DrTim's Aquarium Podcast

Dr Tim answers questions that we get from hobbyists via social media, email and other sources.  Questions about cycling your tank, setting-up a new tank, fishless cycling with shrimp not ammonia, high ammonia and/or nitrite and more are covered in this Q & A session. If you have questions please contact us and we will answer them in another session.  

In this episodes Dr Tim talks with Thomas Bertschy from ASF about the ASF cichlid salt which is great for getting your aquarium water to match the water quality characteristics of many cichlid habitats.  Next, we talk with Dale Lewis from Reptile Systems about their all black ceramic Clamp Lamps.  Finally, Dr Tim discusses the DrTim's Aquatics Bene-FISH-al® DIY frozen fish food - easy and quick to prepare without waste this is a wonderful fish and invertebrate food.

Dr Tim talks with Thomas from ASF about MX circulation pumps and then Dale with Reptile Systems talk about new Eco Halogens heat and light systems and Dr Tim ends with a discussion on ReFresh.

Dr Tim talks with Dale Lewis of Reptile Systems about Infrared Heating for reptiles.  Then Dr Tim discusses the ASF MX Pump range with Thomas Bertschy of ASF France.  Finishing, Dr Tims talking about why you get DInoflagellates versus Cyanobacteria and how to get rid of them with better knowledge of water chemistry and using DrTim's Aquatics Re-Fresh and Waste-Away.

Dr Tim is joined by Thomas Bertschy of @ASF about the ASF test kits and the importance of using test kits to maintain water quality and fish health.  Then Dr Tim speaks with Dale Lewis of @Reptile Systems who talks out the New Dawn light systems for growing plants.  Finishing Dr Tim talks about AquaCleanse our product to eliminate chlorine, chloramines and ammonia for your water and First Defense which is a great overall water conditioner and stress relief agent.

Dr Tim talks with Thomas from ASF about Reef Shots and Dale from Reptile Systems about the Ferguson Zone.  Then Dr Tim explains the thinking behind the Waste-Away® Gels.

Dr Tim talks salt production with Thomas from ASF and Ferguson Zone for Reptiles with Dale from reptile systems

Besides our Flagship DrTim's Aquatics Product we also help develop and then import and distribute products for Aquarium Systems France (ASF) and Reptile Systems.  Who are these brands and what values do they represent ?  Find out in the podcast.

Do you have a question? Send us an email at info@drtimsaquatics.com   Timestamps: 00:00 Start 05:46 - 1 - Does the Ammonium Chloride have a shelf life ? Stored how ? 07:34 - 2 - Does the AquaClense have a shelf life ? Stored how ? 10:17 - 3 - Biopellets and the waste away. 14:00 - 4 - One & Only Nitrifying storage at room temperature and in a 35 degree fridge  16:37 - 5 - Should I stop using carbon during treatment with your re-fresh and waste-away? 17:05 - 6 -  Why hasn't my ammonia changed?  21:27 - 7 - How long does it take for the PhosEliminator to work?  27:13 - 8 - Your fishless method says to use detoxified or non ro/di water, are you referring to just plain ole tap water? 33:04- 9 - For the first defense and eco balance recipe, is it normal if the solution isn't cloudy after 24 hours?  33:49 - 10 - I don't have a UV light, skimmer or filter sock. What happens if my tank gets cloudy after using Re-Fresh and Waste-Away?  39:41 - 11 - My ammonia is not dropping and I have not seen any nitrites or nitrates. I'm on day 14. What's going on?

Do you have a question? Send us an email at info@drtimsaquatics.com Timestamps: 00:00 Start 03:42 Intro 04:53 Acute vs chronic toxicity    06:12 Measuring toxicity   08:40 Freshwater vs Saltwater 12:05 Lisa Steiner Work Loss of Ammonia oxidase 15:56 Why do you experience a stall during cycling? 21:16 When to test  25:41 Nitrate is toxic 27:00 Chronic nitrate 38:09 Phosphate and the redfield ratio

Do you have a question? Send us an email at info@drtimsaquatics.com   Timestamps: 00:00 Start 04:39 - 1 - Age of fish 06:05 - 2 - Can I use bio media from another tank and One and Only at the same time to start a tank? Can I add the whole bottle of One and Only? 09:27 - 3 - Are mollies jumpers? Are they hardy fish? 11:50 - 4 - Help getting rid of algae in a tank with HIGH nitrates and phosphates 18:25 - 5 - Can I add a fish at maybe 5 days in even If I am not cycled? 20:54 - 6 -  How long before I can turn the lights on? I don't want to get the uglies!  23:53 - 7 - When is it safe to add corals to a new tank? 27:06 - 8 - Would it be beneficial, after cycling & adding fish to just start using Waste Away gel? 29:24- 9 - How long do I leave the filters and lights off? Also do I not put live sand in when I cycle it? 32:03 - 10 - What products are good for after the cycle to prevent ugly stage and when do I add it? 35:40 - 11 - During the Waste Away/Refresh treatment for dinos, is it ok to run the skimmer with the cup off to overflow back into the tank to maintain oxygenation? While the skimmer is off, would it hurt anything to run an air stone in its place to ensure good oxygenation? 39:14 - 12 - After not having any since day 9, on day 15 my nitrite is 2.0. What should I do? Should I add One and Only again?

