how to cycle a tank different ways

[Guest bill33]

hey, my lfs is telling me you have to put uncured lr and let it die and let the ammonia go down to 0 then add a damsel if it dies add more lr and wait another month then so on and so on. when i cycled my 55 it was longer then expected, how do you cycle your tank faster

 

thanks

Bill

[Guest clownfish4]

First of all, you should not use fish to cycle a tank.  Add live rock and wait.  Cycling is a patience thing and you simply have to wait it out.  You can try some of the bacterial additives, but you'd be better off doing it naturally.  Simply add rock, leave the lights off, and wait for a month.  By then, your tank should be cured, but in some cases it takes longer.  Just be patient.

[Guest bill33]

ok i was wondering about the bacteria addictives i herd there bogus and dont do it

[Guest Houshan]

Ummm ... don't use fish.  That's what test kits are for.

 

The only way to cycle your tank very quickly is to get LR and/or LS from someone elses established tank.  If your using LR from any other source, the cycling time will depend a lot on the quality of your LR.  Cured or uncured LR from online, will still have to be cured.  The cured LR will take less time and will cost more - but will still need to be cured.

 

Just like it was mentioned, you just need patience - no going around that.  Your tank will complete it's cycle when it's ready not when you're ready.

[Guest bill33]

since some one backed out of the 55gallon im stuck with it again, i was gonna get it drilled and do it right the 2nd time. ANYONE no were it is cheap to get a tank drilled, around me its $20 a hole,   anyone no if a aqua culture tank is temperd

 

thanks

Bill

[Guest clownfish4]

The Reef Tank is $10 a hole.

[Guest bill33]

trt, is the website www.reefstore.com if it is the guy told me $20 a hole

[HowardofNOVA]

Billy, I'm going to start calling you Wild Bill!

TRT is $10 a hole and will drill it while you wait, doesn't take long depending on the crowd.

I would recommend 2 holes though for 1" bulkheads on each corner like I did mine. (actually, mine has 3 on the 90g)

This will allow a 600gph drain each. Use a Mag9 to pump the water through a SCWD for returns with one on each corner. Will give you a ton of flow!

Relax on the LR situation, one thing I learned is to cycle a tank is put in your water, after salinity has settled, add LR with zero lighting and forget about it for a week or two to allow time for it do its thing....nothing else is needed.

THEN check your perimeters and when all is settled, do a water change of about 25%. WAIT Again!

Check it. If all is zero, add 2 fish and call me in the morning

Howard

[Guest bill33]

huh the guy at trt said it was $20 a hole, o well the 2 1" holes will need a mag9 min, or i could go something bigger if i wanted

[HowardofNOVA]

The must have recently raised their prices then?

Either way, I would still recommend 2!

 

Also, IMO I wouldn't go beyond a Mag9.5, even though a Mag7 would do nicely! A Mag7 would give you over a 10+ tank rollovers per hour and good surface movement. If you want to spend the money, the 9.5 would kick tail.

 

Web site features:

The Mag-Drive utility pump is a magnetically-driven, submersible pump. This unique energy-efficient design uses only one moving part - a ceramic/magnetic impeller.  

Model Flow (GPH) Head (Feet) Watts

250           250               7      24

350           350               10.5  35

500           500               10.5  45

700           700               12.5  60

950           950               15     93

1200        1200               15    110

1800        1800               22    145

2400        2400               28    160

Howard

[Guest bill33]

is the web site www.reefstore.com    if it is they raised the prices then, what about 2 3/4 bulkheads what will that drain???

[HowardofNOVA]

Billy, For the difference of less than $5, the 1" would be better than the 3/4" by far and give you more room for error for blockage. Pick up the bulkhead, elbows etc at Fischers Hardware in Springfield. Cheapest around you can even buy PVC piping by the foot! Pretty cool!

The drilling cost would be the same either way.

 

I revised my last reply with the figures of the Mag pumps!

Howard

[Guest bill33]

thanks, i only found a mag 9.5 and the outlet is to the side???

[HowardofNOVA]

Bill,

What do you mean, the outlet is to the side?

The bulkheads are for "OUTFLOWS" and are only gravity feed to sump below. Fischers sells a nice black vaccuum hose type to run into the sump.

The Mags can be set in your sump for "RETURNING" water to tank and are basically a box with a direct intake in front and outtake goes straight up. VERY QUITE Systems!

They have a 3/4" diameter but don't let that worry you, you can pickup 3/4" Inside Diameter tubing at Fischers to run into IMO a SCWD, then splitting to 2 more 3/4" tubing to go to a PVC J setup (use elbows and small hard tubing) to create a hook over the edge to go into the tank.

NOTE: Drill a small hole in the elbows near end of hose to break suction incase of power failures...This was a great tip from Grimm at TRT to save water all over the floor.

Very basic but very reliable system.

I did the same with my 90g using 3 bulkheads and a Mag12 return and get alot of flow. I'm thinking of adding either another Mag12 or 9.5 in a closed loop, but this is more to have something as a backup if the return goes down and all I got to do is take closed loop pump and move to return pump.

Howard

[Guest greatwit]

ive always heard to cycle your tank quicker have tons of flow, a short light cycle to keep some things alive, and to hook up an "overpowered" skimmer. its still gonna stink for awhile but thats part of the fun.

