Just started the cycle

[Zerc]

So my 75 gallon tank w/ 55 gallon sump is up and running with salt. No sand yet, but there is roughly 70 lbs (three pieces) of dead base rock in the tank and maybe 30 pounds of dead rock in the sump, along with a 7"x7"x4" container of ceramic noodles. I placed one ten pound piece of live rock at the "upstream" end of the sump, sitting on another piece of dead rock. The tank is currently unlit, the return pump is an eheim 3000+, and I have an SRO-1000 skimmer. For circulation in the main tank I have one Koralia 1050 (will be adding a second), there is no additional circulation in the sump yet.

So my question: how fast will bacteria spread from the live rock to the dead rock in the sump, and will it spread faster or slower to the rock in the display tank? Given that I have 10 pounds of seasoned live rock (came out of a refugium that has been up for a year), can I safely add a damsel to the tank in 10 days or so to help the cycle along?

 

[sedrostyle]

While damsels are a hardier fish. I wouldn't want to throw my fish in toxic water.
I would say it'll take a minimum of three weeks.
Everything has to die, then cycle again

Just test your water every other day or do until you see your ammonia spike and fall again to zero.

Also I would put the live rock and everything all in the display.
I think you'll need lighting to get the diatoms going at the end of your cycle.


Just take it slow my man. Let everything run its course and learn as you go. It's nice to watch your tank cycle. And learn what it does while cycling. Also testing you levels.

When everything is zero with some nitrates left over. And a whole lot of brown in your tank. Then do a big water change and add a clean up crew.


You'll be happy you did

 

[IPisces]

+1^ This is sound advice. Take your time. You can add a piece of raw shrimp to help get the cycle going too.

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[Zerc]

Yea, the lighting is on the list, the fixture is in place, but the six T5 bulbs have to wait until my next paycheck on the 1st This is a tank upgrade, I have an established 37 bowfront with 29g sump and my goal is to transfer everything over to the big setup by march 16th... (wife given deadline, we have a birthday party that day). Unfortunately I cannot take too much LR out of my current tank, just the one chunk out of the refugium that I put in the new refugium as seed, so I don't stress the little tank out while wishing the big one would cycle faster! I guess I was hoping that adding that piece of LR would help the cycle go faster than it would have otherwise.

Let the waiting commence!

 

[sedrostyle]

Yea the more live rock to dead rock ratio. The faster it will cycle.
It should be done march first. Then you could transfer everything slowly.

 

[Zerc]

At least I can still buy and add equipment while it cycles, haha.

 

[SeaLion]

While damsels are a hardier fish. I wouldn't want to throw my fish in toxic water.
I would say it'll take a minimum of three weeks.
Everything has to die, then cycle again

Just test your water every other day or do until you see your ammonia spike and fall again to zero.

Also I would put the live rock and everything all in the display.
I think you'll need lighting to get the diatoms going at the end of your cycle.


Just take it slow my man. Let everything run its course and learn as you go. It's nice to watch your tank cycle. And learn what it does while cycling. Also testing you levels.

When everything is zero with some nitrates left over. And a whole lot of brown in your tank. Then do a big water change and add a clean up crew.


You'll be happy you did

I agree sound advise.

 

[senji]

also a bottle of jump start or dr tims all in one will speed things up a ton. another thing when u transfer do it slow. couple things a week. since u are starting with dead rock your bacteria will be sensitive as the anaerobic bacteria takes a while to establish and catch up with a bio load. do everything slow and wait.

 

[eartaker]

All people do the cycle different... Me I just dump in some bio-spira or seachems stability, let it run for 2 days and throw in a fish. Even BRS says adding a fish says it will help your tank along. Will people disagree with this method? yes. Do people do it? All the time. Do I recommend it to a newbie? no. The reason being someone new to this can not manage the bio-loads and the waste levels in the water to keep that fish happy during the cycle. Even after you tank has cycled you still can not just dump in 7-8 fish. You have to build up due to the wast production and the bacteria needed to process that waste.

In the end... you can use bio-spira or stability to help your tank along but I would still take it slow and LEARN as much as you can... don't go out and but a ton of equipment you think you may need, add it as you DO need it.

This is a great series I like to give to my friends to watch who think they want a tank. Skip to about 6:00 and they talk about the cycle.

 

[Crack31]

If you have sand in your up and running tank, I would add half a cup of sand twice a week to the cycling tank.

This should help speed up the cycle.

 

[Zerc]

I do have two tanks with sand. I actually put an inch of sand in a 20 long and let it cycle about 3 months ago to have it ready for this tank. I was holding off on adding sand until I had all the rock where I wanted it, but I suppose that much sand wont matter with the eggcrate in the bottom.

 

[Crack31]

Adding the small amounts of sand will increase your bacteria populations.

 

[TJL]

Agree as well on good advice ^above^ and you should be fine on wifes time-table. One thing about adding LR and sand is that it also needs some feedings for bacterial growth. You can also try addition of bacterial in products like Microbe Lift etc... or when doing water changes on the 37g replace 5-10 gallons with 75g cycling system.

Cheers, Todd

 

[Zerc]

So should I add a damsel or five to feed the bacteria? I think if I do I will put it in my refugium so I dont have to dismantle my tank to get them out...

 

[TJL]

NO! Do not buy and add expendable fish... because they are not. You can just feed the systems bacteria by using small amounts of flake/pellet food.

Cheers, Todd

 

[IPisces]

NO! Do not buy and add expendable fish... because they are not. You can just feed the systems bacteria by using small amounts of flake/pellet food.

Cheers, Todd

Or a piece of raw shrimp.

 

[kpiotrowski]

No matter which meathod you choose to cycle it will always be about a balance of bioload vs bacteria. if you let cured "live" rock sit in a tank without feeding it, all the bacteria will eventually starve and die. If you add live bacteria, then again it has to have some waste to feed off. dead rock will have stuff on it that will decay and provide food for bacteria.

in your case with both live and dead rock I would give it a week or 10days and if no spikes then add a fish or some fish food. in the end what you are looking for is when the nitrates start to come down, thats when anearobic bacteria or comming into play.

 

[Zerc]

hm... well if all it needs is matter to decay, all of the ceramic noodles were former canister filter media from a freshwater tank I had sitting in a bucket of freshwater outside for the last few months, so there is a certain amount of algae on them as well as freshwater bacteria. That should be enough decaying matter to feed the live rock for a week or so I hope.

 

[Zerc]

Got home and added 1 cup of live sand from my smallest cycled tank. Here are pics of what it looks like so far! Sorry the 2nd picture is a little hard to see the refugium...

 

[IPisces]

I LOVE the stand!
Great looking setup!
I would paint the plumbing yellow.

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