Do you have a question? Send us an email at info@drtimsaquatics.com   Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:40 - 1 - I accidentally added too much Waste Away Gel to my tank. What steps do I need to take next? 04:10 - 2 - I have a Seachem Tidal 55 filter. This filter has a built in skimmer. Should I tape off the filter or leave as is? 05:08 - 3 - If the Prime is converting ammonia to ammonium, isn't ammonium less than ideal for beneficial bacteria to utilize? 10:16 - 4 - Will your tank still go through the ugly brown stage when using nitrifying bacteria in a saltwater fish only tank? 11:31 - 5 - I am not quite ready to add fish since they are not out of quarantine, should I continue to dose ammonia to feed bacteria until I can add fish? If so how much? 15:34 - 6 - How long can bacteria go without food? 18:36 - 7 - Is it ok to put plants in a tank before fishless cycling? 19:43 - 8 - Somewhere on your site I read that after subtracting 20% for substrate and decorations, the dosage for a 30 gallon tank would be 1 teaspoon. Is this correct ?  22:01 - 9 - Do I add all the products you recommend to the aquarium or the sump or both? 23:33 - 10 - I just restarted my tank, new CaribSea Reef Rock, Arag Alive new sand, but same ole fish and one hermit crab that survived the move. Do I need to add One and Only? 25:09 - 11 - I added 2 caps of  One and Only to my 10 Gallon on the day it got wet (last Wednesday) then on  Monday, I  added the rest of the entire bottle. Is it safe to add my fish now? 28:47 - 12 - Cycling a bare bottom TMC 60 32:42 - 13 - I used freshwater bacteria in my saltwater tank. Should I do a 100% water change and used saltwater version?   35:43 - 14 - The instructions say to wait 30 minutes after adding First Defence before adding One and Only. My question is, can I wait longer, say, 24 hours or so?

Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:53 Introduction 1:41 Define Biome 5:45 Microbiome of good vs bad 13:37 Invasive species 18:55 Is more diverse better 20:01 What does a microbiome analysis allow us to see

Do you have a question? Send us an email at info@drtimsaquatics.com Timestamps: 00:00 Start 05:31 - 1 - 40 gallon tank,I seeded with live sand and live rock that came from another tank  13:16 - 2 - Day 8 ammonia is almost gone. My nitrite is now reading 5ppm+ and my nitrates are hovering at around 80ppm. Is this a normal stage of the process and I need to be patient or should I do a water change? 14:34 - 3 -How does Waste Away work to remove the nutrients in Freshwater? 20:16 - 4 -My tank has some sludge looking stuff on the surface- dinos maybe, it scrubs right off and is kinda flaky if that makes sense, it's not attached at all. The tank is an all in one with no skimmer. Would you recommend just refresh or waste way? 23:22 - 5 -Is it possible to just convert over to saltwater by adding the saltwater bacteria? 24:41 - 6 - The Red Sea test kit for my reef tank cycling. The test kit provides ammonia results in NH3/NH4 format. However, the quick guide I'm following on your website indicates a NH3-n/NO2-N measurement? Is there some type of conversion I need to do?? 25:57 - 7 -Can I use First Defense in a QT tank that is dosed with copper? 29:36 - 8 -  We have also done 3 cycles of the recipe for success of Re-Fresh and Waste-away. The algae gets a little better but then bounces right back. We have struggled with Algae for years!

Do you have a question? Send us an email at info@drtimsaquatics.com Timestamps: 00:00 Start 05:31 - 1 - How do you lower nitrates quickly besides doing a water change?  13:16 - 2 - When I added One and Only, there was no "cloudiness". Is this ok/normal? 14:34 - 3 - My numbers stalled out on day 9 of my fishless cycle. Is this normal? 20:16 - 4 - How much One & Only do I use for these water changes? 23:22 - 5 - Accidentally added ammonia to 8ppm. Have I stalled my cycle or killed the bacteria? 24:41 - 6 - Which of your products, if any, benefit from being refrigerated for longer storage life? 25:57 - 7 - What is the approximate length of time before I'd need to add ammonium chloride to maintain the bacteria that developed during the cycling? If there is an extended delay before we can get the fish we are seeking, I don't want the aquarium to have been fallow for long enough that we lose the nitrifying bacteria. 29:36 - 8 -  Do I need to turn the skimmer on for any period of time, during the treatment for dinos? If so, how long should I run it? 31:35 - 9 - I recently used ReFresh to treat cyano and my water turned green. 35:44 - 10 - When and would you treat with waste away and then use the gel pack as maintenance? Would you use the aqua cleanse initially?

Do you have a question? Send us an email at info@drtimsaquatics.com Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:33 History of ASF   6:23 Clownfish  6:55 Turning a passion into business  7:33 Our reason why  9:55 Product Testing 19:32 ASF and Reptile Systems warranties  21:35 Italian made pumps  25:19 Reef Shots  29:25 Where to find Reptile Systems and ASF products  33:43 New Reptile Systems products for the US market in 2024   ReptileSystems.com AquariumSystems.com DrTimsAquatics.com   US Socials:  @reptile_systems_us @asf_usa  @drtimsaquatics    European Socials @reptile_systems @asf_aquariumsystems 

Do you have a question? Send us an email at info@drtimsaquatics.com Timestamps: 00:00 Start 10:43 - 1 - Is it ok to use Dr Tim's First Defense when treating salt water fish with copper?  11:27 - 2 - Can I use eco balance and waste away at the same time to treat sludge? 16:41 - 3 - Is it ok to use ozone with your products? 20:21 - 4 - Are the menhaden, salmon, river shrimp and Gammarus in your Benefishal fish food farm-raised or wild caught? 21:02 - 5 - What is your reasoning behind not keeping Red Tails? 26:41 - 6 - How do I clear algae from my tank without using so many chemicals? 34:18 - 7 - What species of fish successfully use the mop heads to lay eggs? 36:18 - 8 - Can I use the waste away gel in my planted tank if I'm running CO2? 37:00 - 9 - Fish facts  39:16 - 10 Is there a probability for the sturgeon to get an infection on the wound from caviar removal?

