Cycling a reef tank

[randy4083]

When you're cycling a reef tank when do you do a water change and how much?

 

[brandon429]

http://reef2reef.com/threads/new-ta...d-cocktail-shrimp-live-rock-no-shrimp.214618/

After the digestion test is completed is the time. If you changed water before that time, but still added ammonia back to 2 ppm then the water change wouldn't matter.


That thread also covers rocks that do not need to cycle, group b rocks

 

[4FordFamily]

Are you cycling a tank with reef in it? That is not a good idea if so!

 

[randy4083]

No its empty

 

[randy4083]

I got a fish in there cycling it but that's it

 

[randy4083]

I bought cured rock

 

[randy4083]

So I want to wait until the nitrates are showing once the nitrite is gone right

 

[_Conway]

I got a fish in there cycling it but that's it

Not a good idea. Fish cycling is not recommended.

 

[brandon429]

And there is still a 50% chance pending pics of your tank it's not even cycling. The thread shows all steps and a water change and nitrite testing isn't in the thread

Group b rocks, cured rocks, don't cycle the same way group a rocks do...in fact they have opposite cycles. Only barren white group a rocks get the usual cycle. The other two kinds is polar opposite, you fight to keep ammonia gone at all times using non API test kits
The read shows clearly with pics which kinds of rocks don't need to cycle.
Nitrite, nitrate not considered.

 

[randy4083]

My lfs told me that it's best to do it with a fish and I waited 2 weeks into the cycle to put one in the tank

 

[randy4083]

The fish is doing good he is all over the place and eating and everything so I don't know

 

[Pete polyp]

What's the ammonia reading? If you bought fully cured rock then it is probably ready to rock and roll.

 

[_Conway]

The fish is doing good he is all over the place and eating and everything so I don't know

Is this the tang with ich you had previous thread about. Did you treat in a qt or in the DT. I'm curious how that would affect cycling also.

 

[_Conway]

My lfs told me that it's best to do it with a fish and I waited 2 weeks into the cycle to put one in the tank

What did you use to start the cycle?

 

[randy4083]

This is what I did to start I bought fully cured live rock and after 2 weeks I put the yellow tang in and I thought it had ich but it wasn't once I put a light on their and I got a Kessel 360we on the tank and I gotta test Yeah I haven't tested the tank yet because I thought it would take 4 weeks atleast but I'll test it in the next couple of days because I work 2 jobs and I got the maxspect gyre 130 in the tank and the reef octopus bh 90 on the tank

 

[_Conway]

This is what I did to start I bought fully cured live rock and after 2 weeks I put the yellow tang in and I thought it had ich but it wasn't once I put a light on their and I got a Kessel 360we on the tank and I gotta test Yeah I haven't tested the tank yet because I thought it would take 4 weeks atleast but I'll test it in the next couple of days because I work 2 jobs and I got the maxspect gyre 130 in the tank and the reef octopus bh 90 on the tank

Read up on how the nitrogen cycle works.
Start testing your water.
Find a new LFS as selling someone a yellow tang to cycle tank is ridiculous and cruel.

 

[Reeferfourlife]

Don't ever go to that store again. They will do or say whatever just to sell something. All you going to do is waste more money in the future.

 

[randy4083]

Well the guy just said that if the rock was fully cured that it is done cycling

 

[Reeferfourlife]

Curing rocks and cycling a tank is two different thing. Even if you buy cured rocks, you will still need to let you tank complete the cycle. That is why you need to test the water to see when cycle is over and safe to add fish.

 

[brandon429]

How does anyone set up a reef tank at a macna convention, with tangs, ten grand in frags and they have zero days to cycle?


That in no way implies the OP tank was assembled ideally, but just to set boundaries of either luck or controlled option...how did we just get a friends tank entirely across town without a cycle, including rinsing all sand clean-literally two weeks ago. Ps I did no work, I never do we just typed everything out (hope to see your tank 10th John.Cole but I might be in ruidoso w still meetup sometime anyway)

No fish should have been added here without test kits and as a first go. Rocks and snails maybe. People will always disagree here.

But the lfs isn't necessarily hung either

Requested pics

If the rock shown in OPs instant tang tank matches the opening color pictures in the thread above labeled as group b, the lfs is not a liar they are just pushing too fast.

Fish won't readily survive being put in rocks with no filtration ability, they'll self poison fast. From details given so far, he was likely sold group b rocks and a thread that's cycled hundreds of reefs says that's indeed possible

Do you have pics