HOW TO SET UP A TANK, condensed verions (retitled)
- Thread starter Sk8r
- Start date
technerd3000
New member
Thank you so much! This post is so helpful to bring the big picture together. As a researching newbie, it's easy to get lost in the details, specifics, and opinions. Thank you!
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godfather87
New member
great amount of info in this thread, everyone should look over threads like this from time to time in case there is an issue that may slip your mind for its solution.
byronsands
Member
Sk8r, great thread... I have been out of the hobby since early 2006 and much has changed -- and I'm realizing I never learned that much even back then... I'm encountering some things I never knew.
1. I'm in the process of bringing up/cycling an in-wall 450gal DT with a 125gal refug and a 125gal sump (150g Rubbermaid stock tanks): to calc water change volume, do I only count the 450g?? I was expecting to have to do a 70g water change weekly, but 45g would be much simpler....
2. in trying to understand the cycling process better, would a tank with dry rock, LR, sand ,etc eventually cycle even if no food were added or is the food a catalyst required to initiate the process?
edited note: I just reread what I posted -- thought I saw "do not count the sump", but just noticed I mentally added something I wanted to see -- so it is 70g per change??
Last edited:
byronsands
Member
Has my tank cycled?? seems unlikely to me, but??
I have just setup a 450g DT, 125 refug, 125 sump... I setup the refug & sump while the DT was being built, put only 50lbs of LR in the sump and had the water looping between the sump and refug while waiting on the DT which was to be 6 weeks out. A problem in mfg of the DT caused a reset so that it was 4 weeks late being delivered -- the refug to sump had been looping for 10 weeks by then.
DT arrived and I installed it, created aquascaping using BRS Pukani, Eco dry rock (300lbs) and Argonite sand (200lbs) , drained everything and filled the entire system with straight well water to leak test. Another 2 weeks. Drained all of that and began to refill system with 700g RODI water at 35ppt -- took about 5 days because I was only making about 120g RODI per day. Added 100lbs of dry rock to refug that was not used in the aquascaping.
The short of it -- 1 week after having the system up correctly and feeding "ghost guppies" for 4 days, I have still seen 0 Ammonia, essentially 0 Nitrate (< 5 - lowest Value on test chart) or Nitrite (0.01). pH 8.2, Ca 380, Alk 6.8 (low)
BTW, I was running the skimmer, GFO & Carbon reactors during the 10 weeks before the DT -- and I never bother to test the water before installing the DT because I was waiting for the DT to get serious.
Question: Is it possible that the system has already cycled before I refilled it or do I just need to wait another week or so to see ammonia begin to rise??? btw, a greenish algae has been growing on the Pukani for the past 4 or 5 days.
I have just setup a 450g DT, 125 refug, 125 sump... I setup the refug & sump while the DT was being built, put only 50lbs of LR in the sump and had the water looping between the sump and refug while waiting on the DT which was to be 6 weeks out. A problem in mfg of the DT caused a reset so that it was 4 weeks late being delivered -- the refug to sump had been looping for 10 weeks by then.
DT arrived and I installed it, created aquascaping using BRS Pukani, Eco dry rock (300lbs) and Argonite sand (200lbs) , drained everything and filled the entire system with straight well water to leak test. Another 2 weeks. Drained all of that and began to refill system with 700g RODI water at 35ppt -- took about 5 days because I was only making about 120g RODI per day. Added 100lbs of dry rock to refug that was not used in the aquascaping.
The short of it -- 1 week after having the system up correctly and feeding "ghost guppies" for 4 days, I have still seen 0 Ammonia, essentially 0 Nitrate (< 5 - lowest Value on test chart) or Nitrite (0.01). pH 8.2, Ca 380, Alk 6.8 (low)
BTW, I was running the skimmer, GFO & Carbon reactors during the 10 weeks before the DT -- and I never bother to test the water before installing the DT because I was waiting for the DT to get serious.
