Cycling And Lights

[Voshon247]

hello everyone I'am still fairly young and I'am starting back up my 30g tank. I don't have a lot of founds so iam very limited to what my parents and my allowance will allow me to buy so I have some questions. Also I want to keep lps, softies,brain corals, and polyps. I'am not completely new I have a few years with a lot of mistakes which I have learned from and any help would be appreciated.

First cycling
I will be using the shrimp method and I would want to know should I have my live sand and my live rock inside the tank while cycling. My live rocks I killed off the old bacteria with Clorox and etc and so I will re-seed them with a live rock from the lfs and what should I be looking for in this cycle that will tell me its finished.

Secondly the lights
New lights. I had metal halides 96w and I wanted to switch lighting to an led do too my tank over heating and me not having the money to buy a chiller so I was looking at these
http://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics®-T...ords=reef+led+lighting+for+saltwater+aquarium

they look bigger than what's suited for my tank but quality, price , and lighting wise it would work for my budget but I wouldn't want it to be too bright and kill of the corals I want too keep(softies, lps, brain corals). Also what lighting would you guys recommend for a 10g nursery mainly used too hold corals new ,and or sick.

third and lastly
also I have a list of what is needed for my tank and once again do to budget I wouldn't have everything at once but maybe at the end of the cycle or before I will have everything.
would I need
*a circulation pump
*heater
*and inside skimmer
while I'am cycling

sorry for the long post but once again any help is better than none

 

[mrvincent]

I did my cycling with LEDS at 100%/100%, and can confirm you'll get hair algae outbreak... Ammonia is really easy absorbed by algae... If I was you, I will wait the tank is free of ammonia/nitrites, and do a massive waterchange to remove nitrates before introducing fishs/corals/inverts.


For LEDS, most of them are dimmable, I personally run my at 85%W and 90%B at peak time.

 

[Voshon247]

I did my cycling with LEDS at 100%/100%, and can confirm you'll get hair algae outbreak... Ammonia is really easy absorbed by algae... If I was you, I will wait the tank is free of ammonia/nitrites, and do a massive waterchange to remove nitrates before introducing fishs/corals/inverts.

so you are suggesting do the cycle without the lights but exactly what will tell me my cycle is finished

 

[mrvincent]

so you are suggesting do the cycle without the lights but exactly what will tell me my cycle is finished

Ammonia/nitrites/nitrates tests kits. Get cheap API for ammonia/nitrites, 10$ each. Take a low range nitrate test kit from RedSea, they are precise. API nitrates kit will always give you 0 readings in SW.

Don't forget to put the dead shrimp in a net, or you'll get bits of shrimps everywhere.

 

[Voshon247]

Ammonia/nitrites/nitrates tests kits. Get cheap API for ammonia/nitrites, 10$ each. Take a low range nitrate test kit from RedSea, they are precise. API nitrates kit will always give you 0 readings in SW.

Don't forget to put the dead shrimp in a net, or you'll get bits of shrimps everywhere.

Ok thank you very much for your response and I understand the cycling part but do you have any suggestions on the lighting for the 30g and 10g nursery

 

[mrvincent]

Ok thank you very much for your response and I understand the cycling part but do you have any suggestions on the lighting for the 30g and 10g nursery

On my 20g, I have R420R LEDS 60W.

The 120W edition would be perfect for your 30g, but thoses lights are not given. (300$ for the 60w, 500$ for the 120w here at québec).

Hightech leds !

For the 10g QT/hospital tank, I would go with cheap T5s. Don't forget to light acclimate corals when going from the 10g to the 30g setup.

 

[Voshon247]

On my 20g, I have R420R LEDS 60W.

The 120W edition would be perfect for your 30g, but thoses lights are not given. (300$ for the 60w, 500$ for the 120w here at québec).

Hightech leds !

For the 10g QT/hospital tank, I would go with cheap T5s. Don't forget to light acclimate corals when going from the 10g to the 30g setup.

Thank you very much for information and help I really appreciate it now its just time to get the supplies and start but one last thing would I need a heater, skimmer, and circulation pump while cycling

 

[mrvincent]

Thank you very much for information and help I really appreciate it now its just time to get the supplies and start

There's cheaper LEDS fixture that have 3W leds each like this one, dimmable too... Just take a look on eBay. If you want SPS, just make sure leds are working with 3W each. 120W total will be good for you IMO.

Some people on this forum can give you better advice than me, I only know the R420R fixture, and can tell you by experience they are awsomes fixures. I like the 16000K° version, it gives good purple/blueish color.

 

[Lshann14]

A circulation pump and skimmer will help your cycling quicken up but I'm not sure if a heater is necessary. I would run one just in case.

 

[jeffaquarius]

While cycling you do not need light or skimmer, just circulating pump, heater and of course raw shrimp. You need those ammonia from decaying shrimp to feed bacteria and not algae. Once ammonia are consumed by beneficial bacteria they are converted to Nitrite and finally to Nitrate. Do not change water while cycling. Watch for Nitrite spike. Once it drops down and Nitrate goes up you can do large water change and you are ready to add live stock gradually with your lights. Usually this is completed within a week or two.

 

[mrvincent]

If you start with too much dead rocks, it can take up to two months.

When I bought my new LR for cycling, it was done in 3 days.

 

[jeffaquarius]

Im not sure if those rocks washed with clorox would be any good at all. Aside from being not habitable by bacteria anymore you will be introducing chlorine to your tank.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Just soak them in SW for a few days with some chlorine remover and they will be fine.

 

[Voshon247]

So will my rocks still be able to grow bacteria on it

 

[mrvincent]

My deadrocks after two months, are now full or color and things growing on it...

 

[Gregcoyote]

Yes, once all chlorine is neutralized. Just setting out it will eventually evaporate. Make sure there is no smell to the rock before reintroducing.

 

[Voshon247]

Yeah that's what Iam doing right now I have some sitting in the sun

 

[Voshon247]

I also noticed some rocks looking more white than regular is that normally if you Clorox them here's some pictures

 

[Gregcoyote]

Yes, it will bleach them. But they get recovered in different algae and darken up pretty fast.

 

[Voshon247]

I went to my lfs store to purchase some sand and I ended up purchasing sand and nutri seawater and I asked they guy at my lfs would I still have to cycle my tank he said "what cycle......."