15 gallon live rock cycle

[pattyfurg]

I just bought 4 kilos of live rock today for my 15 gallon and there is plenty of life

 

[pattyfurg]

Didn't let me finish -.-
There is plenty of life on it. Some alive some dead.
Its only been in there for 6 hours and I have 0.50ppm of ammonia and the rest 0
I havent added anything into it... Should I though?

 

[NicoleIsStoked]

Yes. Either add pure ammonia or a seafood shrimp. There will not be enough die off on the rocks to get the ammonia level anywhere near high enough for a good cycle.

 

[Earlgrey23]

Not to be picky... Make sure it's a raw shrimp not precooked

 

[pattyfurg]

Haha ok
Will I need to do any water changes?
I tested the water this morning and it was
Ammonia 1.0ppm
Nitrite .25 ppm
Nitrate .05ppm

 

[obscurereef]

Water changes will just slow down the cycle. Only do a water change when your cycle is done and you have low nitrates.

 

[TommyP]

Good luck on the cycle process. Patience is Key! Hope to see some pictures of your tank!

 

[pattyfurg]

Thanks I'll add the shrimp tonight and I'll post some updates on how it's going

 

[TommyP]

Thanks I'll add the shrimp tonight and I'll post some updates on how it's going

I have not done this type of cycle myself however I had read on other posts that a good tip is to put the raw shrimp in a mesh bag or pantyhose so it's easy to remove afterwards. Just sayin! just my $0.02

 

[pattyfurg]

Haha yeah iv cycled fresh wage tanks before it's just the whole bacteria in rocks (live rock, cured rock, base rock etc...) that I can't really grasp XP
For my size tank does anyone know approx how long it would take? (I'm not exactly patient bit there is some sort of scallop and I believe a tiny anemone to keep me entertained for a while XP$

 

[Earlgrey23]

Mine took almost a month.... Also that tiny anemone may be an aiptasia which is not good at all.

 

[Earlgrey23]

Sorry, mine is a 40gallon tank.

 

[pattyfurg]

Haha because it's small will it not take as long?
It's more pinkish and it has little white swollen tips
I hope it survives the cycle XP it's so cute

 

[pattyfurg]

Instead of putting shrimp, could I put in normal tropical fish food?

 

[Earlgrey23]

I do believe people use that too... I have no idea how much to use.

 

[pattyfurg]

But does it matter that its food for freshwater fish? Lol

 

[Bearchumjs]

But does it matter that its food for freshwater fish? Lol

I don't think it matters... You just need something to decay to create the ammonia needed to feed the beneficial bacteria and get it to grow to support the amount of ammonia that your livestock will create.

 

[Bearchumjs]

Haha yeah iv cycled fresh wage tanks before it's just the whole bacteria in rocks (live rock, cured rock, base rock etc...) that I can't really grasp XP
For my size tank does anyone know approx how long it would take? (I'm not exactly patient bit there is some sort of scallop and I believe a tiny anemone to keep me entertained for a while XP$

Live rock is rock that is alive with bacteria and all the little things that live on it. Base rock is dry rock so it doesn't have anything living on it. Cured rock- well, I think it is live rock that had die off but has been cycled again for a few weeks to re-establish the bacteria that may have been lost. So if you have a tank running and cycled, but order some live rock and it comes in the mail, you need to cure it for a few weeks before you put it in the tank. Even if you order cured live rock there is no doubt that there would be die off during shipping. The die off will cause your tank to have a mini cycle, so you'd need to do a little cycle in a bucket for a few weeks before adding it to the tank. Hopefully that makes sense... It's confusing. Lol!

 

[pattyfurg]

Haha I'll get it eventually XP
Thanks for the help but what would happen if you put normal live rock in a tank and nothing on it died? Would you just have more life? Lol

 

[Bearchumjs]

Haha I'll get it eventually XP
Thanks for the help but what would happen if you put normal live rock in a tank and nothing on it died? Would you just have more life? Lol

I guess. Lol!