading in the disease forum the help posts what happens a few months after people add unprepped fish to their new tanks (disease/die)

how you cycle doesn't have any effect on your disease resistance ability. that's a separate mode of tank prep all to itself (know fallow and quarantine procedures from the stickies in the disease forum)
 

emozoo

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I know this is going to sound insane, but this is my first tank and my thing is, how did I know if I did it right. It's just pouring in the turbo start and the fish flakes, but, it seems too easy! haha

If it matters I didn't use live rock..I used dry rock.

As far as the disease and prepping fish, I am knee deep reading that.
 

Cade1024

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I am on day 12 of my cycle using seachem stability with live sand and dry rock, I just stumbled on this thread and am curious I am currently reading no ammonia 3ppm nitrite and 50ppm nitrate. My nitrite has been at 3 for about a week. I am using salifert test kits and I know this is a no test cycle form. Am I cycled? It’s been past 10 days.
 
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brandon429

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I'd like to include a fish food component and a few days added wait since I don't have lots of data on seachem stability as the sole bacteria source nor the degree of ammonia added or its source.

Even though I've never seen any bottle bac cycle fail to carry fish by day ten wait-- to be prudent (and still testless per our thread) grind up a pinch of fish food into fine powder and add it into a small cup of tank water. Mix it into the water really good then add that water back to tank and wait five days. At day five do a large water change and begin.

Thank you very much for posting it's nice to have nonstandard jobs and customize them here for a consistent timed outcome.

After that water change you can begin. Please update with pics when some life is in the tank thanks for posting!

Don't forget acclimation it's a big deal. Take your salinity meter with you to the pet store when selecting fish and test their tank. If they hold fish at ultra low salinity they're masking disease ridden fish, don't buy from there. Wait to find a source that keeps fish at common reef salinity. Every pet store I've ever seen does the low salinity trick, and bag floating isn't safe like the masses do it can kill new and stressed fish

Jay shows in the disease forum that if low salinity fish must be bought, they're bought home and added into a matching low salinity - holding or quarantine- tank and the salinity is raised slowly over three days. They're then netted over to the matching salinity display after a slow rise, and at no time were they bag floated. Low salinity rises must be three days to be safe

don't rush the acclimation phase even though most fish tolerate that heinous insult fairly well - we're trying to reduce stresses and that's not even going to handle disease imports since three days observation isn't enough to assess disease potential. Being mindful of salinity acclimation will at least get the fish into the ready home safely but it can't prevent disease contamination and that part is the true hidden risk to the system having nothing to do with cycle approach
 
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brandon429

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@Randy Holmes-Farley

on the topic of sticky requests:

I had a brainstorm that sounded reasonable I thought.

Would you consider my bid summary below for this thread and let me know if you solely controlled cycling in the new tanks forum stickies, was the case made and reinforced well enough here to earn a sticky.

The initial read for my thread here is about to be an edit link at the top page 1 to Jay's disease forum. His forum is the most important cycling thread if we factor loss of life rates in fish within 8 mos between old and new cycling approaches.

Old cycling science: your tank is ready for fish when you have zero ammonia, not some, none, it's too progressive to allow a little nh4 nowadays to conveniently neutralize a million claimed stuck cycles-- the rules say zero ammonia.

plus all nitrite has to be bone zero or things are getting burned. Its only about chemistry kit compliance with old cycling science. No cycle can safely carry life without having zero nitrite. That's the rules as written

New cycling science:

You must spend a minimum three days read of each sticky and several help posts in Jay's disease forum.

What conditions were missing from those disease- wrecked tanks that you also might omit in your developing reef approach?

Did stocking order of fish (after cycling, do we add corals or fish first) stand out as a hidden disease vector that works around even the best initial quarantine of fish?

knowing what to add first, animals in what order, and how to maintain biosecurity (article from Jay link) through the life of a tank is what new cyclers need to know. Bottle bacteria makers have changed the timelines it's not thirty days anymore.

So how long are today's cycles? If I have not demonstrated that here then the thread should no be a sticky.




The fact there's no training material on new ways means a void exists for updated information, and that's the region I'm addressing in work threads like this as valid new material to scrutinize as potential sticky zones.

My writ offered to the court under oath:

At some point in best practices evaluation, outcome rates matter as the swing vote what info is best to give an initial reader. There are a certain number of pages of completed jobs, with evaluation by the tank owner secured, that do constitute proper credit as a well-called cycle (their fish live all the time, never a fail)

Whatever gives new tank prep readers the best cycle ready date, with disease control priming by self study in Jay's forum, is what deserves at least a six month test run as a sticky here.


