jfl14609
Active member
key there kat is Live rock thats the key I would never use dead rock to set up a tank
Question on starting a cycle
- Thread starter mreye23
- Start date
key there kat is Live rock thats the key I would never use dead rock to set up a tank
mr86mister
Saltaholic
Was the rock you put in when you first started completely dried out? If it wasn't and you started the new tank with it the dieing material will release ammonia into the water and sort of start a small cycle in itself. Check your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels to see if there is anything going on. If you are starting to see some nitrate that means the bacteria has already started and you can have a cycled tank soon and you can stock it slowly as you would normally.
Conesus_Kid
Premium Member
Although it will be very slow, you will eventually get a cycle with your "dead" rock, as nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria will find their way into your aquarium.
In the freshwater world, fishless cycling has become more popular, and I don't see why it wouldn't work in your aquarium.
Try a Google search on 'fishless cycling'. Basically, you add a bit of unscented household ammonia to the aquarium. You initially test your water for ammonia and nitrites. Once you see the ammonia levels go down and the nitrite rising, that means your nitrifying bacteria population is growing. You continually add a specific amount of the ammonia each day to the aquarium, building up the bacteria population.
After a bit, you start testing for nitrates. When you see them go up, that means your cycle is completing. You will eventually reach a point where you add ammonia one day and it's gone the next, converted to nitrite, and then nitrate by the bacteria.
The nice thing about this is that you get a really good bacteria population built up and you're able to stock more organisms than you normally would following the traditional cycling method.
I'll add my disclaimer here: I've never used this method on a reef aquarium; only freshwater. Since I've always started my reef aquariums with live rock, there was already a bacteria and nitrogen source.
Perhaps someone else here may have tried this or could speak to it.
Good luck!
In the freshwater world, fishless cycling has become more popular, and I don't see why it wouldn't work in your aquarium.
Try a Google search on 'fishless cycling'. Basically, you add a bit of unscented household ammonia to the aquarium. You initially test your water for ammonia and nitrites. Once you see the ammonia levels go down and the nitrite rising, that means your nitrifying bacteria population is growing. You continually add a specific amount of the ammonia each day to the aquarium, building up the bacteria population.
After a bit, you start testing for nitrates. When you see them go up, that means your cycle is completing. You will eventually reach a point where you add ammonia one day and it's gone the next, converted to nitrite, and then nitrate by the bacteria.
The nice thing about this is that you get a really good bacteria population built up and you're able to stock more organisms than you normally would following the traditional cycling method.
I'll add my disclaimer here: I've never used this method on a reef aquarium; only freshwater. Since I've always started my reef aquariums with live rock, there was already a bacteria and nitrogen source.
Perhaps someone else here may have tried this or could speak to it.
Good luck!
dreaminmel
New member
When I moved the 125 to the archway last year I started it with mostly dry, dead Marco rocks and two pieces of live rock. Worked just fine for me.
dreaminmel
New member
Well... perhaps but ideally I'd suggest seeding the rock with a couple pieces of nice live rock and then seeding the sand bed with a cup or two of live sand. That's just the way I like to do it though. 
superkat
Premium Member
thanks kat....
i will support my friends ALL DAY LONG. :beer:
Just my take here but liverock tends to all look the same after awhile.Dominated by coralline algae and colonized by bateria.Ive had some of the best liverock as far as what diversity was there (carribean rock opened in 93'-94')and in time certain sp.just dominate.There are numerous accounts and articles of why this happens if anyone is interested in searching them out.
Imo, saving some money and using mostly dried rock and adding some good quality pieces to seed it works for me. Sand ,I feel the same way about, with a couple cups of live (i.e.- small brittle stars, bacteria,pods ect)if you can get it from a local reefers tank does just as well.The bacteria are going to colonize regarless and can be built up from there.
FWIW-Ron Shimeck showed at WMAC or Macna 98-99 where Marlin Atkinson and Craig Bingman presented analysis of synthethic sea salts(sorry best memory here)Ron demonstrated where bacteria populations could be built up to such - what would be the equivalent of a Mc'donalds bigmac could be processed per day.With Nitrate undetecable.
Lastly I would not purchase from Inland Aquatics one of there pod or culture starter kits. I did this once and what arrived was a baggie with about 2 tbsp of sediment with not much more ,visably than amphipods, copepods and 2 bristleworms.The price was about 100 bucks shipped.Ripoff.
Imo, saving some money and using mostly dried rock and adding some good quality pieces to seed it works for me. Sand ,I feel the same way about, with a couple cups of live (i.e.- small brittle stars, bacteria,pods ect)if you can get it from a local reefers tank does just as well.The bacteria are going to colonize regarless and can be built up from there.
FWIW-Ron Shimeck showed at WMAC or Macna 98-99 where Marlin Atkinson and Craig Bingman presented analysis of synthethic sea salts(sorry best memory here)Ron demonstrated where bacteria populations could be built up to such - what would be the equivalent of a Mc'donalds bigmac could be processed per day.With Nitrate undetecable.
Lastly I would not purchase from Inland Aquatics one of there pod or culture starter kits. I did this once and what arrived was a baggie with about 2 tbsp of sediment with not much more ,visably than amphipods, copepods and 2 bristleworms.The price was about 100 bucks shipped.Ripoff.
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