Cycling your tank in 24 hrs

[molly05]

Is it true? :notsure: :notsure: :notsure:
What is this 24 hour Cycle? And how is this possible?
Based on our current understanding of the science behind aquarium keeping, to have an aquarium fully cycled in just 24 hours is like science fiction.Will boys and girls, this is not science fiction is science fact.
First of all, the official name of this new science is called "Hiatt's 24 Hour Totally Aerobic Nitrogen Cycle".
To establish a high level of bacteria, usually it takes a minimum of 28 days on the up side but usually six weeks is normal, for most aquariums. Then and only then can you start to stock your aquarium. 2. Carrying capacity is less using the Nitrogen Aerobic / Anaerobic Nitrogen Cycle. 3. If you slightly over feed, the tank can crash over night. 4. Your Nitrates NO3 and Phosphate will began to build up.
The above was the nitrogen aerobic/anaerobic nitrogen cycle.
The Hiatt's 24 hour totally aerobic nitrogen cycle - "Hiatt cycle" is not a cycle at all, in fact it is convoluted to the point that is very confusing. The Carbon Cycle gave us both Carbohydrate and proteins. Then how the proteins were broken down into nitrogen waste which is then reduced by certain strains of bacteria. This reduction is normally called the Nitrogen Cycle. It is both Aerobic and then Anaerobic. It follows a set pattern that does not vary or change lanes while it is traveling down the road. That is NOT the Hiatt Cycle.
Think of the term Demolition Derby. Remember those grand old times when people would drive their cars in a stadium and slam them into each other. They would come from all sides, and it would seem like chaos. But if you plotted the driving abilities and intent of the drivers, you would see they each took a path that was open to them until they hit their target. So it is with the Hiatt Cycle.
As protein breaks down into Nitrogen waste, the nitrogen in the Hiatt Cycle is attacked from all sides at the same time. Sounds a lot like Demolition Derby. The first product formed is Ammonia or NH3. The cycle progresses along the normal path, but very fast. When all the three forms of Ammonia are made and Nitrite and Nitrate are made. The same bacteria that attacks NH3 also at the same time attacks NH4OH NH4+ and NO3. Other bacteria then step up to the plate and attack the NO2 and NO3. Some of the NO2 and NO3 are converted back and forth, but remember each time this happens, energy is lost with each conversion until the resulting form is N2. Meanwhile the NO2 and NO3 are traveling the normal (as if anything in this cycle is normal) cycle but are constantly attacked by the other bacteria which convert them either to NO2, NO3 and N2. Because so many bacteria are hungry at the same time, and the fuel source is so limited, it does not take time for the "Hiatt Cycle" to complete.
Thus, you can set up your tank if your follow our protocol and have it totally cycled in 24 hours AEROBICALLY! At the same time the reduction of Nitrogen is taking place, the reduction of Phosphates and Potash also are reduced AEROBICALLY. So, your tank can be free of Phosphates, and all Nitrogen waste at the very same time, which makes taking care of your tank very easy.
Now that you have some understanding of the Hiatt Cycle, how can I apply the Hiatt Cycle to my tank and what are the advantages of using the Hiatt Cycle?
In order to use the Hiatt Cycle you must have the following items: Right Now bacteria, Tri-base Palletized Carbon pH Rock and proper flow rate.
The heart of Hiatt Cycle is the Right Now bacteria, so rightly named "Right Now" because it does everything Right Now!
Many people think the Right Now Bacteria is genetic engineered, they couldn't be more wrong. The Right Now Bacteria is group of 100% natural bacteria found in nature. These bacteria need a carbon source more then the other cycle, a specially made activated carbon with an available carbon source - the Tri Base Palletized Carbon is use together with the Right Now Bacteria to create a perfect enviroment for these hungry bacteria to thrive.
The Tri Base Palletized Carbon or TBPC are the best bacteria bed in the market today. Over 1150 m2/gram far superior then any plastic media or silica sand. One pound of TBPC is equivalent of 454 grams. A total surface of one pound TBPC is 1150 m2/gram X454 with an available carbon source.

 

[hatessushi]

Now that you have some understanding of the Hiatt Cycle, how can I apply the Hiatt Cycle to my tank and what are the advantages of using the Hiatt Cycle?
The best way to start and complete a cycle is to set up the tank with salt water/live rock/live sand and let the cycle begin and end naturally. There are other natural things to do to help it along like adding a dead shrimp but that's up to the hobbiest.
Whoever wrote that didn't have very good grammar which is the first thing that makes me sceptical. As another analogy like the demolition derby the whole thing sounds like a get rich quick scheme.

 

[mandarin w]

Sound just like one of those info-mercials that are on at 3 in the morning. And guess what, no matter what they are selling, how many people they have on there saying, Yes, I've tried it, and it worked for me. No matter how many "ACTORS" they have dressed up as doctors, The stuff never WORKS! There is no way I would ever trust the lives of the fish and corals that I am responsible for to a "magic potion". There is no way to know what is going to happen to your tank in two months, six months or even a year later. And when you have invested thousands of dollors into livestock, You better know exactly what is in your tank, How much is there. How will effect my tank down the road.
I bet we could get a pretty good thread going on the promises of the magic potions people try to sell just to put a buck in their pocket.
First one that comes to mind is the juice stuff that was suppose to make a person loose 15 lbs in one night. Yeah right.

