Cycle tank or is it ready?

[Sparent25]

I set up a small 2.6g Fluval with live sand and Nutri Seawater (has bacteria), dry rock and only using the tank for a few corals should I dry feed and start cycle or since there will never be fish just free to add corals now?? Or since I have live sand and water is it already ready and cycled?
There will be no fish obviously. Kessil a80 light

 

[sfin52]

I set up a small 2.6g Fluval with live sand and Nutri Seawater (has bacteria), dry rock and only using the tank for a few corals should I dry feed and start cycle or since there will never be fish just free to add corals now?? Or since I have live sand and water is it already ready and cycled?
There will be no fish obviously. Kessil a80 light

Have you tested the water.

 

[Sparent25]

No because I was using (lazy) pre mixed nutri sea salt water and plan to continue using that for water changes weekly. I wasn’t sure if ammonia, nitrites, nitrates would / wouldn’t be there because nothing has been added at all and the water is supposedly balanced already due to the water and live sand?

 

[lapin]

The live sand might have dead things in it. I would test for ammonia just to be sure.

 

[sfin52]

It's the dry rock that maybe a problem. 2.5 g daily 100% water changes wont be a problem. You won't know till you start testing

 

[NS Mike D]

it should be but since you aren't sure, why not start some good habit and make sure. Get you test kits ready and test. If you have ammonia (0.25 might be a false read) it's not ready. You need to observe it drop and nitrates rise to confirm it's ready. Since you skipped this part, if you have 0.25 or less, add ammonia of food to the tank. If ammonia doesn't rise but nitrates do, you are good. If it does rise, wait to it drops and nitrates rise.

 

[Sparent25]

it should be but since you aren't sure, why not start some good habit and make sure. Get you test kits ready and test. If you have ammonia (0.25 might be a false read) it's not ready. You need to observe it drop and nitrates rise to confirm it's ready. Since you skipped this part, if you have 0.25 or less, add ammonia of food to the tank. If ammonia doesn't rise but nitrates do, you are good. If it does rise, wait to it drops and nitrates rise.

You are right, smart safe way to go amd for sure good practice as this size of a tank the parameters will surely be volatile Ordering a kit now

 

[NS Mike D]

You are right, smart safe way to go and for sure good practice as this size of a tank the parameters will surely be volatile Ordering a kit now

You should be fine with just water changes in a pico once the bacteria has covered the rocks, and be able to do complete water changes without any issues (look up threads of rip clean, sand rinse and pico so this).

So how do you plan of feeding the corals? Will you add a shrimp? I've never done a fishless pico and curious where they source of nutrients comes from.

 

[AmaleeC]

it should be but since you aren't sure, why not start some good habit and make sure. Get you test kits ready and test. If you have ammonia (0.25 might be a false read) it's not ready. You need to observe it drop and nitrates rise to confirm it's ready. Since you skipped this part, if you have 0.25 or less, add ammonia of food to the tank. If ammonia doesn't rise but nitrates do, you are good. If it does rise, wait to it drops and nitrates rise.

Also, have you seen any diatoms? They’re brown and grow, well, everywhere