Do you have a story to share about your pond or aquarium and extreme weather? Send us an email at info@drtimsaquatics.com Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:53 Intro   1:12  Things you should know about bacteria in aquariums  09:38 What products need the winter shipping kit 10:58 My product arrived and it's slushy. Is it still good? 11:20 What to do with a frozen or slushy product 17:16 My tank is cycled, but my livestock hasn't arrived 22:09 Waste Away Gels and the cold 25:45 Aquarium equipment and the cold 31:13 Koi ponds and the cold 32:31 Winter preparedness

Do you have a question? Send us an email at info@drtimsaquatics.com   Timestamps: 00:00 Start 1:14 - 1 -  During the cycling process, do I run my return pump and keep it running?  02:42 - 2 -  What size Waste-Away gel should I use in my Fluval 13.5? 05:51 - 3 - Day 25 of a fishless cycle. Am I cycled and do I need to do a 90% water change? 08:23 - 4 -  Do I turn off my return pump when I add one and only? When do I turn it back on? 09:20 - 5 - Day 8 of cycling with no changes, what's wrong? 12:54 - 6 - How much Waste-Away should I use and how often in my mixed reef? 17:24 - 7 - Can I use One and Only to soak the rocks and establish nitrifying bacteria culture after a crash?  18:44 - 8 - Tank is 6 mos old. 0 nitrate and phosphate, rapid increase in cyano and algae lately. Can I use EcoBalance and Waste-Away instead of Re-Fresh?  23:55 - 9 - Can I use one and only freshwater for a saltwater tank?

Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:35 Introduction 01:27 Basic Coral Morphology 02:11 Different Feeding Strategies 04:15 Autotrophy 06:30 Photosynthesis 15:25 Heterotrophy 17:27 Direct uptake of seawater 24:10 Corals and amino acids 24:36 Coral nitrogen budget 29:11 Feeding Brine Shrimp 31:50 Bacteria, its what corals want 35:26 External feeding    

Prescription Card for fishless cycling: https://www.drtimsaquatics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FishlessCycling_prescription_recipe_Nov23.pdf  Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:49 - 1 - Is it possible that the bacterial strains that are in One & Only have a higher affinity for certain kinds of substrates? Do you have a recommendation as to which media is best?   09:18 - 2 -  Help cycling a 112 gallon aquarium? Should I add more ammonia?  13:31 - 3 - Isn't a filter sock mechanical filtration?? 18:51 - 4 -You talk about heterotrophic and autotrophic bacteria. Can you talk about the different groups of bacteria, what they do, and which kinds are in each of your products?  25:35 - 5 -Can we do a fishless cycling method in a jar with used aquasoil...without a filter? 28:40 - 6 -Help dealing with a dino outbreak using Waste-Away Gels? 32:48 - 7 - Are the bacteria consuming Nitrates and Phosphates free swimming and not fixed ones? 35:11 - 8 -How about phosphate in our unfiltered tap water? Can promote algae growth as well? 39:38 - 9 - I have some discus fish they are not willing to eat, and some of them they eat but they are too skinny. I am providing them beef heart, Brine and blood worms via mixing with garlic and vitamins. What do you recommend? 44:52 - 10 -How much food should I feed my Flowerhorn?

Timestamps: 00:00 Start 1:52 - 1 - How much Only and Only would I need to get for a 100 gallon indoor stock tank with 8, 5 inch koi? How much product do I use for periodic water changes? Also, If I had to do a complete water change would that be like starting over and using the initial startup amount?  10:05 - 2 -  Do the biopellets need to be seeded with Waste-Away or Refresh? At what point during the algae removing recipe should I put the biopellet reactor online?  11:50 - 3 - Is it possible to put refresh, waste away and eco balance on an automatic doser with magnetic stirrers to mix it up prior to dosing? 15:51 - 4 - Cycling a 220g reef tank with rock and sand. I'm on day 6, do I add more ammonia?  24:47 - 5 - What is the difference between the freshwater and the pond/koi one and only? 25:54 - 6 - Fishless cycling a 20g tank. Should I do a water change if my ammonia is still high? 32:26 - 7 - Which of your products do you recommend to help lower nitrate? 36:23 - 8 - Can Ecobalance be used on a dosing pump splitting the dose daily? 39:02 - 9 - Is the one and only product good for just start ups or is it also good for just maintaining a tank? 43:15 - 10 - Does wrapping the tank in black plastic, with the goal of "preventing ANY lights" from getting into the tank include turning off my refugium light and wrapping it in plastic also?  

