Habitat said:
What should I do to insure a proper cycle?
As the others pointed out, the article of
cycling without fish is a good place to start if the
LR used is precured with not much life. If the
LR is uncured and you have enough of it, then the die off from the rock will help you cycle the tank.
Curing Live Rock? I didn't even know it was sick!!
. Instead of curing it seperately, cure it in the newly set up tank.
How often should I run lights?
Depends on what might be on the rock really. If no outward life then you can leave them off for the time being. If there is some life, then only run them about 3-4 hours a day in the beginning. That will be enough to at least sustain the photosynthetic animals but hopefully not increase the chances of an algae bloom. Actinic only is prefered but with the 96 quad you will not have that option.
When should I turn on the skimmer and canister filters?
If you have enough
LR (20+ lbs) the canister is not even needed unless the
PH's do not add enough water flow. All combined you are looking for about 200-300
GPH water flow for the tank less the skimmer. If you do use the canister, remove the media as it will not be needed and the space can be reserved for carbon/resin products occasionally. The skimmer depends on the rock as well. If precured, there will be little need for the skimmer in the first few weeks. If uncured you will definately need it running. In either event, having it going from the beginning will not hurt anything although it may slow the spread of coralline in the beginning.
On average, how long should the cycle period last? How much
LR (real nice Fiji from nice Marine shop, lots of stuff growing on it) should I get.
The cycle can take anywhere from 3-6 weeks. It depends on the ammonia source used and possible die off. For a healthy
FOWLR or reef tank, 25-30 lbs of rock would be best but you can get by with just 20 lbs. The more the better within reason (and space).
H20 changes? Any tips would be radical!
If uncured
LR is used, daily water changes will be needed to keep ammonia from killing the life on/in the rock. The article link above will desrcibe it in more detail. If using the shrimp method and precured or dry base rock, you probabley won't need much in the way of water changes until nearing the end of the cycle.
Cheers
Steve