Can I start cycling my reef tank??

emeraldeyes_bc · May 29, 2013

So I'm curious.... am I able to start cycling my 20g with what I have??

I have 20lb rock, and want to buy either live sand, or pool filter sand (what are your thoughts?? I keep hearing so much both ways).
for a filter I only have an aqua clear filter, a heater, and the light hood that came with the tank.
Is that enough to start a cycle? What are the absolute must haves to start a cycle?? (No live stock for several weeks) Then the things that can be added as the tank is cycling? (In order of importance)
Oh yeah, I was also going to pick up a power head.

Thanks

Loveclowns · Jun 1, 2013

should be ok to start a cycle with that equipment, i run my everything as normal, i just dont run a skimmer. If going with live rock and sand, cycle can be faster especially if you are grabbing rock and sand localy (pet store/ reefer friend) then there is not as much die off and much of the bacteria is already present.

Mike J. · Jun 1, 2013

Pool filter sand in a saltwater aquarium? A big no-no. Don't believe me? Read this:SaltWater Aquariums : Can i use pool filter sand in a saltwater aquarium?

mike007 · Jun 1, 2013

Good cured live rock and aragonite for the bootom of tank. Skimmer a must have. 1 lb. of rock per gallon will work fine. I have also use a bacterial additive before to speed up the process.

emeraldeyes_bc · Jun 2, 2013

Thanks

. I did end up just sucking up the cost and got the live sand. I also bought an LED light bar with white and blue lights.
This is the tank after 3 days ammonia 4.0-5, nitrite .25, nitrate 5. Is it weird to have nitrates go up so soon?? Especially because nitrites really haven't seemed to spike at all.
Salinity is super high today though?? Is that just because of evap??

NaClWater72756 · Jun 2, 2013

I ran a low cost skimmer from the beginning. I think it helped keep by diatims and etc. to a minimum.
Looks good! Good luck!

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Mike J. · Jun 2, 2013

Topping off to compensate for evaporation is needed every day once you get animals.

ReEfErAdDiCt · Jun 2, 2013

Do not use pool filter sand in your tank ever. I won't even get into details. Just don't. If you can't afford the right stuff initially, wait until you can.

Nitrates can be high initially if you introduced it to the tank from an outside source. Household tap water has a high level of nitrates in it already upon adding it to the tank. So if you're not using ro/di water you will most likely have nitrates before the cycle even starts.

What type of LEDs did you get? White and blue is not enough info as you can have a keychain led that is white or blue but they cannot sustain corals, even if you have 100 keychain LEDs. If you plan on having a fish only tank then the lighting is less important. Fish aren't photosynthetic lol

An explanation for your high salinity level also requires more info. Are you topping off(compensating) for evap? And if so, are you using fresh, or salt water to do so? If you're not compensating for evap, the the explanation is simply that the water evaporating is leaving your tank but the salt is not. Therefore raising the salinity. The second possible reason would be that you are using saltwater to replenish the water lost in your tank from evap. By doing so, you are adding more salt to the tank each time you compensate for evap. So since the salt isn't going anywhere, you would be increasing the amount of salt in the tank.

A cycle is super easy and once you have the experience you can cycle a tank on cruise control. Pretty much just let the tank sit. Scientific explanations are boring but I suppose we can go into it for the forum lol ammonia, nitrite, nitrate...I don't even test fore ammonia or nitrite anymore. Dont need to because the bacteria that consume the two make it non detectable. If I have either of those in my tank by now I'm in trouble. Ammonia and nitrite are something you only need to worry about during a cycle usually. But if there are no fish in your tank you don't even need to worry about that. just let the tank do its thing, change the water, then change it a couple times more and ur good to go. Speed up the process by adding a piece of shrimp or something to the tank to start the ammonia buildup. Once you've done your initial water changes and you don't see ammonia or nitrite build up again, your rank is cycled, not to be confused with "matured".

Hope I helped a bit. Good luck with everything.

glb · Jun 2, 2013

The live rock and live sand really speed up the cycling process. Good luck!