 

[1journeyman]

Snake oil...
Even through all of the propaganda at the end of the day you're relying on bacteria..... bacteria that needs to balance itself out in order to handle the waste management in your tank.

 

[shogun323]

There are no shortcuts on mother nature. Seems like a waste of $$$$ to me.

 

[jdecter]

I hate to say this but that whole approach is a giant scam.
You CANNOT FAKE a cycle, you can't outwit, or cheat a cycle. p suou can speed it up sure, but we are talking a couple of weeks less, maybe speed it up to a month instead of 2 months.
But the truth is, you can't rush it.
Buy all this expensive crap, and you'll still have an ammonia build up, with no bio filter, causing a giant nitrate crash, and wallah your cycle!
What these guys sell is, hey we can give you the results of a cycle in a bottle.
What they aren't telling you is, until you let your tank build it's own biofilter which is only possible by giving it time to cycle, it will never be able to support any bioload from life.
u could dump fresh nitrate eating bacteria from a bottle everyday but without a natural bio filtration system built up over time and grown in reaction to your "tank bio pressure" (thats how much waste and by product of tank life) then your tank will crash everytime you increase the "load".
Think of it this way.
For every item you introduce to your tank (items include, fish of course, and corals, but also includes things you don't think about like, rock, sand, even water, fish food, dust, ect. They all break down or already have in them two things: One of the two break down to Nitrates eventually, the other phosphate.
Nitrates are the best end result for our tanks we can hope for, the alternative is ammonia or nitrite. Both very toxic. Nitrate is toxic too but much much less. These proccess is what we test our water for. Ammonia turns to nitrite turns to nitrate. Ammonia very poisonous to fish and reef, even at less than 1ppm. Nitrite, the same, but that means our bio filter is changing the ammonia so thats good, then nitirite turns to nitrate, and that your fish can handle even up to 20ppm without a fuss.
THERE IS NO FIX FOR NITRATE, eventually you have to get it out of the tank with water changes. So thats what it takes to be a reefer.
You must give your tank 2 months to cycle, and thats not all.
It takes a YEAR for your tank to grow the small organisms called rotifiers and cyclopods that MOST fish, and inverts eat, along with their fed foods like brine or mysis. So just because you wait 2 months doesn't mean go buy 10 fish.
Also once you cycle that means your Bio filter has matured to handle ONLY WHATS IN THE TANK NOW! That doesn't mean you go buy 10 fish, it means buy 1, add it. Wait another month, buy another add it. Thats how slow this hobby is, you rush you might as well just give the money to your local fish store and leave the fish there, as it will surely die if you rush.
Even after a year, you can't do giant changes or add tons of new fish. Specially in a small tank, you'll have a mature system but its small and wont handle lots of new fish or changes well no matter how long you wait.
So in short. slow, and steady is the only option no matter what you buy and try.

 

[jmick]

If you don't have the patience to wait a few weeks for your tank to cycle this probably isn't the best hobby for a person to have. I agree with the above posters that it sounds like rubbish to me.

 

[1journeyman]

Ok.. found the company that makes the stuff... They are marketing a lot of "short cuts", pH rocks, etc... Didn't see anything very positive on them on Dr. Fenner's site either.

 

[el bob]

i set my tank up with live sand live rock and RO water, so I added all the bacteria I needed. All the rock I added was completly cured except for one piece. SO that one piece had a die off and my cycle started, but it only took one week to cycle. Thats like the quickest I think that would be possible. Am I right>??

 

[gwh57]

This is another one of those products that goes around from time to time. Some will try anything except what they need to do.

 

[hatessushi]

and that your fish can handle even up to 20ppm without a fuss.

By the way fish can handle a whole lot more nitrate then 20ppm. You may be thinking of some inverts and corals but even they like 0 nitrates. Nitrates don't harm fish until in really high levels.
Also a DeNitrifier can absolutely eliminate nitrates through the use of sulfur and calcium thus eliminating the need for water changes. Of course you still water change to add needed elements back to the tank.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by El Bob
i set my tank up with live sand live rock and RO water, so I added all the bacteria I needed. All the rock I added was completly cured except for one piece. SO that one piece had a die off and my cycle started, but it only took one week to cycle. Thats like the quickest I think that would be possible. Am I right>??
The completely cured rock did more for your quick cycle than anything else.

 

[el bob]

thats what I assumed, cured rock is like a gift from god

 

[jdecter]

Well I didn't want to go into all that, I have 20 year vets who spend wakeless nights trying tricks to keep reef tanks without water changes, but they are now as informed as even the most qualified marine biologists or chemists.
Sure fish can handle above 20ppm but it depends on the fish, the stress level, the fish health, and a giant list that I didn't want this new hobbiest to get confused over.
The bottom line of the above post was to introduce the new hobbiest in just why miracles in a bottle don't exist and only those out to earn a buck will try to say different.
Even if you buy a chunk of reef from an ocean and the sand and water around it. Your tank still must build the bio filter to handle it's new enclosed system bioload. So maybe you wont see a normal spike you'll still have to let the tank mature so it can react to any new load.

 

[el bob]

as long as you add slowly there shouldnt be a problem so the bio filters can accomidate the new inahbitants, right?
'

 

[1journeyman]

Correct, until you reach the saturation point of the tank.