Cycle plan critique (and a few ??'s) - 140 gal.

[Bartanto]

Would appreciate any feedback, comments, suggestions on my cycle plan for a 140 gal. total system.

Marco dry rock in DT + LFS wet rock in sump
Arag-alive sand
Lights, UV, ATS, skimmer off, heat/flow on
AB Cycle kit (limited dose nitro cycle, Fritz 900, substrate sauce, marine pure cubes)
When Ammonia = 0 and Nitrite on decline, big water change, lights ON, put roller mat in
Add pods and dose phyto (not sure exactly what pods and quantity to add here - @Reef By Steele suggestions??)
Skimmer ON next day or two
ATS on (put on schedule once seeded)
Add CUC, clown pair, maybe a Goby
UV ON

Solid plan? Anything I'm missing or mistakes (on paper anyway?)

THANKS!!!

 

[TX_REEF]

Pretty solid! I wouldn't turn lights on until you have livestock to view, unless you're planning to actually grow the phyto in your display. Lights are just gonna cause nuisance algae with no benefit otherwise.

For skimmer and ATS, I'd also hold off on turning them on until you start to see nutrient buildup, UNLESS you are doing fish-only.

 

[brandon429]

in my cycle threads I like to give specific calendar dates of being ready to carry fish based on cycle arrangement type in the description.

no cycles are new, they're all copies of prior cycles in a group of 3 primary ways we cycle reef tanks, and those have already been tracked for completion date timing

this particular cycle will work this way:

within 3 days of that arrangement above, no degree of water changes will undo the cycle. that's a quick cycle setup above, already tested, in Dr. Reef's bottle bac thread. Fritz was shown to be adhere by day three in his posts

so that means regardless of what the test kits say, your cycle will be done by day 3. any test kits that don't agree are wrong on the test kit, it's not that it's taking longer than three days.

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

I like to see nitrite at zero and nitrates on the rise. Fortunately with saltwater fish according to Jay Hemdal and studies I read online nitrites are not very harmful to marine fish.

Budget determines how many pods for most people but for a 140 gallon I would hit it with 1 gallon of our blended pods and dose 1 ml of live Phyto per day per actually gallon water volume. This is 27 days per gallon at 140ml. Probably have displacement but with sump I find my systems close to tank rating. This will give the pods a chance to settle in and start reproducing before they start getting eaten, increasing your chance of sustaining a colony of Tisbe and or Apocyclops both. Tigriopus are great scavengers but seem difficult to get colonized in our aquariums. Maybe because they live in tidal pools in the wild?

Once you start adding corals jump the phyto to 2 ml per day, unless you add filter feeders, clams or NPS then I would go 3.

1/2 gallon would not be a bad start for the blended pods, but if budget allows, hit it hard to start and you should have to add less later.

 

[Bartanto]

I like to see nitrite at zero and nitrates on the rise. Fortunately with saltwater fish according to Jay Hemdal and studies I read online nitrites are not very harmful to marine fish.

Budget determines how many pods for most people but for a 140 gallon I would hit it with 1 gallon of our blended pods and dose 1 ml of live Phyto per day per actually gallon water volume. This is 27 days per gallon at 140ml. Probably have displacement but with sump I find my systems close to tank rating. This will give the pods a chance to settle in and start reproducing before they start getting eaten, increasing your chance of sustaining a colony of Tisbe and or Apocyclops both. Tigriopus are great scavengers but seem difficult to get colonized in our aquariums. Maybe because they live in tidal pools in the wild?

Once you start adding corals jump the phyto to 2 ml per day, unless you add filter feeders, clams or NPS then I would go 3.

1/2 gallon would not be a bad start for the blended pods, but if budget allows, hit it hard to start and you should have to add less later.

Thank you and will do!!

 

[Bartanto]

in my cycle threads I like to give specific calendar dates of being ready to carry fish based on cycle arrangement type in the description.

no cycles are new, they're all copies of prior cycles in a group of 3 primary ways we cycle reef tanks, and those have already been tracked for completion date timing

this particular cycle will work this way:

within 3 days of that arrangement above, no degree of water changes will undo the cycle. that's a quick cycle setup above, already tested, in Dr. Reef's bottle bac thread. Fritz was shown to be adhere by day three in his posts

so that means regardless of what the test kits say, your cycle will be done by day 3. any test kits that don't agree are wrong on the test kit, it's not that it's taking longer than three days.

Solid copy. Thanks!

 

[Bartanto]

Pretty solid! I wouldn't turn lights on until you have livestock to view, unless you're planning to actually grow the phyto in your display. Lights are just gonna cause nuisance algae with no benefit otherwise.

For skimmer and ATS, I'd also hold off on turning them on until you start to see nutrient buildup, UNLESS you are doing fish-only.

Thank you!