Question on starting a cycle
- Thread starter mreye23
- Start date
GMaquarium
New member
while cycling an aquarium you want nitrifying bacteria to populate the tank. You can use some frozen food to fuel the bacteria but you still have to introduce it to the tank. Get live rock.
superkat
Premium Member
i'm sorry...i'm laughing at this...cause i can just picture you sitting there watching a tiny chromis swim around in that HUGE tank and going....GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
lcs
It's Spring!!!!!!!
G has it right. If you don't want to add anymore rock, you could seed it with some sand from an established tank. Assuming you're not going bare bottom. And use fish food, a shrimp from Wegmans, whatever, to feed the bacteria. I wouldn't use a fish, it's mean to the fish and like kat said, what do you do with the damsel when he starts to become a PITA?
superkat
Premium Member
bumping question...G? Jeff? what's a good amount to help seed that tank?
eugeneK
slacker
I just cycled my 55g with all BRD dead rock. here is what I did:
~~Temp 79, no lights, no water changes until finish, skimmer on
Day 1, filled with water
Day 3, Got some sand from tanks at , CF, TRS, ABC, and a member's tank and put it in a plastic container in my sump
Day 6, added a cocktail shrimp to the sump in a stocking on a string
Day 8 took shrimp out because it smelled so bad
from this point on i added about 1/2 lb of cycled liverock rubble and kinda destributed throughout the tank to speed up the process. Got the rock from TRS ( cost me like $3) and i got small clean pieces to avoid hitchhikers.
Day 9, Started testing, and noticed ammonia spike also went to PetCo and purchased bacteria culture Just for a good measure. Added a pinch of food pellets to the tank to get enough decay.
Day 16, Ammonia was gone and Nitrites were sky high
Day 25, all was leveled and Nitrates were about 10-15 so I did a massive 30% water change
Day 26, tossed some pellets in to test for ammonia spike
Day 27 measured for ammonia, and nitrites and there were none
Day 30 started adding cleanup crew and other lifestock, no sign of diatoms or algae, lights went on.
started adding lifestock after that, everything is stable, about 4 days ago I finally got a diatom bloom and it was gone in 4 days and now hair algae is showing up in some spots ( part of normal cycle).
hope this helps cause i searched everytwhere for a guide like this wen I did it
Edit- Kat, to answer your question, the more LR you get the faster the cycle would be, I did 1/2 lb per 50+lb i have in there, and I bet if you add 10lb to your 120 you'll cycle in 3 weeks or so.
~~Temp 79, no lights, no water changes until finish, skimmer on
Day 1, filled with water
Day 3, Got some sand from tanks at , CF, TRS, ABC, and a member's tank and put it in a plastic container in my sump
Day 6, added a cocktail shrimp to the sump in a stocking on a string
Day 8 took shrimp out because it smelled so bad
from this point on i added about 1/2 lb of cycled liverock rubble and kinda destributed throughout the tank to speed up the process. Got the rock from TRS ( cost me like $3) and i got small clean pieces to avoid hitchhikers.
Day 9, Started testing, and noticed ammonia spike also went to PetCo and purchased bacteria culture Just for a good measure. Added a pinch of food pellets to the tank to get enough decay.
Day 16, Ammonia was gone and Nitrites were sky high
Day 25, all was leveled and Nitrates were about 10-15 so I did a massive 30% water change
Day 26, tossed some pellets in to test for ammonia spike
Day 27 measured for ammonia, and nitrites and there were none
Day 30 started adding cleanup crew and other lifestock, no sign of diatoms or algae, lights went on.
started adding lifestock after that, everything is stable, about 4 days ago I finally got a diatom bloom and it was gone in 4 days and now hair algae is showing up in some spots ( part of normal cycle).
hope this helps cause i searched everytwhere for a guide like this wen I did it
Edit- Kat, to answer your question, the more LR you get the faster the cycle would be, I did 1/2 lb per 50+lb i have in there, and I bet if you add 10lb to your 120 you'll cycle in 3 weeks or so.
It works, but its antiquated and unneccesary. I don't understand the point of putting a fish into a semi poisonous environment just because its hardy enough to survive(sometimes) and relatively cheap. The same can be done with some liverock and a table shrimp or by ghost feeding the tank for a week or so.
jfl14609
Active member
if I were to do it in a tank that size I would put a few cups and I would add a green chromis. but that being said if there is no live rock its going to be a looooong cycle. this is the tank that you added water a while ago to right so the water is semi stable so it can handle a fish right
EllieSuz
Premium Member
The practice of using a live fish of any kind to start a cycle is old fashioned thinking and just simply not done anymore by anyone in the know. If for no other reason than you have to tear down the tank to catch a stray unwanted fish, it's just a bad practice. Leaving a Damsel in a tank is asking for a trouble maker somewhere down the road when it terrorizes the fish you really want to keep. Stick an uncooked shrimp in part of a stocking tied to a long string, so you can remove it as needed. Then it's time to start testing for ammonia. Good luck!
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