Tank Cycling Input Needed

nottheone

nottheone

New member
Hi,

Next week i will be purchasing cured rock from Dr. Macs, picking it up myself (only 2.5-3 hrs away)

Since it will be rock they have already cured and a short travel time to my house I am concerned about getting a decent initial cycle. I know I will get some becuase rock will still go thru a shorter cycle, but will it be enough?

My Plan:

Seed tank with good rubble rock from my LFS when introducing live rock.

Add an additional 40 lbs Aragalive sand when introducing rock.

Use some BioSpira to assist in establishing tank.

Add some very hardy fish like 2 clowns and maybe a couple other hardy fish yet undecided to introduce ammonia since its a 180 aquarium and rock is cured. ( Yes i am aware not every likes that idea)

Don't run skimmer or use carbon during cycle unless i get a major ammonia spike (or just do a decent water change).

Any thoughts about if this will be enough to get a good intial cycle?

I am also open and willing to consider other time-tested and proven methods when not curing your own rock, but instead using cured rock during inital setup.

Thanks
 
Clowns are cyclying hardy? i didnt know that (but then again i am new at this too hehe) I hear most ppl use damsels since they are cheap and hardy but i would suggest using mollies that have been acclimated to saltwater. they are much cheaper and MUCH easier to catch than damsels when you want to get rid of them after the cycling of your tank:)
 
Yes, they are considered hardy and good newbie fish. They are actually in the Damsel Family. Probably even better if tank raised. I am going with clownfish ( Probably Ocellaris, AKA False Percula if remember correctly) because that way i won't want to catch them after the cycle! LOL. They can just break in their new home. :-)
 
I don't think Mollies are a bad idea, but especially good if I knew someone with a predatory tank that could use them as food when i was finished with them.
 
Skip the bio spira it is probably unneeded. Cured live rock will have a minor cycle but the reason it will be minor is the die off has already occured. It will come full of bacteria and life that is ready to go. Keep the rock wet when you are going home and you will have very little problem getting your tank started quickly. My last two set ups have used cured local live rock and were ready for stocking that day. They were part of the LFS sump system to keep them cured.
 
I would skip the BioSpira and the fish. They're not going to do anything. Just set up the tank, and go. I'd run the skimmer, too. With well-cured live rock, not seeing any ammonia is somewhat common. I've set up two or three tanks that never showed any ammonia. Not a problem.
 
instead of bio-spira i'd use Turbo, its the fasted cycling bacteria ive ever used, should be 3-5 days! use double the recommended dose, or two caps per 10gl. No ammonia, no nitrites. Use this especially if you plan to have fish pretty soon or when you add it.
 
A cycle is not necessary to start a tank. It will happen on some level as the tank establishes. You could just feed the tank to introduce ammonia. Put some food in there or a dead prawn / shrimp to kick start it if you want. Don't cycle using fish its cruel and not required. I'm not convinced that adding bacteria artificially works but I used a product called "Cycle" I guess it doesn't hurt anything. Good luck.
 
Your live sand is probably a waste of money too... it's a neat idea, but you're going to be getting plenty of starting bacteria from your live rock. Live sand is just regular sand packaged in water with bacteria in it. It's a jump start, but completely unnecessary if you have other sources of bacteria.
 
skip the fish...period...i hate people who MUST get fish to cycle their tank...my live rock sat there for 3 weeks....no fish...then i checked all the levels and my tank had already cycled....ur tank will take the same road since u say the rock is cured
 
People just don't understand that live rock IS fish. Well... not fish persay, but serves the same purpose. It's got life in it. Worms, brittlestars, etc. These guys excrete waste which powers the nitrogen cycle. Your rock poops. Adding fish just adds more poop. You are fine in a live rock tank without fish as well. All you need is patience and time.
 
I think the key question is whether they are fish that you want anyway. If you want clownfish and plan to have them in the tank, they are good cycling fish and can handle more than most.

If you don't want clownfish as a permanent addition to the tank, then just wait it out until things are more stable for the fish you do want.

There is no need to use "throw away" fish like damsels unless you like them and plan to keep them in your tank.

Cathy
 
Thanks all for the replies (except one person).

afelder, not needing birospira makes alot of sense to me.

Shagsbeard, i must confess the only reason i initally bought the aragalive sand was becuase i wanted some caribsea fiji pink in my tank and my LFS only carried it in the so called "live" version, LOL. I am actually going to use some awesome rubble rock (about 5 lbs.) from my LFS that has all kinds of wonderful creatures and copepods and whatnot.

Bertoni and afelder, thank you for your input. I do plan on going slowly and not overwhelming my tank.
This supports my rationale concerning putting a pair of ocellaris in immediatley. I feel it isn't cruel in MY particular situation.

Cathy, I would never "throw away" fish. I beleive that is wrong because they are God's creatures. Notice in my posts I picked ocellaris specifically because i like them and have intended them as a part of my permanent set up. i said "They can just break in their new home." I wouldn't even consider putting them in with rock that was much less cured than what i am getting. I am thinking that 2 little ocellaris in a 180 gallons with cured rock won't experiince much cruelty or hardship. I will be careful about putting much more than that initially. if the volume of water was smaller and the inital load higher (btw- only using a 100lbs of rock) I would be much more worried about them being harmed. I do appreciate your concern for aquatic friends!

Rkelman, the dead shrimp idea is a great one. Bertoni does make a goodpoint and I will now take some thinking time while my sand settles out (cloudy water from oolitic) to consider things. If i feel a great need for a good ammonia spike, that'll do it nicely!

ahmer, you have the free right to hate people who don't approach things your way, but your lack of tact will never educate people because they tune you out when you have an rude attitude. You are now permanently tuned out.

Thanks again most of you for your valuable and thoughtful feedback. I have read a lot especially Sprungs Volume 3 -excellent, researched a lot, and spent several months doing so. Now i'm excited about getting my hands wet (as opposed to feet). :-)
 
Very well put, nottheone!

Clearly you and your little clowns will have good life together. I too, cycled and started my tank with clowns who are still with me 3 years later and are the parents of two batches of babies raised out and lay more eggs every 12 days. You can see them and some of the baby pics in my gallery, although it's been a couple of years since I raised the babies.

My only caveat on your plan would be to wait until the rock is in and tested over a few weeks to risk the clowns. Even rock marketed as "cured" may have some slow die off that is incomplete. Although you are correct that any issues will be much less of a problem with the ratio of your rock/gallons.

A great line that I cannot claim credit ... I think it is from Joyce Wilkerson's book on clownfishes; "the secret to pollution is dilution".

Best wishes for your tank. With the time, research, and patience you're putting into it you should have the best odds for success.

Cathy
 
Thanks! I need to update pictures now that I'm over 3 years. My tank now is really over crowded and I've been having to frag things out just to keep the coral wars under control.

Now that I see how quickly that happens, next time I will leave a lot more room between corals and just wait to watch them grow.

Thanks again and good luck with your tank. With the attitude you have to learn, research, wait, and plan I'm sure you will do well.

Cathy
 
I wouldn't add dead shrimp to a tank with live rock. I don't see what good it can do, and ammonia is injurious to fish. Personally, I wouldn't add any animals until after the live rock has cured.
 
Thanks, sorry i should have clarified that is what i meant, an either or not a "both" option when I start up. :-)
 
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