Cycling help

Shaddow_wolf169 · Oct 20, 2017

Okay so me and a buddy set up a frag tank which consists of approximately 400 gallons we are going to use no live rock no sand we're going to run chaeto later on but now we just have Marine pure blocks the 8 by 4 inch blocks in the 100g sump. Will the tank complete the cycle?

KIRBLIT · Oct 20, 2017

I would add some live rock in there in a sump or something and have some fish and critters as well. Running a frag system without fish can lead to cyano pretty bad with no nutrients in there from personal experience. Feeding it will just cause more problems because the cyano will likely out compete alot of the good bacteria for ammonia and they can take over pretty bad without a balanced system. Just my. 02

jeff williams · Oct 20, 2017

I would seed the marine pure with bacteria and then add an ammonia source and yes it will cycle. Is this frag tank a qt set up ? If so I would not add fish

Shaddow_wolf169 · Oct 20, 2017

It will be corals for sale seed the blocks with bacter7 the 150 gallon beside the tank will house fish both systems are tied into each other. But fish will not be in the frag tank.

Shaddow_wolf169 · Oct 20, 2017

Tank has had pure ammonia introduced nitrite is at 25 and nitrates are at 80 ammonia is slowly reducing. What I'm wondering is can 3 marine blocks which filter a 1000g each be able to support 600 frags?

brandon429 · Oct 20, 2017

There’s a simple test to tell so nobody has to guess, the post cycle oxidation test

I predict that will work, frags are hardly any bioload and are likely fully neutral bioload based on pico reefs stacked full

What you need filtration surface area for is the occasional feed they require, to handle breakdown wo ammonia

After you complete a fishless cycling regimen just test the system to 1 ppm if it oxidizes that in 24 hours after three weeks submerged on a dr tims regimen that means the bricks surface area was sufficient. Frags are so low command, I bet it would work without the bricks going only off dilution, the filtration bacteria on the frags themselves, and those on the tank walls.