instant cycle?

[schmidt1216]

hello i started up a reef tank and im adding live rock tommorow my lfs sells it pre -cycle in a giant tank my question is would this automatic cylce my tank when i put it in i read online some where that it does and the live rock has heeps of coraline algae and is cycled in there tank help. + if it does i wont be adding anything for 1 week and when i do it will be a hardy coral

[Holygral]

your tank will take 6-8 weeks to cycle, there are no short cuts

[SeanMonster]

I have had both of my reef tanks cycle in about 2 weeks using live rock, but you need to make sure you are testing your water to verify it cycled. Don't assume that it will cycle that soon.


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[Mebbid]

It probably will instantly cycle assuming you are only going to add a miniscule amount of fish with a rather large tank. I bought cured live rock for my tank, added fish the next day, and never had an ammonia or nitrite spike.


HOWEVER!!!!

That is a very risky way to do things and generally absurdly expensive. If I were you I would without a doubt buy a large amount of dry rock from some place such as bulk reef supply and start off without having to worry about hitch hikers and reinvest that saved money into better equipment.

Nothing good happens quickly in reefing.

[Autumnsky]

What size is your tank?

[TheTodd]

I'm not sure what that is, but I have used Dr Tim's One & Only and my tanks cycled in a few days. It's probably the closest thing to a shortcut that I personally trust. That said, you should dose ammonia, test it and if it is back to zero after 24 hrs, it is cycled. Add fish slowly and things should be fine.


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[Gregcoyote]

I am old school after running SW for over 35 years. There are no dependable quick solutions to instant cycling. Yes, you can reduce the number of days, but tanks need to "season" before you load them up. There is a lot of chemistry happening you can't detect. It takes time for everything to reach equilibrium. You need patience to make a reef work, so don't get in a hurry. JMO


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