Cycling help..

[NightHawk-33]

I am going to be cycling my new 75g with live rock. Do i also need to add a raw shrimp to start the cycle?

 

[mrwizard]

I am going to be cycling my new 75g with live rock. Do i also need to add a raw shrimp to start the cycle?

Yeah you will need an ammonia source to get started, I prefer to use pure ammonia from a bottle but raw shrimp will work to.

 

[NightHawk-33]

Yeah you will need an ammonia source to get started, I prefer to use pure ammonia from a bottle but raw shrimp will work to.

will that not kill the organisms on the live rock?

 

[Rhino]

will that not kill the organisms on the live rock?

No adding a small amount of amminia 4ppm or less is what you would be getting if you add raw shrimp any ways. This way you won't have to fish out a dead shrimp.

 

[Nemo6292]

I'm no pro by any means when it comes to cycling a tank. But I'll give you my advice. I about drove myself crazy cycling my 29g. My advice is this: just because one person does it one way doesn't mean you have to do it that way. I read all about cycling with live rock, with shrimp, and ammonia. It about drove me crazy checking things, and being impatient. Here is what I did:

1. Fill your tank with all your rock. The more live rock you can get the better.
2. If you can find it at your LFS buy and fill your tank with nuti-sea water. (Sorry if not spelled right)
3. Be sure to use live aragonite sand.
4. This is where most people disagree, but for my 29g I bought 6 blue leg hermits. They will eat algae and also add ammonia to your tank. You may want to get 10 or more. Do not get attached to these guys. There's billions of them.
5. With your live rock, live sand, and live water and hermits in your tank. Let the cycle begin. Do not change the water at all! Just have some RO water to top off and let it sit for 1 month. If your running a skimmer I would suggest not running it. Just run a HOB filter. If you notice you've lost a crab, don't panic, just let it cycle and watch the ones you do have.

After a month you will have built up enough bb to house a fish or too. Just add your fish slowly and don't over do it. Each time you add fish your bb will need to catch up. It shouldn't take more than a few days. I lost only one crab during my cycle and it was to a fallen rock that fell on top of it. My tank now after 5 months is doing great. I've had 0 problems, and I've not once checked the water parameters. I learned the hard way to take your time and enjoy your tank. It's suppose to be a stress reliever and enjoyment. Not a burden. Good luck and keep us posted. But like I said, just because I did it this way doesn't mean you have to.

 

[mrwizard]

will that not kill the organisms on the live rock?

As rhino said no it won't kill anything on the live rock, I cycled mine using pure ammonia and live rock, took a month to cycle but it was worth being patient, 4 months in, all is going great, not lost a fish or coral.
It's totally your choice how you cycle tho, good luck and keep us posted

 

[nightryder1405]

When i cycled my 60 Gallon tank, i used live sand, about 40lbs of LR, and added some bio-spira by instant ocean from the lfs. On day 4 i added 2 true perc clowns and i still have them a yr later. Not an expert by any means but this worked for me.

 

[NightHawk-33]

I'm no pro by any means when it comes to cycling a tank. But I'll give you my advice. I about drove myself crazy cycling my 29g. My advice is this: just because one person does it one way doesn't mean you have to do it that way. I read all about cycling with live rock, with shrimp, and ammonia. It about drove me crazy checking things, and being impatient. Here is what I did:

1. Fill your tank with all your rock. The more live rock you can get the better.
2. If you can find it at your LFS buy and fill your tank with nuti-sea water. (Sorry if not spelled right)
3. Be sure to use live aragonite sand.
4. This is where most people disagree, but for my 29g I bought 6 blue leg hermits. They will eat algae and also add ammonia to your tank. You may want to get 10 or more. Do not get attached to these guys. There's billions of them.
5. With your live rock, live sand, and live water and hermits in your tank. Let the cycle begin. Do not change the water at all! Just have some RO water to top off and let it sit for 1 month. If your running a skimmer I would suggest not running it. Just run a HOB filter. If you notice you've lost a crab, don't panic, just let it cycle and watch the ones you do have.

After a month you will have built up enough bb to house a fish or too. Just add your fish slowly and don't over do it. Each time you add fish your bb will need to catch up. It shouldn't take more than a few days. I lost only one crab during my cycle and it was to a fallen rock that fell on top of it. My tank now after 5 months is doing great. I've had 0 problems, and I've not once checked the water parameters. I learned the hard way to take your time and enjoy your tank. It's suppose to be a stress reliever and enjoyment. Not a burden. Good luck and keep us posted. But like I said, just because I did it this way doesn't mean you have to.

Hi.. and thanks for the advice. few questions, is it ok to use red sea coral salt pro or is the one you.mentioned better? Also i am going to run a skimmer and refugium which i will not use during the cycle for filtration plus the live rock. Is it ok to let it sit for a month without a HOB filter?

 

[danbstrong]

Hi.. and thanks for the advice. few questions, is it ok to use red sea coral salt pro or is the one you.mentioned better? Also i am going to run a skimmer and refugium which i will not use during the cycle for filtration plus the live rock. Is it ok to let it sit for a month without a HOB filter?

Imo i would run skimmer and fuge during cycle i just got done cycling my new 250g skimmer and fugi the whole time cycle took 3 weeks 0 ammonia for a week now the fugi will help keep nitrates down during cycle i also used biozyme to kickstart the bb

 

[Nemo6292]

Like I said... The old saying is true, there's more than one way to skin a cat. IMO I would just use regular aquarium salt while cycling your tank. But I mentioned the Nutri-Sea water. It's premixed saltwater they sell by the gallon and it's just like the live sand, it has nitrifying bacteria in the water. It's pricy but you only have to use it on the first fill, and you can use regular RO water. Once your cycle is done you can then worry about the proper sea salt to you to fit your aquarium. You can use your skimmer or refuge but you have to keep in mind it will remove the particles that will cause ammonia before they have time to produce ammonia and without it your not cycling your tank.

 

[Nemo6292]

If you have a HOB filter you might change the inside of it and add some GFO to reduce your algae growth. Mine looked ugly as sin at the end of the cycle but it's all gone now. I believe, against the majority opinion, that the more junk that grows, the more bb will be established. I don't have confidence in bacteria in a bottle. If you lock a tree up without carbon dioxide it will die. So I believe the bacteria will croak on the shelf before it makes it to your tank. Just my opinion.

 

[NightHawk-33]

anyone else cycle a different way? and what ppl think of adding hermits to cycle

 

[Nemo6292]

Just caught a question you asked and I didn't answer it... I would run the HOB filter, but me personally, I would not run the skimmer during the cycle. But yes, you need to run your HOB to keep the water clean and I would also make sure you have plenty of water circulation during your cycle.

 

[NightHawk-33]

Just caught a question you asked and I didn't answer it... I would run the HOB filter, but me personally, I would not run the skimmer during the cycle. But yes, you need to run your HOB to keep the water clean and I would also make sure you have plenty of water circulation during your cycle.

but i dont have a HOB filter.. so what shud i do?