Article: https://www.drtimsaquatics.com/public-aquarium-and-aquaculture/nitrification-in-marine-aquaria/  Timestamps: 00:00 Start 3:30 Traditional view of Nitrification 5:28 What Bacteria Look like  8:29 Nitrification Classification 10:45 Winogradsky column 12:18 Microbiology 101  14:11 Culture Bias 17:41 Classic 2-Step Nitrification 26:15 Phylogenetics of Nitrifiers 34:29 Anammox 38:59 AOB-AOA Temperature Dependent 46:33 Comammox 51:19 Effect of Salinity

If you have any comments or questions, please email us at info@drtimsaquatics.com   Links: Dinoflagellates Prescription card PDF:  https://www.drtimsaquatics.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Dinoflagellates_prescription_recipe.pdf Mack's Reef Dinoflagellates Support Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/259474048655429/   Timestamps: 00:00 Start 03:09 - 1 In regards to cycling a tank, wouldn't putting the ammonia in first, before the One and Only, be best? 05:00 - 2 Rare fish and stubborn Dinos 07:18 - 3 What is the cockroach of the bacteria world? 10:58 - 4 How about phosphate in our unfiltered tap water? Can promote algae growth as well? 11:36 - 5 Once the bottle of Ammonium Chloride is open does it go bad? 14:52 - 6 One and Only and overwintering Koi in a bare bottom tank in the basement 17:30 - 7 Controlling nutrients in a 400 gallon reef tank. 26:43 - 8 Detailed instruction on how to use Waste Away to treat the Dinos in my 20 gallon reef 35:10 - 9 When should I turn my protein skimmer back on when using One and Only? 38:39 - 10 How to treat small cell amphidinium dinoflagellates using Waste-Away and Refresh? 42:08 - 11 Best treatment for dinos...waste away or dino treatment kit?      

This listener requested episode is about UV. If you have a topic you'd like to hear about or a question for Dr Tim, send us an email - info@drtimsaquatics.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:45 What UV stands for 06:25 What a UV is  06:56 UV lifetime 10:15 UV Exposure 12:23 What size and how long you should run a UV 16:17 When to run a UV 20:27 UV operation 25:04 Negative impacts of UV 28:01 UV and Bacterial additives, vitamins, and minerals 29:55 UV and diseases and pests

If you have questions you'd like answered, email us at info@drtimsaquatics.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Start 2:06 -1. Does your Waste-Away /Refresh formula work to get rid of diatoms in addition to dinoflagellates?  5:12 -2. Question on cycling- "13 days into Fishless cycling a 125g using Marco Rocks. 8:06 -5. Where to place Waste-Away Gel and what size to use? 10:37 - 6. How to fix elevated ammonia after a Rid Ich Treatment? 14:29 - 7. Is there such a thing as too many water changes? 19:27 - 8. How do I use your products to treat Lyngbya in my tank? 24:34 - 9. Botanicals and their relation to decay and biological oxygen demand?  31:39  - 10. One and Only for saltwater vs One and Only for reefs. Whats the difference? 32:09 - 11. Dr Tim, can you make a video talk about UV light?  32:54 - 12. Cycling question:  Day 15 on a new cycle after adding too many fish caused a spike and the tank crashed.

If you have an questions or topics you would like to hear about, send us an email- info@drtimsaquatics.com   Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:20  Introduction 1:48 How aquarium systems differ from septic systems 5:00 Why increased biodiversity is problematic 6:42 Bacteria and skimmers  11:37 Bacteria need a niche 12:25 Organic dosing makes cyano worse 16:10 Dinosaurs, bacteria, and changes 18:30 How to get rid of dinoflagellates 19:58 Invasive species 29:41 Island ecology 39:56 Nitrifiers hate petri dishes 

If you have questions you'd like answered, send us a message- info@drtimsaquatics.com Timestamps: 00:00 Start 4:28 - 1 Which 2 products from DTA are used for controlling dinoflagellates? 10:01 - 2  Does First Defense detoxify and remove the ammonia from tap water? 15:02 - 3 Why does One and Only have an expiration date and the other products don't? 18:16 - 4 Cycling a 55 gallon tank. 23:17 - 5 Is it safe to use gravel in a saltwater tank? 25:17 - 6 Day 5 into a fishless cycle and my nitrates are high! Is my tank cycling? 27:07 - 7 Do I need to turn my skimmer off when using Waste-Away Gels? If so, how long? 28:02 - 8 First Defense and Ecobalance in ATO reservoir, that's pumped through a kalk stirrer. 32:15 - 9 Hair algae in a 3 year old tank. Can I use Reef Flux and Waste Away together to fight it? 35:46 - 10 Cloudy water after feeding a boiled egg to a goldfish.  

If you have any questions about ponds or another topic, send us an email at info@drtimsaquatics.com Timestamps: 00:00 Start 02:02 Baby koi 3:12 Formal Ponds 3:34 Natural Ponds 4:48 Choosing your level of pond maintenance 8:43 UV's on Ponds 33:46 Duckweed 35:30 Releasing plants and fish