Question: Is it possible that the system has already cycled before I refilled it or do I just need to wait another week or so to see ammonia begin to rise??? btw, a greenish algae has been growing on the Pukani for the past 4 or 5 days.
moalvarez66
New member
Nice tank byronsands! After almost 8 years tankless I am getting a 50 gal next month but now it looks too small after seeing your setup!! Maybe you are not seeing any signs of ammonia because you are running a big skimmer, also if the rocks were cured and the water is coming from an established tank you won't have a visible cycle on your tank.Has my tank cycled?? seems unlikely to me, but??
I have just setup a 450g DT, 125 refug, 125 sump... I setup the refug & sump while the DT was being built, put only 50lbs of LR in the sump and had the water looping between the sump and refug while waiting on the DT which was to be 6 weeks out. A problem in mfg of the DT caused a reset so that it was 4 weeks late being delivered -- the refug to sump had been looping for 10 weeks by then.
DT arrived and I installed it, created aquascaping using BRS Pukani, Eco dry rock (300lbs) and Argonite sand (200lbs) , drained everything and filled the entire system with straight well water to leak test. Another 2 weeks. Drained all of that and began to refill system with 700g RODI water at 35ppt -- took about 5 days because I was only making about 120g RODI per day. Added 100lbs of dry rock to refug that was not used in the aquascaping.
The short of it -- 1 week after having the system up correctly and feeding "ghost guppies" for 4 days, I have still seen 0 Ammonia, essentially 0 Nitrate (< 5 - lowest Value on test chart) or Nitrite (0.01). pH 8.2, Ca 380, Alk 6.8 (low)
BTW, I was running the skimmer, GFO & Carbon reactors during the 10 weeks before the DT -- and I never bother to test the water before installing the DT because I was waiting for the DT to get serious.
Question: Is it possible that the system has already cycled before I refilled it or do I just need to wait another week or so to see ammonia begin to rise??? btw, a greenish algae has been growing on the Pukani for the past 4 or 5 days.
byronsands
Member
thanks... but the water is not coming from an established tank. Everything was drained and I started over with new 700g of 35 ppt RODI water. idk if the skimmer would effect it or not, but I did shut it and the GFO reactor off after reading Sk8r sticky about the "ghost guppy" method and started that process about 5 days ago...
now I trying to figure out what the data that I'm seeing means...
btw, I shut my last tank down in early 2006 -- and it was a 180g that I never got on top of
Was still trying to understand it when I shut it down to move. After settling in at our final location here and completing the 2 yr build of our new home, we are bringing up this tank -- I think I have the system right mechanically, now if I only knew how to maintain it operationally :headwally:byronsands
Member
I must have caught everyone on vacation or just worded my questions too poory to move anyone to a response...
since ammonia and nitrate have stayed 0 for the week I've been chunking in "ghost guppy" food, I will take a flyer on the tank has somehoe cycled and go buy a handful of snails this evening to chunk 'em in and see how they do... hopefully I dont just kill 'em (but more algae is showing up)... that would not be eco friendly... I think I will turn turn GFO reactor back on tonight as well.
since ammonia and nitrate have stayed 0 for the week I've been chunking in "ghost guppy" food, I will take a flyer on the tank has somehoe cycled and go buy a handful of snails this evening to chunk 'em in and see how they do... hopefully I dont just kill 'em (but more algae is showing up)... that would not be eco friendly... I think I will turn turn GFO reactor back on tonight as well.
finfan13
New member
Looking for a little advice on setting up my 60gal tank. My question is rock, dry vs.live and also "seeding". With the big price diff could I do mostly dry rock with a small amount of live rock? If so how much live rock? Also aquariumarts.com had what they called prime cured live rock, already cycled and ready for tank. But at $10LB is it worth it? Could I get away with buying 10-15lbs and seeding it on the dry rock? Thanks
iced98lx
New member
Yes. You can 100% "Get away" with buying lots of dry rock.
It will take a bit longer to cycle but IMHO the upside is not just the $$$ but you're not bringing a bunch of (Potentially) hazardous hitch hikers in with the live rock.
redslick305
Member
this thread was very helpful being that i am redoing my tank the right way this weekend thanks alot SK8r
