I am setting up another small tank. A 20 gallon fowlr. I got the water in today and will have a heater in tomorrow. I read somewhere that live sand is not need and that I can use something else. what? After that I will add the live rock. Can I buy roc that is not "live" and put it in my other tank for a while until it is live and then move it to the new tank? Or should I buy some live rock and some thats not and put them together in the new tank? How long does it take for rock that is not live to become live?
Next step in setup?
- Thread starter Hinds04
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
neilanh
Sliced Bread
It's not that live sand isn't needed, it's just that the stuff you buy on the shelves claiming to be Live really isn't because - well it's been sitting on a shelf. You can use the same type of sand, just buy it dry and it'll get seeded and become live on it's own. Personally I use the dry Aragamax sugar oolite. It's a whole lot cheaper than "live" sand from the shelf, and works the same in the long run.
You can buy non-live rock (aka base rock) and seed it just as you said. A better way would be to take 1 rock from your existing system and place it into the new, rather than going the other route. You need several weeks to really seed a rock, so that'll slow down your progress if you do it as you mentioned.
If you do buy base rock, you'll want to cure it first IF you're going to put it in your established tank (unless you're just going to do a small piece, you'll probably be okay without curing it). If it's going straight into the new, uncycled tank, just rinse it off really well before putting it in there.
You can buy non-live rock (aka base rock) and seed it just as you said. A better way would be to take 1 rock from your existing system and place it into the new, rather than going the other route. You need several weeks to really seed a rock, so that'll slow down your progress if you do it as you mentioned.
If you do buy base rock, you'll want to cure it first IF you're going to put it in your established tank (unless you're just going to do a small piece, you'll probably be okay without curing it). If it's going straight into the new, uncycled tank, just rinse it off really well before putting it in there.
You should be OK provided you can keep the temp where it needs to be and not too high.
austinsdad
Aquarium Advice Addict
How much rock from your existing system can you put in the 20g? I'm guessing maybe 15lbs could be enuf to skip the cycle and add fish right away. Slowly.
Otherwise, just go with all new base rock and cycle with the skrimp - having trouble pronouncing shrimp sometimes
Otherwise, just go with all new base rock and cycle with the skrimp - having trouble pronouncing shrimp sometimes
thincat
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2008
- Messages
- 5,330
I'm assuming that your other tank is saltwater?
neilanh
Sliced Bread
Back to the heater question...
I don't recommend it. Heaters fail. It happens. Every heater of mine that has ever failed has failed so that the heater is stuck on. If you have a way oversized heater that does that, it will cook your tank. You should get an appropriately sized heater.
I don't recommend it. Heaters fail. It happens. Every heater of mine that has ever failed has failed so that the heater is stuck on. If you have a way oversized heater that does that, it will cook your tank. You should get an appropriately sized heater.
thincat
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2008
- Messages
- 5,330
Don't use a live fish to cycle your tank. It's cruel and unnecessary. I don't have much faith in bottled bacteria, you just don't know how long it's been on the shelf. Get a raw cocktail shrimp and put that in and monitor your ammonia and nitrite readings. Check this site on how to cycle a tank.
I did not read that word for word but what I got out of it was do what I did (add existing live rock from another tank, bacteria, and a hardy fish soon there after) and that the worst thing you can do is add a raw shrimp that could cause a "Saprolegnia infection to get started in your new aquarium."
austinsdad
Aquarium Advice Addict
I haven't heard of anyone getting that yet in my 6 years. That damsel will even cause problems later for new fish as they're mean.
I know I'm new to this but this is what I see in the link.
"There are other methods of fishless cycling being recommended or used however one method being pushed on the internet is the use of Raw Shrimp; however this is a recycled idea (which included the use of silversides, frozen shrimp, and even dead feeder fish) and has reappeared on the internet even though it was debunked in the early 1990s.
I do not recommend this method, not because it does not work for cycling, but because it may also allow a Saprolegnia infection to get started in your new aquarium. Saprolegnia is a mold (often called a fungus) that easily gets a foot hold in decaying nitrogenous matter such as raw shrimp and I have seen this many times in my experiments. Even after the source of Saprolegnia growth is removed, the secondary zoospores which are the primary mode of pathogenic transmission can remain, even after large water changes/vacuumings.
A new tank is the worst time to have a Saprolegnia infection get started as this is when fish are often much less resistant to disease due to the stressor of a new tank environment."
However
"My preferred cycling method is to transfer filter media (sponges work well as Autotrophic nitrifying bacteria tend to cling to sponge media in high quantities and sponge media is easily transferred), although floss, ceramic media, volcanic rock, etc.are also fine from an established aquarium and possibly along with some gravel, then introduce the fish SLOWLY after 3-7 days."
"For marine tanks the use of seasoned or “cured” live rock serve this purpose quite well. I recommend this method even more with Marine tanks using seasoned (cured) live rock and/or live sand as well as filter media. In Marine tanks I still prefer to added aged media (not essential, but still better) along with 1-2 lbs (2.2 -4.4 kg) CURED live rock per gallon (approx. 4 liters)."
"There are other methods of fishless cycling being recommended or used however one method being pushed on the internet is the use of Raw Shrimp; however this is a recycled idea (which included the use of silversides, frozen shrimp, and even dead feeder fish) and has reappeared on the internet even though it was debunked in the early 1990s.
I do not recommend this method, not because it does not work for cycling, but because it may also allow a Saprolegnia infection to get started in your new aquarium. Saprolegnia is a mold (often called a fungus) that easily gets a foot hold in decaying nitrogenous matter such as raw shrimp and I have seen this many times in my experiments. Even after the source of Saprolegnia growth is removed, the secondary zoospores which are the primary mode of pathogenic transmission can remain, even after large water changes/vacuumings.
A new tank is the worst time to have a Saprolegnia infection get started as this is when fish are often much less resistant to disease due to the stressor of a new tank environment."
However
"My preferred cycling method is to transfer filter media (sponges work well as Autotrophic nitrifying bacteria tend to cling to sponge media in high quantities and sponge media is easily transferred), although floss, ceramic media, volcanic rock, etc.are also fine from an established aquarium and possibly along with some gravel, then introduce the fish SLOWLY after 3-7 days."
"For marine tanks the use of seasoned or “cured” live rock serve this purpose quite well. I recommend this method even more with Marine tanks using seasoned (cured) live rock and/or live sand as well as filter media. In Marine tanks I still prefer to added aged media (not essential, but still better) along with 1-2 lbs (2.2 -4.4 kg) CURED live rock per gallon (approx. 4 liters)."
thincat
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2008
- Messages
- 5,330
When was this written and who wrote it? Volcanic Rock!!! Now there's a smart idea for adding toxic metals to you tank!!!