If I get to produce results at a faster rate by gaining more entrants here that will add to new cycling science where disease reading is paramount, ammonia prediction is easy.

That's material worthy of test in the sticky position. I'll work cases left and right for years, page 680 will match pages 1-42 outcome pattern.

That's a repeatable new cycling approach where counting the number of days a given cycle subset has been running is the final call, anyone can do that. The outcome of the sticky will be a massive reader boost right into Jay's disease forum.

New cycling science cannot be searched and found having a single loss in note what I estimate as 6000 reef cycles predicted for timing and closed. Searchable threads.

I have never ever told someone a cycle end date that wasn't true/ their stuff died.

My record outcome using a very tight set of # of day wait counts as the cycle guide, not test kits, has no fails. It has several people wanting to share a round of digital brew for saving them time and headache I can attest.

There were times I disagreed with your info here but there's never a time I wouldn't appreciate the scrutiny of any job from you if you see errors in progress. You're a fair judge. If I can't get your buy in I don't want it to be a sticky.

If new cycling science isn't workable by 100% of users for as long as the thread runs I don't want to offer it ever again but I need to be told at what # of pages of work does it become inevitably the best cycling approach we currently have? If I do work to page 680 for free, will that do as final proof and deserve a sticky when I'm 86 years old?


I make work threads across 3 subjects in reefing that have before and after picture documenting hundreds of tank outcomes for ten years running using new cycling science and none of these threads use a changing pattern, all the results align every time.

It's repeatable information to have readers test the day- count method, and focus on disease studies and biosecurity as they wait out the allotted time per cycle group.

That's new information it deserves fair evaluation and a mere 6 mos hard work as a sticky, one bad report: loss of sticky.

But where web thread patterns show 100% results for ten years straight in one forum, how many pages of work are required to pass the test if not now?

Would page 600 getting the exact same results as now then qualify by default and override doubts unjustly rendered in 2024?


If I use the report button, I guarantee you I'll get a cold decline, it'll say resolved after six days delay but nothing changed.


If declined I request these fair points address by the live- time court:

If not this one, can you personally link your own chosen best way to start a cycle of any method you've seen that uses an opposite method vs #of days wait? Where is the bar set, what constituted the allowed start date in the bar setting thread?

I would hope you would comment on allowance to the new tanks forum sticky group and that can stay in place for fair access. To use the report button to offer my link first has no rebuttal option. Your possible allowance vote I'll link to them in the report button from another post. That's the game plan


I want to run thousands of reef tank cycles all at once. The good real estate allowance will benefit this site and myself. A closed job with outcome pics then two month follow up pics is a buzz that requires sunglass.

If you make this thread a sticky I'm going to become like Jamie Fox's electrical man character from Iron man.

That's my bid. What is my bar

I first posted in your thread on rc in 2002 asking about sealab 28 blocks

I estimate we've interacted 1000 times since then. I'm a highly accountable and easy to find fella for consequences when due. I will stay present and churn out tightly controlled results and it will be a marked benefit to r2r.

Readers of the jury

Run any reef tank through my wait time cycling measure and link here I'm accountable for your outcomes

It will be you guys driving me to the bar set of minim 680 pages worked before I'm so old I can't thumb swipe on a tiny galaxy s8 if they don't sticky me. I can set the new bar if you will send all broken cycle threads this way, all tank start cycles. At some point, the law must relent.
 
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brandon429

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Ps I'll edit that above and replace it with a picture of a wall hanging sailboat in acrylic if adjudication is given

on a tight outcome requirement adherence of course. Removed from sticky first fail, zero loss rate is my offered bar. I will agree to work 680 pages of jobs gladly. I need this boost to get there before I'm 102 years old.
 
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brandon429

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Apparently, ammonia testing isn't needed in any stage of reefing, that's a rule changer

Any reader want a copyable testless cycle test? Put a tank together. Dry rock no ammonia

Big pinch of grinded up fish food into powder, mixed into tank

Wait 25 days, change the water. Tank is cycled. It'll carry what bioload you add. Post one fail is the test. Bioload carry is the judge not an nh4 test kit reading. Sticky readers like this option when they don't want to fund the bottle bac machine, a case example of same timeline already tested, no fails on file:


Our thread is sticky worthy in my opinion even if for just 3 months because we removed all cycle testing from reef tank cycling and that's opposite how the current stickies work, they're cost heavy options

People want a for sure way that doesn't waste money, this is that thread.