If you have a question, email it to us at info@drtimsaquatics.com Timestamps: 00:00 Start 5:00 Lake Altaussee / Walter Munk Foundation update 7:30 - 1. 120L freshwater cycling question. 11:27 - 2. Does your ammonium chloride go bad? 12:06 - 3. Is my One and Only still good? And is this a single dose regime or do I apply that same dose for the first 7 days?   Australian contact info: info@addicted2fish.com.au 13:18 - 4. Do I need to remove the pad with carbon during the cycling process? 15:00 - 5. Probiotics vs prebiotics 21:31 - 6. 5th week of saltwater aquarium and nitrite is approx 4. Can I use Echo Balance during this cycle? 23:52 - 7. Day 26 of a fishless cycle but the Nitrites spiked above 200. Not sure what I did wrong? 26:54 - 8. Which bacterial treatment I should use to help balance my tank after dealing with Dinos? 27:53 - 9. Can I plumb the reactor of NP-Active Pearls to the discharge side of my uv sterilizer? 29:22 - 10. Do you have a fish in tank cycling and necessary water readings for a 3gal, single betta? 33:06 - 11. Do Waste-Away Gel's work in brackish Aquarius as well? If so do I need freshwater or saltwater? 33:27 - 12. Does the nitrifying bacteria work with prime? 38:32 - 13. Which Proten LED do I need?

May question and answer episode. If you have a question you'd like answered, please send and email to info@drtimsaquatics.com  Timestamps 0:00 Start 1:25 -1 Fishless cycle on a new tank using media from an existing system. Will I see nitrite or just ammonia drop? Does the seasoned media instantly pull the ammonia out? 4:52 -2 Can I dose Eco-Balance and Waste Away in my ATO water supply? 11:35 -3 Are your products 3rd party tested? 13:12 -4 Foxface eating bits of Waste-Away Gels.. help 14:59 -5  Any suggestions on how I can improve the color of my SPS?  16:39 -6 Issues with a newly added 150g frag tank and when to use Waste-Away Gels  20:44 -7 Can I dose Eco-Balance during the treatment for Dinos or if I should dose it after?   22:42 -8  Ammonium chloride now showing up in test kits. 24:56 -9  No change after adding Ammonium Chloride solution to 2.0 mg.  26:50 -10 Issues with cycling a 100 gallon tank 29:34 -11 What if you use prime or something like that to detoxify the ammonia first before drip acclimating? And how should shrimp be acclimated? 31:50 -12 Reptile Systems- Where can I purchase replacement bulbs? 33:28 -13 Does Eco-Balance contain Iron?  33:55 -14 2 weeks into cycling, ammonia at 0, nitrites are 1+ and nitrates are 5. Should I do a water change?

If you have any questions or a podcast topic you would like us to cover send us an email- info@drtimsaquatics.com  Timestamps: 00:00 Start 2:17 Where does nitrate come from? 3:10 How do I reduce nitrate? 7:51 Denitrification pathway 8:17 Heterotrophic denitrification 11:15 Bacterial processes 11:35 Potential problems 13:24 Denitrification process 14:04 Organic substances 14:23 Heterotrophic pros and cons 15:47 Chemotrophic denitrification using sulfur 17:41 Potential problems 19:44 Chemotrophic pros and cons 22:15 Space needed and where to setup a filter 25:26 How often should I test my filter 28:49 The Key to making denitrification work 33:00 What aquariums need these

Links: Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans (WMFO): https://waltermunkfoundation.org/   Join us in supporting this research! : https://experiment.com/projects/establish-baseline-climate-science-to-support-sensitive-alpine-lake-ecological-management WMFO Instagram: @waltermunkfoundation   Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:59 Greg Sinnett Ph.D. 2:06 Walter Munk's Contributions to science 5:44 What does Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans have to do with DrTim's Aquatics? 6:25 The Canary in the Coal mine 8:43 Lake Altaussee 9:40 Fish in the Lake 10:59 Bathymetric study 14:12 2023 Research at Lake Altaussee 19:17 Lake turnover 27:37 Long term research efforts 33:00 Subterranean water input  

If you have a question for DrTim send us an email at info@drtimsaquatics.com Timestamps: 00:00 Start 1:03- 1- Why is there no drop in ammonia and no nitrites? 4:18- 2- Newly Cycled tank with dinos and cynos. Would you recommend just a few doses of refresh or refresh and one and only or something else to recolonize the biome of the tank?  7:04- 3- Is it normal for the nitrates to come down without doing a water change? 10:49- 4- Help! I messed up! I accidentally added freshwater one and only to my reef tank.  13:57- 5- What is the best way to get rid of this slime in my sump? 16:23- 6- When doing a weekly water change and adding first defense, do I dose for the entire tank volume or just the amount of new water added? 17:00- 7- Thoughts on mulm 20:32- 8- Can you do a podcast on sulfur nitrate reactors? 20:56- 9-  I have 0.5 ammonia in my fish tank. Can I add One and Only to my fish tank with fish on it? 21:24- 10- Will nitrifying bacteria take a hit at hypo levels of 1.009-1.010? 23:15- 11- I have dino. Will Waste-Away gels help without affecting my nitrates and phosphates? 25:52- 12- Using Metronidazole to treat dinos. 28:32- 13- Do I need to add bacteria after medicating sick fish? 29:39- 14- Do you ship to Canada? 30:57- 15- What if you use prime or something like that to detoxify the ammonia first before drip acclimating? And how should shrimp be acclimated?

Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 1:27 - 1. Can I use One and Only along with Eco-Balance in my new tank? 3:40 - 2.  Is it normal for a skimmer to go crazy after adding Waste-Away Gel? 5:05 - 3. Question about 19 days into a fishless cycle on a 120 gallon.  7:48 - 4. How long can the salt be stored for before it loses its values?  12:28 - 5. Can I use filter floss in place of a skimmer during the Re-fresh / Waste-Away treatment? 16:44 - 6. Fishless cycling should I add more ammonia?  18:28 - 7. Struggling with high phosphates. We've added GFO, but it always climbs back up. Do you have a bacteria that will help keep it down and stable?  24:56 - 8. How to dose Re-Fresh and Waste-Away to treat Cyano in a 100 gallon mixed reef? 29:43 -9. How do I Dose Beneficial Bacteria to control the algae? 37:43 -10. Is there bacteria in the salt? 39:37 -11. What should I expect from dosing Eco-Balance in the next 6-12 months from now? 46:51 -12. Do your products allow me to use my water from the house without filtering?

Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 5:55 Start 11:11 Dinos 13:55 How to raise nitrates and phosphates 19:11 Bacteria in the water column 20:26 Water from old tank into new tank  22:07 Growing Waste-Away 25:05 Types and Sizes of Waste-Away 26:53 Where to place gels 27:28 When to replace gels 28:02 Goo/slime on Gel 29:15 Are they reusable? 32:38 Best placement 37:34 Waste-Away gels with skimmers UVs 37:52 Overdosing Waste-Away Gel 38:17 Fresh vs saltwater Waste-Away Gel 39:03 Turtle, Shrimp, Planted tank Waste-Away Gel 43:46 Waste-Away to treat Cyanos and dinos

Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 1:59 What is sea salt? 7:26 Synthetic sea salt 12:14 Reef Evolution Sea Salt 17:26 Time to mix 21:45 IO/RC and how they compare to Reef Evolution 22:08 What's in Reef Evolution 26:45 Shipping and Packaging 32:42 Storage 34:46 Quality Analysis

Do you have a question for DrTim? Send us an email- info@drtimsaquatics.com    Timestamps: 00:00 - start 1:52 - 1 -  A month after adding One and Only my ammonia is still up and I have 0 nitrites/nitrates. Please help. 7:02 - 2- My local fish store sold me the live sand and a couple pieces of live rock with Dr. Tim's One and Only and said no need for fish yet or adding ammonia. They said it will take a few weeks to cycle. Will it cycle without adding fish or ammonia? 8:18 - 3- I'm cycling tanks, but when I add more ammonia the nitrite levels seem to spike really high the next day. Do I wait to see the nitrites go down or do a water change? I am worried the high nitrites will damage the bacteria. 11:19 - 4- My phosphate .09. I am using your Waste Away, and doing water changes weekly. I have mushroom and 5 fish. Is that reading ok? 13:08 - 5- Can I use Re-Fresh when I have snails and shrimp in my reef tank? 14:40 - 6- One and Only says you can add it after a water change. I just did a parameter check and my ammonia is at .50. Is it ok to add it with livestock in the tank? 17:25 -7- Does carbon need to be removed when using One and Only? 18:19 -8- Will I need to use bio pellets after The Refresh and Waste Away treatment? I have a very small Cyno carpet, bubble algae, dinos, and hair algae! 20:40 -9-  On a maintenance schedule of weekly dosing alternating Re-Fresh and Waste-Away. I'm experiencing a bacteria bloom. I do not run a skimmer or UV . Feed phyto every other day, have done regular (every 10-14 days) water changes. 24:08 -10- I have some of the One and Only on the way, I plan on just helping my nano cycle with Dr. Tim's, ocean direct sand, and rock. Will I still need to add ammonia? 32:06 -11- Why does tank size matter when adding One and Only? 33:47 -12- I like phosphate removers that are slower like GFO vs aluminum oxide based ones. Do you have more info on Phos-Eliminator PLUS? 35:06 -13- The aquasoil in my freshwater tank contains too much ammonia (10 ppm). Should I do a water change before adding One and Only? Any other tips while cycling fresh water tanks?

Timestamps: 00:00- Intro 00:42- Meet Dr. Sanders 3:31- Important factor in caring for a fish. 7:59- What to do if your fish is overweight. 8:51-Tumors in fish 10:30- Dosing the wrong thing 14:55- When should you call a fish vet 19:16- Caring for Koi 21:25- Quarantine- Why it's important and how you should do it 24:25- How to restart after a wipeout 29:15- Signs to look for 31:02- Fish CPR 34:23- How long can you use a filter 36:16- How to clean your filter   Resources: Aquatic Veterinary Services:    www.cafishvet.com Find a Fish Vet:  (US)                www.fishvets.org                        : (International)  www.wavma.org

Timestamps: 00:00 2:25 -1. Will I actually be able to see the bacteria swimming around as little tiny white things? 4:27 - 2. Can I dose hydrogen peroxide in conjunction with Re-fresh/Waste-Away at night for control over dinos? 6:23 - 3. I just added one & only to my marine fishless cycle Nano tank. Nitrite at 2.ppm & Ammonia at .25. Will this inhibit bacteria conversion & growth for a 6 day cycle?  8:42 - 4. I am currently cycling a tank that has about 2 ppm of ammonia, no nitrites and no nitrates.Should I add the one and only right now, or should I use a tiny bit of the ammonium chloride to raise the levels? 11:45 - 5. Should I regularly dose One and Only on an established tank? 14:01 - 6. What water temperature is optimal for the freshwater One and Only bacteria? 16:11 -7. Is "First Defense" safe for snails, shrimp and plants? 17:09 - 8. I accidentally purchased a freshwater waste gel. Can I use it in my saltwater tank? 17:58 - 9. Can you provide some guidance as to how much of each EXTRA to add when making one tray of food? 22:50 - 10. How to add Selcon to Bene-FISH-al food to treat HLLE in tangs? 25:50 - 11. Do you have cycling bacteria for colder saltwater tanks? (less than 65°F) How does the process differ from tropical tanks? 32:11- 12. Can I rinse it off good and keep using it or throw it away?   33:02 - 13. I have ordered One and Only twice now from Amazon and both times receive Eco- Balance. If you have any questions, submit them to info@drtimsaquatics.com 

