chasesng

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question is whether new tank will cycle on its own or do i need to prompt it with something like a raw shrimp

set up new 40 gal long last weekend with @ 75 lbs aragonite and 65 lbs rock which was very barren.

tanks been running 5 days now with just the sand, rock and basic lighting. got a fluval 204 with carbon no bio....couple jets. pm hot1+ skimmer should be installed this weekend.

various areas of rock getting deep purple growth and other areas sort of a lite brown algae look. water readings (salifert) are all in range except around 10ppm Nitrate and 1.o reading on phophate. threw in some phosex 2 days ago as a result.

so is this or will this tank cycling?
 

herman

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Just let the tank cycle. It will get reall ugly as it enters the Diatom bloom stage. There are several things you can do to help the cycling of the tank.
1. the raw shrimp method
2. I used to piss in my tank. Important thing is that you use AM piss only. Thats the old school way. Small amounts though. You gotta simulate a fish pissing. This is not a joke by the way.
3. Some will recommend that u use a damsel, but I hate that method. Poor fish. Not to mention that they will get aggressive and they are almost impossible to take out. So go with option 1 or two. Ideal is option 2.

HTH,
Herman
 

chasesng

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you want me to what in my tank?

i gotta think about that one. i suppose the water is warm enuf but i'm gonna have to climb up on a chair. and what if i fall in?

i think i'll look for a dead shrimp
 
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Before you go and relieve yourself in your tank, you might want to try just getting some live rock or live sand from a fellow reefer. You don't need much to seed the tank and you really should let it sit for 4 weeks to be sure you have adequate nitrate control. If you post some photos of the purple stuff, someone can tell you if it is coralline, which would be a good sign.

Herman's route will probably work too, but you will never look at your tank the same way!
 

nanoreefer22

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WingoAgency said:
What are the signs that the tank is fully cycled?

All your levels are stable, your ammonia is down to zero. If I'm not mistaken you'll have a spike in nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia. When they drop down to zero your intial cycle is over and you presume to add snails and such. After that you'll still see cycles of algae come in and out all part it.
 

jhale

ReefsMagazine!
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Kris had it right, just the order is reversed.

first the ammonia goes up, then nitrites, then nitrates.

when all three are gone your tank is cycled. be aware everytime you add a fish the tank may cycle again due to the added nutrient load.
 

nycmat

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there is another option here:

yes you can do all those things or go buy bio-sphera. it is awesome. except it is pricey and smells like S****!!

the stuff wokrs i have used it and i couldnt believe my eyes. this is a bit pricey but your cycle will be done in a day and a half. then you do a 20% water change. this will star t you off. dont start buying things to improve your cycle just let it run its course otherwise it takes about a month
 

nanoreefer22

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nycmat said:
there is another option here:

yes you can do all those things or go buy bio-sphera. it is awesome. except it is pricey and smells like S****!!

the stuff wokrs i have used it and i couldnt believe my eyes. this is a bit pricey but your cycle will be done in a day and a half. then you do a 20% water change. this will star t you off. dont start buying things to improve your cycle just let it run its course otherwise it takes about a month

Not to rain on your parade, but most would say these "Instant Cycle" things are crap(at a loss for a better word). It's just me, but I'd let the tank cycle the natural way.
 

ShaunW

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JoshSaul said:
Before you go and relieve yourself in your tank, you might want to try just getting some live rock or live sand from a fellow reefer.
If you use cured/established live rock you could skip the whole N-cycling process all together (which is just a population burst of denitrification bacteria), i.e. the bacteria nessesary to perform denitrification are already present on the rock in ample numbers to perform the N cycle.

With the cavet that you slowly add livestock to the tank over time.
 

ShaunW

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......and BTW adding ammonia directly to a tank in the form of urine or any other pure source is not the best way to set up an aquarium. Your not helping establish the bacterial population better that way. There is more than just ammonia in urine, FYI, ;) .
 

herman

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Im not a fan of the instant cycle. Just have a bit of patience and let it be. I dont know if it affects the tank in the long run by letting nature take its course. I am hoping that Sollby can chime in on that one.
 

VJ&POOPS

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If you are still cycling your tank, hopefully not too late with my reply....you can use molly fish (black ones are cheap and don't die easily, live in fresh and saltwater) and add cycle bacteria....

Before you know it, some mollies may die, (leave them in the tank, especially if you have sand) they may even multiply give the tank about a week or two and add your fish (if you are adding fish).....mollies can be kept or removed. Larger marine fish will find the molly population to be a good thing and eat them.....(live food) :approve:


Fish wiz is ok, human wiz not ok.......:wink1:
 
Last edited:

GQ22

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Jersey City
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one shrimp or clam should be fine, just let it sit there a few days and it will start to decompose. then you can take it out. i would advise against adding any fish like a damsel and is so often recommended. there is a good chance it will not die, and also introducing a damsel to your tank first is a bad idea from an aggression standpoint. i think a combo of live rock, some live sand, base rock, shrimp and time should be good enough.
 
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ok i dont no if you have done it yet.. but what i have done that worked well is i added 2 cocktail shrimps and let them decompose for like a week.. once ammonia was gone and nitrites were gone i then added the live rock.... worked out well.. just my penny worth of info..
 

Deanos

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Tonyscoots84 said:
but what i have done that worked well is i added 2 cocktail shrimps and let them decompose for like a week.. once ammonia was gone and nitrites were gone i then added the live rock....

If there was no live rock, what else was in the tank with the shrimp to process the ammonia and nitrites?! :scratch:
 
Location
Howell, NJ
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deanos excpet for the lfs sand and 20lbs of that biolive sand thats it.. other then that i let nature take its course and build up its own bacteria the natural way... it took about 2 weeks after all set and done after the nitrites were gone thats when i added the live rock...

patience is the key to starting a great healthy tank..
 

Deanos

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:shocked1: Live sand alone, cycled a 29g tank with 2 pieces of cocktail shrimp in 2 weeks?!? I guess you're one of the fortunate ones. :scratch:

I'm assuming the live rock was fully cured before you added it to the tank?
 

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