Just filled my new tank last Friday to start cycle. Using live Rock filter box. Do I need to also put dead shrimp in Live Rock box for cycle? What is a good test kit to use for water and how often do I need to test water before putting live things in?
Starting Cycle - Help on Testing water
- Thread starter rambo1224
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mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
what is a live rock filter box? API makes decent enough ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test kits.
i would wait a couple weeks and then start testing. a cycle could last up to a month or more depending on the amount of ammonia.
i would wait a couple weeks and then start testing. a cycle could last up to a month or more depending on the amount of ammonia.
kurtyboh
Aquarium Advice Addict
bighabeeb, people add dead (raw unseasoned) shrimp to start the nitrogen cycle.
api is a very popular and cheap test kit. they work, but certainly not my fav. salifert is nice but spendy.
api is a very popular and cheap test kit. they work, but certainly not my fav. salifert is nice but spendy.
Just learning so let me try to explain my set-up that was done by installer.
It's a cylinder tank with the overflow box straight down the middle (surrounded by artificial reef form). We put Caribsea live reef sand (argonite) in the tank and salt mix. The pipes go to a filter box in my basement where the water circulates back up to tank. There is a UV (told me not to turn on yet) and a Protein skimmer connected to that box. The box currently has live Fiji rock in it. I read that the live rock was the best way to start the cycle process. Tank has been running since Friday so not sure when/how to test before trying to put something in. Thanks for any help you can offer
kurtyboh
Aquarium Advice Addict
The box in your basement is called a sump. How much lr was added? Do you have any ammonia source for your bacterial colony?
How big is the tank? With enough live rock you could be done cycling in a few days. Your skimmer shouldnt be on while cycling either.
How big is the tank? With enough live rock you could be done cycling in a few days. Your skimmer shouldnt be on while cycling either.
My guy said he put in about 100lbs of live rock. Didn't put anything else in the sump box. Is this where the dead shrimp comes in for ammonia source?
My cylinder is about 5.5 ft tall 27" diameter. I think it holds about 150 gallons. Thank for the help
kurtyboh
Aquarium Advice Addict
It is, as organics beak down the release amonia, raw shrimp just happns to break down easily, is commonly found everywhere and cheap so it makes a good choice. I prefer to dose ammonia from a bottle, but eithr way gets results, dosing is immediate whereas the shrimp needs time to break down.
With 100lbs of lr, youll probably have 0ammonia, 0 nitrites, and nitrates climbing fairly quickly. Get yourself a test kit (if you dont already have one) add an ammonia source and test. If using the shrimp method like 2-3 days after you add, if dosing wait 1 day.
Dosing ammonia can reqire some math because you dont want much more than 5ppm. I have the math in a long forgoten thread and saved on my comp but not handy atm. Ace hardware janitorial seems to be the prefferred stuff. No surfactants perfumes or dyes is what to look for. Adding a tiny bit and testing after youve let it mix is a good option as well.
With 100lbs of lr, youll probably have 0ammonia, 0 nitrites, and nitrates climbing fairly quickly. Get yourself a test kit (if you dont already have one) add an ammonia source and test. If using the shrimp method like 2-3 days after you add, if dosing wait 1 day.
Dosing ammonia can reqire some math because you dont want much more than 5ppm. I have the math in a long forgoten thread and saved on my comp but not handy atm. Ace hardware janitorial seems to be the prefferred stuff. No surfactants perfumes or dyes is what to look for. Adding a tiny bit and testing after youve let it mix is a good option as well.
No kidding - wow. Learn something new every day!
So this is advantageous because it gets things rolling quicker, correct? I mean, there's no other advantage to it that i missed out on by doing it the old "Get one fish in there and make it poop" way?
kurtyboh
Aquarium Advice Addict
The main advantage is not subjecting your livestock to poisonous chemicals such as ammonia and to a lesser extent nitrite.
Its called fishless cycling and you will find a ton of info on it if you look.
Its called fishless cycling and you will find a ton of info on it if you look.
David S
Aquarium Advice Addict
Spot on kurtyboh!!
Looking into test kits now. Checked on the salifert ones, but it looks like there is a seperate test kit for each thing(ph, ammonio, calcium...). Do you have to get all these kits seperate? There is not a all-in-one test kit that test for all of these?
thanks
carey
Aquarium Advice Addict
Nope. Salifert is top notch but expensive. I added one kit a month to my collection until I had them all. 
kurtyboh
Aquarium Advice Addict
lamotte is one ive heard whispered around.. not too much buzz but people who use them like em. once again spendy probably more so than salifert, but you can buy just the reagents after your set up so it saves a bit there.
Probably can't get all the test kits right away, so which are the most important tests to perform before adding the fish?
kurtyboh
Aquarium Advice Addict
ammonia, nitrite nitrate and ph are all pretty important. phosphate is a nice test to make sure you dont add an algae problem (like I did)-although some research has shown the bacteria that converts nitrite to nitrate multiplies faster when phosphate is present. someone tried to help my tank, added tap water and my levels went to like 20ppm-so ill have algae for a bit of a while as i continue to add rodi...
when you add corals calcium, magnesium(I dont think corals do poorly whatever the level is, but they do better with it) and carbonate hardness.
I use a chlorine and a copper test once in a while on my water just to make sure nothing bad is going in. I also test the water i get from the lfs to make sure i dont need to get them out of the bag water asap.
when you add corals calcium, magnesium(I dont think corals do poorly whatever the level is, but they do better with it) and carbonate hardness.
I use a chlorine and a copper test once in a while on my water just to make sure nothing bad is going in. I also test the water i get from the lfs to make sure i dont need to get them out of the bag water asap.
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