Timestamps: 00:00 -Intro 1:38 -  Phosphate spike that lead to slime. Dosing Re-fresh and Waste-Away. Should I continue with waste away or refresh? 4:11- I am currently treating my fish with antibiotics. How long and how often should I be using the first defense? 7:08 -  SPS reef using Waste-Away Gels that caused an outbreak and coral death.  10:06 - After dosing Re-Fresh and Waste-Away I still have lots of cyano. Can I start the treatment process over? 11:40 - If I dose more one and only bacteria does it affect the cycle time? 17:35 - Re-Fresh /Waste-Away/ Eco-Balance maintenance vs intervention 22:26 - Would your Dino treatment have any effect on algae Barn's Ecopods? 22:54 - What is the proper way to dispose of excess Ammonium Chloride solution? 23:29 - Shrimp safety and dosing ammonia to grow bacteria colony  25:39 - Viability of product frozen on arrival after being left on truck.  28:08 - Tap water, Gh and Kh 34:10 - Do roller filters remove bacteria? Does it need to be temporarily turned off? 35:47 - What temperature water is Waste Away effective for ponds? As the water is getting cooler due to the change of seasons, when should I stop adding Waste Away? 

Join us as we talk about the history of aquarium keeping, how things have changed (Did you know you used to be able to buy fish in department stores), what they are now, and ideas on what the future of fish keeping will be like. 

Timestamps:  00:00 Intro 2:03 What material is Re-Mover PLUS? 2:35 Ammonia- 1 drop or 4 drops per gallon? 4:47 Cycling question about a 20 gallon tank. 8:12 How much One and Only to dose on a 10 gallon.  9:29 Can you explain the concept of pre-filters? 10:53 Bare bottom tank with nitrate and phosphate issues. 12:38 Freshwater Cycling question. 14:41 What are optimal conditions for nitrifying bacteria? 16:31 Can I dose Waste Away and Eco-Balance without a skimmer?  19:37 How do I Fishless cycle if I have plants in the tank?  20:15 Re-Fresh/ Waste-Away treatments for a 240 saltwater.  22:37 Cycling a 125gallon tank for a Tiger Oscar. 24:16 Can saltwater Waste-Away be used with saltwater Eco-Balance?   24:53  Can I add ammonium chloride to a system that already houses fish?  28:04 Can the bio beads work for freshwater Cichlid tank? (https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/nitrate-reduction-using-dr-tims-np-active-pearls-in-freshwater.518628/ ) 30:24 Are the Waste-Away gels supposed to disappear over time? 31:15 How much ammonia to dose in a Red Sea Reefer 350. 32:27 Battling dinos with Waste-Away and Re-Fresh 34:27 I have an AIO w/o a skimmer. Is that Ok? 36:10 German Blue Rams in a 10 gallon quarantine tank.

Timestamps: 00:00 Start 1:34 Intro 3:59 Introduction to bacteria 5:20 Autotrophs 6:02 Heterotrophs 12:33 Purple Non Sulfate Bacteria 25:57 PNSB 28:55 Nitrifiers crash 29:14 Corals eat Biofilm 32:46 Fuels

During this Q&A episode Dr. Tim answers the following questions: Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:26 - 1 - Do I need a skimmer when using waste away? 3:19 - 2 - Recognizing unfriendly bacteria, what beneficial bacteria are, and how do we promote the good ones? 7:04 - 3 - Help with cycling a 25 gallon reef tank. 10:04 - 4 - What is EPS? 12:10 - 5 - Suspended bio-media placement question.  14:05 -6 - TAN or Ammonia? Questions for BRS and MACNA videos. 22:14 - 7 - What is the concentration of ammonia in Ammonium Chloride this product? 25:51 - 8 - I accidentally used freshwater One and Only in my saltwater tank. Will this cause any harm? 27:05 - 9 - With the Color up program should I be adding aeration to the solution or to my tank? If the solution how long for? 29:44 - 10 - Can I use Spring Water or Distilled Water? Can I cycle my tank by your method with a bagged ceramic media, sponge filter and bagged carbon? How much One and Only should I be adding? 35:18 - 11 - I have been using First Defense for dechlorination. When would I use AquaCleanse? 36:41 - 12 - Recommendations for short and long term planning for a successful Cichlid tank.  