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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps and two clownfish. CF Lighting, 75% actinic blue, 25% 10,000k white.

emeraldeyes_bc · Jun 2, 2013

Thanks, I am using RO/DI water, I haven't been topping up daily so that's likely my salinity problem.
I planned on picking up a skimmer next, any suggestions for a small 25g?
I would eventually like to add corals, I wanted to get more comfortable with caring for the tank first. I plan on taking this as slow as possible

There's just sooooo much conflicting information I'm slowly learning

I appreciate all the help! Thanks so much.

emeraldeyes_bc · Jun 2, 2013

Also, is my power head ok where it is?? I had it higher before but it was just throwing sand everywhere.

glb · Jun 2, 2013

You are so smart to take your time and learn before jumping in. I had a FOWLR tank for three years before adding coral and I'm so glad I waited. I was comfortable with saltwater testing so adding a few more tests wasn't a big deal. When I added corals, I had done tons of research and asked a lot of questions at my LFS. Because of that, I have corals and fish that are compatible with each other and they're all doing well. This forum is a great resource. Good luck!!

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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps and two clownfish. CF Lighting, 75% actinic blue, 25% 10,000k white.

emeraldeyes_bc · Jun 3, 2013

Thanks,yeah the entire reason I got started with this is because a "fish tank" was recommended for my autistic son by his OT. He's only 5.5, so of course that means its all up to me!!

We started with a 5g freshwater tank with 2 goldfish (as recommended by my LFS :/ ) well, I'm sure you can imagine that didn't go over well. After I lost two, I really (with terrible conflicting advice from the LFs) I started to REALLY look into fish tanks, fish care, etc... And of course, like many of you, I became obsessed. I have been googling, and reading everything I can possibly read/search/find about fish care.
I have unfortunately gotten a lot of very poor advice from my LFS, so I am relying on good 'ol google to self teach. There is of course a LOT of conflicting information on the Internet, so I'm extremely grateful for the help!

ReEfErAdDiCt · Jun 5, 2013

emeraldeyes_bc said:
Thanks, I am using RO/DI water, I haven't been topping up daily so that's likely my salinity problem.
I planned on picking up a skimmer next, any suggestions for a small 25g?
I would eventually like to add corals, I wanted to get more comfortable with caring for the tank first. I plan on taking this as slow as possible
There's just sooooo much conflicting information I'm slowly learning I appreciate all the help! Thanks so much.

Do you have a sump, is the tank an all in one, or is it a standard tank with external filtration? Your skimmer choices will vary depending on that.

emeraldeyes_bc · Jun 5, 2013

At the moment no sump, but I've been looking at tutorials on how to make them and it seems easy enough (I'm a big do it yourselfer)

emeraldeyes_bc · Jun 6, 2013

A couple more questions if you guys don't mind

Can anyone tell me what this little snail is? And if he's reef safe??

Also, is it possible my cycle is finishing already after only a week?? I had a ammonia, nitrite, nitrate spike but now they are already down...I was prepared for this to take several weeks not one??

Another thing.... My calcium is high (600 yesterday, 500 today...I'm sure I could be off a little) should I just let it be until I do a water change when numbers are at zero??

glb · Jun 6, 2013

The live rock really speeds up the cycle so it's possible it's done but I'd keep an eye on in for a bit longer before adding anything. As far as the calcium, if you don't have any livestock I think it should be ok, but I'd be interested in what others have to say.

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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps and two clownfish. CF Lighting, 75% actinic blue, 25% 10,000k white.

harriszm · Jun 6, 2013

Leave it be and let it cycle for another week to be safe before you add a fish. A hermit or snail should be ok to test

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ChristopherKriens · Jun 6, 2013

Can anyone tell me what this little snail is? And if he's reef safe??

It looks like a bumblebee snail, which are reef safe. It's pretty small in the image though; I would look up an image and double check before cutting him loose.

beaslbob · Jun 6, 2013

I would add macro algaes.

and as a first fish I recommend you try a single male molly. Acclimating the molly to saltwater and getting it to survive is a great way to learn how to hand the much more expensive marine only fish.

my .02