[Guest bill33]

thanks guys, i was thiking of haveing a 30 gallon sump the tank will be about 4 feet in the air max

[michaelg]

hey, my lfs is telling me you have to put uncured lr and let it die and let the ammonia go down to 0 then add a damsel if it dies add more lr and wait another month then so on and so on. when i cycled my 55 it was longer then expected, how do you cycle your tank faster

 

Bill, the LFS guy is smoking some funny stuff again- or you didn't quite follow him. Killing a damsel, then adding more rock???  That just doesn't make sence at all as won't the rock just added need to be cycled again?  

 

Uncured lr is one way to go- you can also find it cured.  If uncured, it will take some time.  Add the rock immediately to the saltwater in the tank (sand should be in there as well if you want that).  Any loose sponges should be removed.  You will need good circulation and a skimmer.  Lighting is optional- standard fluorescents work well from my experience, as they keep the color of the corraline algae on the rocks.  What I did last time that seemed to work well.  Add stuff and skim tank for one week, adding a small amount of phytoplankton each day.  Do a 50% water change.  Skim and feed phyto for the remaining weeks, with a 10% or so water change weekly. Start testing the water at week 2-3.  3 test kits needed- Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.  You only need to do the ammonia until it is no longer detectable.  Then move on to the nitrite, until it is gone.  For safety measures, wait 2 more weeks after this.  Another useful thing to do is to use a turkey baster occassionally to blast the rocks of detritus, and keep the skimmer clean so it is performing at it's best.  The healthiest tanks, frequently are the ones that go through a long cycle, and then have another 3-6 months with nothing in there but some snails.

[Guest bill33]

he doesent mean kill them,   he means if the ammonia is 0 add a damsel if it dies, wait more time, then if it dies again so on and so on

[OUsnakebyte]

Regardless, you shouldn't need to "test" it with a damsel, and we're not only concerned with ammonia here.  As Houshan mentioned earlier - that's what test kits are for...  Ammo, nirite, nitrates, pH, etc.  As Michael said, you should see an ammonia spike first (especially if you are using uncured rock), followed by a drop in the ammonia and a corresponding increase in nitrites.  As the rites go down the rates tend to go up.  Then, I'd start doing water changes.  

 

Now, I wouldn't go adding a $60 dwarf angel as soon as you are cycled, and some fish, IMO, should not be added until your tank has been established for ~6 months.  But, you should also start planning your stocking list.  Start with the cheaper, possibly hardier fish you want and go slowly - slow is the key here.  Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank.  However, you do not have to get a damsel if you are not going to want it 6, 8, 10 months down the road - they can be agressive little fish.  That's another thing - plan for temperment/agressiveness.... don't start with that yeller tang - he'll likely fin whoever you add next, and next, and next, etc....

 

Gobies, blennies, grammas, etc. can also start your tank off right and be less to deal with later.  But if you really like that blue damsel, have at it....

 

I dunno where I heard it, but I once heard someone say/type that they recommend one damsel for every fifty gallons of water...  any comments?  True, not true?

[Guest bill33]

what will the best possible compatibility chart be with a 55gallon reef

 

i want another sailfin tang  i know he needs at leats 90gallons or larger

i want a true pair of gs maroon clowns

 

anyone

[flowerseller]

Lots and lots of water movement both in the tank and most importantly at the surface is key.  I believe the surface of the water should be just shy of a rolling boil.This helps gas/oxygen exchange. Most everything you read here is good except the damsel in distress test.

Hurry up and wait. Then wait some more.    45+ days is not unsual to complete an initial  cycle.

The only thing I got a kick out of was the DPG ratio snakebyte mentioned. :D

I vote it's not true.

Good luck,

Chip

[Guest bill33]

im patinent its just im getting halides for it so i can keep the corals i like :D

[Guest HVF21221]

I recently used marinelands bio-spira saltwater (they make fw also). It worked for me, the tank cylced alot faster. It is a little much $12-$13 and needs to be refrigerated. In the past I have tried other products and don't think they worked but I was impressed with this product.

[tygger]

Billy, I'm going to start calling you Wild Bill!

TRT is $10 a hole and will drill it while you wait, doesn't take long depending on the crowd.

I would recommend 2 holes though for 1" bulkheads on each corner like I did mine. (actually, mine has 3 on the 90g)

This will allow a 600gph drain each. Use a Mag9 to pump the water through a SCWD for returns with one on each corner. Will give you a ton of flow!

Relax on the LR situation, one thing I learned is to cycle a tank is put in your water, after salinity has settled, add LR with zero lighting and forget about it for a week or two to allow time for it do its thing....nothing else is needed.

THEN check your perimeters and when all is settled, do a water change of about 25%. WAIT Again!

Check it. If all is zero, add 2 fish and call me in the morning

Howard

Wouldn't leaving your lights off for any amount of time kill off any anenemoes/critters that come with the live rock?

[michaelg]

Yes, anything photosynthetic might have problems making it- but they might have problems with the cure as well.  I think the idea behingd in is to reduce algae, but when you think about it, bacteria will uptake some of the excess nutrients from the die off....Personally I have always cured rock with some light, though much less than full exposure.  Of course bugs and worms on the rock will be fine.