Of course if they want a bottle bac ready date those are gladly welcomed. Owners of any cycle can post here, you will get a calendar date your reef will be ready for bioload carry even before its built


We don't do ranges for completion or open ended waits, this has been a date- specific predictive cycling work for 42 pages

It's an easy troubleshoot lens to run this thread: has their tank been running with a common cycling approach for ten days or more?

Are they wanting a ready date faster than ten days wait?


I search for extreme arrangement details that make a reef take longer, such as fish food no bottle bac no ammonia wait time cycling.

It's an objective measure applied to each reef. The patterns of how long subsets of cycling approaches take to completion after completing the process thousands of times collectively across forum work on file
 
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brandon429

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As expected, declined.

Randy at least can I get some input from you, they're never going to address what's required in the thread beyond the results I'm getting

Is testless cycling too taboo even with ten years of perfect outcome work on file with it? What's the fail aspect of that thread, what's the bar?
 
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brandon429

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Screenshot_20240423-114226_Samsung Internet.jpg




Our work here isn't sticky worthy. The worst part was the predicted instant decline with zero input on bar needed, qualifications etc.


In the least I'd say this is a heck of a prediction thread lol, anyone want next week's quick pick numbers :)


The only thing a sticky would've done is get me ten times the current rate of jobs i work here



Even with no sticky status i still get to work jobs in the back alley of rtr that's cool enough to get 42 pages in three years so far, I'll take it.

Even without a sticky:


The science is the same

The patterns we earn using opposite rules from old cycling science remain and grow, slowly

Updated cycling science presses on.

I personally guarantee any reader a universe does not exist where I wouldn't quickly respond to your tag, and thank you for the ones I get

There's never a time you could write me a sincere essay of info, tag me in it, and I'd leave you hanging. It'll never happen, any decade checked. When someone writes something to me, I value it as long as it's not part of some beef stew from a prior thread

If you've developed an advancement in any sort of reefing endeavor and want me to see it, I'll treat it with respect that's a promise.

Back to cycling work it is. Send me the broke cycles/ I'll send u back an exact ready date.
 

AyoItsRocco

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It baffles me 42 pages plus who knows how many other threads that were posted wasn't enough to make this sticky worthy. Lets hope in the future this will change. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:
 
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brandon429

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The truth is I can't wait for more jobs here even via snail mail rate

I'm thankful they let me ply my trade at all here, testless reef tank cycling has no other reference in all of reefing. This is ground zero


I know a time where reefing had no concept of pico reefs (2002, I have a small PayPal bounty running for anyone who can link me a pre 2001 thread or pic of a running pico reef on synthetic saltwater) and anyone who reefed in a vase was accused of photoshopping.

In 2024 we can't unassociate pico from reefing and vice versa. Heck, PNW has a full business model based on it.


They have a legit unspoken fear that touting unverified methods, the things I'd asked Randy to verify ahead of the decision, can be dangerous to readers meaning we could kill a tank.

They have every right to be cautious what they elevate, which is why I simply wanted to know what they want in a thread.

We're going to need lots of jobs to boost fix rates. If anyone can shop Facebook or gram forums on stuck cycles and link this thread to them, readers might sign up for new links and I'll fix all their cycles by counting to day ten, in live time lol.

The irony of the method is its simplicity. Cycling used to require at minimum a b.a. in chemistry.

If we can get hundreds of new signup profiles here via scraping social media that can be used well on appeal when I'm 87 but still thumb swiping like a madman.

Increasing their viewership is a powerful appeals tool. It makes the site more valuable to sponsors.

Several posts in this thread are from day 1 readers who left lurking and put their email in, I mark those with hearts usually. We simply need more, they'll reevaluate if we bring them 1500 new signups.

I need people to find bad cycles and link them here.

Thank you for posting and always being so positive it really helps.
 
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FindingNem0

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This was a very good read, I do something very similar but with freshwater. Just move over the media or plants and it's a instant cycled tank. It can be 5% of it and it will work for the new tank with 30% fish stocking straight away.
 
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brandon429

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And I found it most interesting reading from Randy’s posts how freshwater vs saltwater are opposite cycling goals: nitrite is the important one for freshwater vs ammonia

That always fascinated me, thanks for posting :)
 

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