What to do while you cycle...

You can't. It's the live rock that cycles the tank. Skip the live sand---just get bags of dry aragonite (Caribsea is a good brand) and wash it really well to get the cloudiness out: use Prime (a product) to dechlorinate the wash water. There will be a little dieoff in your live rock, and if not enough, then feed an imaginary fish, as per the info at the top of this thread: always read the first post in an informational thread.
 
Thank you for the information. I did read the post and all the posts there after I was just confused on feeding the invisible fish to start the cycle and if it should have been started before I put anything else in the tank. Thanks again!
 
My question is if i wanted to start a QT tank while my curent tank is just starting to cycle, would i just ghost feed the QT tank to start a cycle? I am doing a 180G build that should be up soon. However while my main tank is cycling I also want to start my QT tank, so 4 weeks into my Main tanks cycle i can QT my first fish for the main tank.
 
I don't recommend a cycled qt unless you are a) really sure your fish source is not going to send you a fish with ich in the first place, and b) you're going to be using it for a series of fishes, particularly fish like wrasses, angels and dragonets that dont' do well in bare qt. Reason: if you then have to treat, you've got contaminated rock and sand that makes it even harder to get rid of parasites, so you can't use it for anything BUT the qt and it's a pita. I prefer an oldfiashioned airdriven rig for a qt, with meticulous attention to filters and constant monitoring for ammonia.
 
Hi everyone iam new on the marine tank hobby and i really can use any good advise in the process of set up of my new tank,
this i what i have done so far:

55 gal tank, marineland 400 biowheel filter(400 gal/hr), reef crystals salt mix, 80% live sand + 20% crush coral bed, key largo live rock, 1 marineland maxijet 1200 pro, 200 watt thermometer,

i have been running it for 2 weeks now, and i tested it and all my levels are normal exept for ph wich iam going to try and fix with a water change tomorrow, is about 7.4,

the help:

How often i need to change water?
How long before my rock is cycled and how would i know?
What do i have to look for in the mid time?
And most importantly how long before i start adding fish and or corals?

Thank you all in advance and god bless you

MAMPE________ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED IN THIS THREAD: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2075632
READ ALL STICKY THREADS FROM THE TOP. Most info is in the first post.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi and thanks for all of this wonderful advice. This is my first post and my first tank of any type.

I have a question, since I am currently waiting for my tank to cycle, and the advice has been given to quarantine a new fish for several weeks before adding it to my tank.. does it make sense to go ahead and get a fish or two into my quarantine tank while I'm waiting for the main tank to cycle? It seems like it would make sense to do both of those things at the same time and they'll both be ready at about the same time. Is there a reason not to do that..?

Thanks!
 
Depends on if your also getting corals. If yes then whene cycled add your fish wait 1 week and add a coral and a few crabs , then wait and add a fish and a few more crabs.
 
wow...amazing amount of info for newbies. I've been running tanks for a couple of years now and learn something new EVERY time I read one of these. Thanks!
 
Get pretty damn good at Modern warfare 3 on playstation...LOL...You can use a piece of shrimp as a "ghost fish" by the way..i cuycled a 45 G with some live rock, sand and a piece of shrimp in about 2 and !/2 weeks( thats when ammonia was gone, nitrites gone and nitrates started showing up
 
Last edited:
keep testing it every other day
while waiting for the tank to be cycled. working on the fish list that you want to get
 
Ok, I understand the ammonia cycle and feeding the tank from experience with FW, but in a SW tank that has only live sand in it, should I be feeding it some flake? Or should I wait for my live rock before I really worry about that? Currently my nano has been up with the live sand in it for about 2 weeks now, and I'll probably be getting live rock in the next week or so. Any advice is great and I'm really loving all of the info for getting started in SW!
 
Flipping to a reef from Swim tank

Flipping to a reef from Swim tank

I am currently cycling a new 29 gallon tank using live rock, and biding my time (tough to do, but I think I got the hint).

My question involves my existing swim tank. I have a long-standing standard size 55 gallon tank. It has has a sump and skimmer, and good water quality for a swim tank, and my biological filter should be fine. I upgraded the lighting to reef-quality and I added some live rock to it, and am going to watch for any spikes in water issues, but how should I go about building it into a reef tank?

At what point can I start looking at adding in a couple of corals? What are some good beginner corals to start with?

Thanks for any advice. I am following your advice to the letter with the new tank, but am confused on how much "cycling" a 5+ year swim tank needs to start supporting a reef.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Bare Bottom QT tank won't start cycle :(
Replies
13
Views
414
Dr. Reef
Dr. Reef
Paul B
Think like a fish
Replies
1
Views
63
Vinny Kreyling
Vinny Kreyling
T
Back at it after a 13 year hiatus.
Replies
3
Views
85
Thatwindguy
T
NancyT3
Just looking for a shoulder to cry on -- Velvet....
Replies
4
Views
394
NancyT3
NancyT3
NancyT3
Pyramid Butterfly sick fish - help ID what went wrong
Replies
9
Views
445
NancyT3
NancyT3
Back
Top