Starting a cycle

[M3P]

How do you guys do it?

 

[Greybeard]

A shrimp from the grocery store, and a half a cup of sand from a fellow reefer's established (and pest free!) aquarium.

 

[Pife]

Bacteria in a bottle. Then lots of pods to get established.

 

[M3P]

Bacteria in a bottle. Then lots of pods to get established.

Which bacteria bottle? Fritz 9 or something else?

 

[WWIII]

Any bacteria bottle. Dr tims and io Bio spira seem to be pretty good. Then get ammonia from hardware store or from Dr tims. Follow the directions on the bottle or dr tims website. Pretty much, put bottled bacteria in tank and dose ammonia to 3ppm. Then wait for nitrites to show up. When ammonia gets to zero redose ammonia to 2ppm/3ppm. Keep doing this until ammonia and nitrites are reduced to zero in 24 hrs or less. There's lots of forums and websites that have detailed "fishless cycle" instructions.

 

[mpgrant77]

Some seeded sand and some live rock. Jump starts the cycle quick.

 

[Pife]

Any bacteria bottle. Dr tims and io Bio spira seem to be pretty good. Then get ammonia from hardware store or from Dr tims. Follow the directions on the bottle or dr tims website. Pretty much, put bottled bacteria in tank and dose ammonia to 3ppm. Then wait for nitrites to show up. When ammonia gets to zero redose ammonia to 2ppm/3ppm. Keep doing this until ammonia and nitrites are reduced to zero in 24 hrs or less. There's lots of forums and websites that have detailed "fishless cycle" instructions.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I have and would use several different types (brands) of bacteria as I believe that gets many different good types in your tank. I have no proof of this.

 

[kegogut]

Lots of live rock on prime.

 

[ItzJustinN]

just a piece of live rock or sand from an established tank will do.
then just feed the tank periodically like there is fish in there.