This episode of the DrTim's Aquarium podcast, we talk about planted tanks.  Timestamp:  00:00 Start 1:38 What is a planted tank 4:11 Cycling a planted tank 6:32 Order of placing things in the tank 9:11 C02 and pH 12:50 Setup steps recap 18:53 Small fish and cycling a planted tank 22:48 Trimming a planted tank 23:15 Time it takes to establish a planted tank  23:32 Linden Method  27:20 Cichlids and planted tanks 29:40 Pest control 30:34 Alum Dip = 1 tablespoon alum per 1 gallon of water 31:24 Shrimp and planted tanks  34:43 Waste-Away for planted tanks  37:00 Troubleshooting for planted tanks 40:08 Laterite 42:25 Enjoying your tank

October Q & A part 2   Timestamp: 0:00 Intro 0:45 - Freshwater tank with high nitrates that won't go away. 3:00 - Where to add the bacteria in an aquaponics system and how long to let them settle. 11:58 - Freshwater aquarium questions from a beginner- plants an fishless cycling, delays before adding fish, and One and Only uses and storage. 18:30 - How to use Eco-Balance in place of Microbactor7 to fight dinoflagellates? 23:22 - One and Only, Waste-Away, or Re-Fresh to help fight stringy, white slime bacteria in a saltwater tank. 30:25 - Is my tank cycling? My ammonia levels aren't doing anything. 35:59 - How do I know my tank is cycling? 40:50 -Cycling a tank using RODI and having low pH in a planted tank. 

October Q & A part 1.   Time Stamps: 0:00 Intro 1:10 - LFS questions about the Fishless cycle card 13:48 - In the midst of an ammonia spike have I killed off the nitrifying bacteria?  21:00 -I accident spiked my ammonia to 5 ppm on day one of the fishless cycle... 25:55 - Using a powder to mix my own Ammonia chloride solution. 32:12 -Did you change the formula of First Defense? 34:18 - Question on cycling and the science behind it. 36:51 - Question about fishless cycling in a 100g rubbermaid planted tank. 39:17 - Which version of the one and only do I use in brackish water? 40:20 - What's the difference between the one and only for reef and saltwater? 41:30 -I bought the freshwater eco balance by mistake. Can I still use the product in a reef tank? 42:58 - I accidentally got the freshwater BeneFISHal instead of the saltwater. Can I still use it? 46:45 - I'm wondering if I have an imbalance where my nitrates are too low?  I have medium amounts of green hair algae on my sand and rock, green turf algae, and very small amounts of bryopsis.

Dr Tim answers your questions!  Timestamps: 0:00 start 5:49 - Do I add the Beneficial Bacteria only on the First day... or throughout the entire cycling process? 10:38 -The bottle of bacteria delivered by Amazon was extremely hot. Do you think the bacteria was dead? What should I do? 19:16 - Cycling my new tank Redsea XL525 with One and Only but I'm not going to be able to add fish until day 25. Do I continue to dose ammonia? 21:31 - When using one and only do I still need to use a water conditioner? 25:30 - Issues cycling a 20g freshwater tank w/ 2 guppies 31:35 - Issues cycling advice on a 54 g tank on a fishless cycle 12 days ago.  36:02 - Issues cycling a 55g planted tank and ammonia readings that won't go down.  42:57 - Fish in cycle while using Ich-X  46:27 - I use the Waste-Away gel and want to know if I have to remove it for 24 hrs before dosing Re-Fresh? If you have any questions, please comment or send us a message- info@drtimsaquatics.com 

Have you heard about the new ASF products? This podcast will give you an overview of what you can expect to see this fall and next spring.  Timestamp:  00:00 Intro 0:28 ASF 2:26 New Pumps 9:37 Pump thermal protection 10:27 Wavemakers 15:30 NJMx Pumps 17:22 Salt 23.:25 Reef Shots 30:11 Liquid Additives 30:33 Powder Additives 31:41 Proten LED's 40:31 ASF Test Kits

Dr. Tim answers your questions! Timestamps: 00:00 Start 1:15- 1"Is it better to add Waste Away to a reef setup once a week,or better to split and dose half twice a week? How long do I need to turn off the skimmer?  5:39-2 How to use Waste-Away and Re-Fresh on my 24 gallon tank. 7:32- 3 "I will be completing the cycle soon, but won't be able to get fish for another 2 weeks, do I continue to dose 2ppm ammonia and how often?" 8:49- 4 "Is it normal for the pH be low during fishless cycling?" 12:01- 5 54g tank on a fishless cycle with high nitrites and nitrates. 16:17-6 ReFresh and sea cucumbers. 17:31-7 "Do I need to remove the floss when cycling?" 18:01-8 "I treated my "milky" tank 24 hours ago with Clear Up, but there has been no change. Can you advise?" 21:43- 9 Fishless cycle and when to use a water conditioner.  23:12-10 "I just received a fishless cycle kit and it was really warm when I got it. Is it still ok?" 27:14- 11 I'm going to use your products to fight Dino, but I'm confused about the waste away and refresh product, there is two versions of them which you recommend? 30:33- 12  I'm on day 5 of a fishless cycle and was wondering if it would interrupt cycle if I added a small amount of dry rock to the tank at this point? 31:13- 13 A 3 week old, 210g tank, with cichlids and nitrites is about 1.0. Is your product still at work getting those nitrites converted into nitrates? 32:52- 14 "Am I able to use the one and only bacteria and nutri seawater?" 34:04- 15  Spike in numbers on Day 10 after adding live sand. Should I do a water change? 36:09- 16 Fishless cycle, with Dr.Tim's ammonia and nitrifying bacteria. After a few days my ammonia is 0 and I am not seeing any nitrates or nitrites. Am I supposed to dose with more ammonia or for nitrites to show up? I have a planted tank with gravel at the bottom. Very hard water, relatively alkaline. I've kept the temperature over 80."