Saltwater cycling ( Newb to salt!)

[necrio]

Okay, so a few days ago I got some live rock from a friend for like 2 bucks a lb. They are a few years old with coraline all over them. Really beautiful! He was breaking down his 90 because he is moving.

Today, I just got my first fish ( A nemo ). Very beautiful little guy.

When I bought the fish, the LFS told me to let the tank cycle and do its thing for about a month ~Then~ do a water change. Back when I started FW in the start of the year, I was told to do WC about every week so things don't build up.

I havent looked too much yet, but is this the proper way to cycle a saltwater tank or can I continue with my old ways and do water changes when levels get higher.

 

[carlosngloria]

The proper way is to not use a live fish for cycling your tank. You should use something that will basically rot to start the cycle

 

[necrio]

Yeah, I understand that much. But this rock is pretty much cycled. It came from a tank with 2 fish in it, much larger than my little nemo. Thus, it had minimum die off waiting for a new food source after a couple days.
That is just the way I look at it. Could be crazy though.

 

[xpcgamer]

Your tank will go thru a small cycle anyway. Check water Parameters weekly till everything reads Zero PPM.

 

[nivram]

Tell us more about your tank? What kind of clownfish did you get? Do you own any test kits? You'll want to monitor ammonia, nitrate and phosphate to determine if and when your tank is cycled. If you don't get some.

And yes water changes are generally recommend.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[necrio]

Tell us more about your tank? What kind of clownfish did you get? Do you own any test kits? You'll want to monitor ammonia, nitrate and phosphate to determine if and when your tank is cycled. If you don't get some.

And yes water changes are generally recommend.

Welcome to the forum.

Thanks. Love this place, by far some of the best information I've learned is from these forums. I normally hate signing up and dealing with forums, but I just think it be a good idea for this one time.

Nemo is a normal O ( Can't spell the name ) clown. 19 bucks at the store. He is really tiny. So cute.

I do not own kits because I can get my water tested for free at petsmart and stuff. When I first was in the hobby, i was there nearly everyday with freshwater stuff. So, they just give me whatever I need. They usually give me FW fry/snails, anything I want to feed my FW fish.

I planned on doing water changes. I just thought it was silly idea to "let the tank go through its thing ~Then~ do a WC ". Why would I want to hurt my fish like that? :fun2:

 

[nivram]

Thanks. Love this place, by far some of the best information I've learned is from these forums. I normally hate signing up and dealing with forums, but I just think it be a good idea for this one time.

Nemo is a normal O ( Can't spell the name ) clown. 19 bucks at the store. He is really tiny. So cute.

I do not own kits because I can get my water tested for free at petsmart and stuff. When I first was in the hobby, i was there nearly everyday with freshwater stuff. So, they just give me whatever I need. They usually give me FW fry/snails, anything I want to feed my FW fish.

I planned on doing water changes. I just thought it was silly idea to "let the tank go through its thing ~Then~ do a WC ". Why would I want to hurt my fish like that? :fun2:

I would actually hold off on water changes until your tank is cycled. You will prolong the cycle by doing water changes. One of the primary goals is to build up your levels of bacteria to deal with Ammonia, Nitrates, etc.

As someone mentioned its preferred to not cycle a tank with live fish. This is an old school method and generally frowned upon. But hey you have a fish now and it is why it is. My recommendation is to get an ammonia badge and stick it in your tank so you can monitor ammonia levels. This way you know way you will know if you need to make an emergency water change to keep your clownfish alive.

Most of us prefer to test our own water because we prefer specific brands of test.

Just take it slow and research as much as you an.

 

[9r39]

Would be in you best intrest to invest in at least a api saltwater test kit so you know what is going on in your tank.Also if your going to be diving into a reef tank you will need Kh calcium and a magnesium test kit.Api probably not the best choice on these.Dont forget phosphates would test this also as corals are not cheap.Petsmart will not test these.Also I would wait to do a waterchange until tank has completed cycle I know you say rock was live but will still kick of a cycle depending on how much die off you had between tanks.imo

 

[necrio]

Alright. Thanks for the comment. Exactly what I was looking for.

About the test kits, Yeah I will be getting the ones I need for corals. I just didn't think it would be necessary to buy a 30 dollar test kit when I can do it for free everyday if I wanted to .

 

[doreo]

i personally would trust my own results over some kid at petsmart that can be misreading or using bad/old kits.

 

[ANFPO]

I think with the liverock being from a well established tank, the cycling with one single fish is not as bad as it sounds.
I would feed sparingly. I would give coralline algea already on the liverock an edge by using a two part additive right away.
I would add a fast growing algea like chaeto or gracilaria to absorb ammonia because photosynthesis is instant. Your bacterias will still grow and establish while not allowing the ammonia to rise to toxic levels for your fish.
I would buy an alkalinity and calcium kit. But ammonia kits are pretty cheep. API is fine. I actually find myself using ther alkalinity test kit a lot more than my Salifert, ELos or even a Hanna meter I have.