My stay at home tank move - Cycling question

[ToledoTang]

I've been in the hobby for a number of years but I have a question on cycling my new set up. I have a 125 upstairs with the sump in the basement. I have decided to take down my 125 and build two frag tanks in the basement instead. The total volume of the new set up is 110 gallons. I have about 150 lbs of live rock that I put in the new tank along with new dry crushed coral and aragonite that has been thoroughly rinsed.

I would prefer not to use any of my fish to cycle the tank with in order to keep them healthy. My initial thought when I started planning this was to buy a shrimp and use that but with the stay at home order, I'm not too excited to leave the house for 1 shrimp. I have a 500 ml bottle of Brightwell Aquatics MicroBacter 7. Can I use that to cycle the tank without a dead shrimp or fish? Can I add a cube or two of frozen brine shrimp instead? I anticipate the cycle to be short with the amount of good cured live rock but I am not familiar with the MicroBacter 7 or not using fish the cycle the tank.

 

[pinnatus]

Did you take the rock directly from your existing cycled and operating 125? If so you should not have to cycle at all.

 

[Sk8r]

I agree: live rock should do it. I never, ever use a fish to cycle. I just toss in 3 or 4 flakes of fishfood daily until I see ammonia ---and keep doing it until I don't. Works like a charm. But also please read my post on TIME, over in New To The Hobby.

 

[HumbleFish]

Did you take the rock directly from your existing cycled and operating 125? If so you should not have to cycle at all.

Maybe just a mini-cycle from disturbing the bacteria. But that should only last a few days and it's nothing a bottle of Prime can't fix.

 

[ToledoTang]

Thanks guys! Yes, I took the live rock from my existing cycled tank. I will try the adding food trick and test until I don't see ammonia.

 

[pinnatus]

I suspect you’ll never see ammonia.