Cycling dry rock

jerseypete · Feb 3, 2014

Question everyone. I've been cycling my rock in a large Rubbermaid for about 10 weeks. Seems like it finally finished today. Ammonia 0. Nitrite 0.2 . Nitrate over 50 ppm. My tank and sump won't be ready for a few more weeks. I know to keep adding some ammonia to feed the bacteria. Question is does it matter how high my nitrates go? (Fishless cycle). Should I do waterchange? Also when my tank is ready and I add my rock should I add any of the water from the rubbermaid to the tank or start with fresh water?

LPSGUY · Feb 3, 2014

Hey pete, little confused. Was the rock dry rock or live rock? Putting dry rock in a Rubbermaid will not cycle it.

jerseypete · Feb 3, 2014

Little confused also. Why wouldn't it cycle. BRS dry rock. Saltwater 1.024. 80deg temp. Power head for circulation. Pure ammonia added to 4ppm. 10 weeks cycling. If I add 4ppm ammonia with in 24 hours it will be back to zero. Nitrates just finally dropped over night from 5 ppm. To 0.25ppm overnight. Nitrates at 50ppm. Max I can read on red sea test kit.

hatfielj · Feb 3, 2014

You have to seed it with some actual live rock. Otherwise there's no beneficial microbes available to do the cycling.

jerseypete · Feb 3, 2014

You don't need to use live rock. That's why you use ammonia. Some people use a hardy starter fish. You don't need live rock. I used dry live rock. Dry as in dead. No life. No pest. No unwanted hitchhiker. If I'm adding ammonia to 4ppm and in 24 hours it converted to nitrates. I guess its live now. The question was will shy high nitrates have an effect on the cycled rock. Or do I have to do water changes. Only reason I'm doing this is cause my tank is not ready yet. Or I would have it in the tank by now with fish already.

jedidad · Feb 3, 2014

If the cycle is truly done the nitrates should start coming down also. If they don't you might find some nitrifying bacteria to add.

Reefing Madness · Feb 3, 2014

Your cycle is not finished, you still have Nitrites. If it was done, you'd only read Nitrates. Once the Trites are 0 you good to go. You don't need to use any water from the rubbermaid for your DT. If your planning on using the rock soon, then theres really no reason to do a water change on the rubber maid. Your good leaving it in there as long as it takes, you could throw a shrimp in there from the grocery store to keep the ammonia up instead of dosing, but thats up to you.

jerseypete · Feb 3, 2014

Thanks reefing. New it wasn't done all the way. But it could be in there for a while longer.2 weeks is wishful thinking. Could be in for another month or so.

Koaboy · Feb 4, 2014

Cycle vs. Seed. To seed it, you need a source to provide "stuff" that grows on rock. Also, in my experience of adding dry rock, I added 1.025 saltwater, fresh, made with "0" particulate RO/DI, to the rock. Waited an hour, and noticed my phosphates at .030. The water had been in a Brute can for about an hour prior to adding to a new tank. Suggest you run a quick phosphate test.

Dalmatia · Feb 4, 2014

LPSGUY said:
Hey pete, little confused. Was the rock dry rock or live rock? Putting dry rock in a Rubbermaid will not cycle it.

Who ever told you that? You can cycle LR in anything

Dalmatia · Feb 4, 2014

jedidad said:
If the cycle is truly done the nitrates should start coming down also. If they don't you might find some nitrifying bacteria to add.

Nitrates won't go down, they will go up!!! That's why you do a water change. "Nitrites" will drop, maybe you got them confused?

jerseypete · Feb 4, 2014

Yes I know. I don't know where some of these guy get their info. The question wasn't even about cycling. There was only one person that actually read the question.

Dalmatia · Feb 4, 2014

Reefing Madness said:
Your cycle is not finished, you still have Nitrites. If it was done, you'd only read Nitrates. Once the Trites are 0 you good to go. You don't need to use any water from the rubbermaid for your DT. If your planning on using the rock soon, then theres really no reason to do a water change on the rubber maid. Your good leaving it in there as long as it takes, you could throw a shrimp in there from the grocery store to keep the ammonia up instead of dosing, but thats up to you.

Agreed 150%

Dalmatia · Feb 4, 2014

jerseypete said:
Yes I know. I don't know where some of these guy get their info. The question wasn't even about cycling. There was only one person that actually read the question.

You could do some water changes to see how you LR ( bacteria with in it ) will react! Continue to feed, I really would switch as mentioned to real source of food as well to see if your bb is up to the job!
If you do that you can add the water from your bin as long as the nitrates don't spike to much

jerseypete · Feb 4, 2014

Thanks just didn't feel like doing a water change if I didn't have to. Going to need 125 gallons when the tank is ready.

Bad Company · Feb 5, 2014

Just don't use the 50ppm nitrate water to start your new fishtank, just import the rock with all the bacteria all over it. Otherwise: dead fish and algae all over the place.