Cycle tank before TBS?

[roper512]

Hey all!

I am going to be setting up a nano reef tank for my desk at work and was planning on getting TBS package.. I was curious though, is it okay to cycle the tank before I ever got any TBS? Would this help keep everything on the first shipment of the package alive?

I guess my main reason for asking this is due to bad weather and not even being on a queue I could expect at least several month wait before I got any TBS, which is plenty of time to fully cycle a tank by another means

Plus, in the event that I got some nice sensitive hitchikers in the first shipment they could also survive..

Thanks!
Adam

 

[patsan]

Adam,
You'll most probably have a cycle even if you did have a tank all set up and cycled first. Whenever you add some LR to a tank, unless it is fully cured and put into the tank immediately, you'll have a cycle...even if it's a mini one.
You never know if any of the sponges that come on the TBS will die. If that happens, your ammonia readings will go thru the roof.
Hopefully the weather will clear up for them. I know we keep saying this. But one of these days it just HAS to....and they'll be able to dive a lot and get all their orders out without having to wait months for it.

 

[roper512]

Ah okay thanks Patsan.. I kinda figured that. I was thinking in the car about it, and realized that if you all of a sudden put a bunch of living stuff in a new tank the parameters are gonna go crazy