Cycling help

[danielfernandes]

I can only prepare water with a deionizer at the rate of about 100 liters every 6 hours. My aquarium is over 400 liters. So for the first mixture with salt and s cycling process, I'm having a hard time finding a way to beat all the water and then throw it in the aquarium with substrate and rocks. My question:

Can I throw all the water in the aquarium and beat the salt right there... and only then throw the substrate (with the water already in the aquarium)?

This will lift the sand. What do I do in this kind of situation? Do I turn off the circulation pump and the filters and only turn it on after the sand has gone down?

 

[Screwgunner]

Put everything in the tank sand and all . Put a plate in the aquarium and pour the saltwater on the plate. Make up salt water in 5 gallon bucket I use 2 coffee cups of salt per 5 gallons it comes out pretty close to 1.025 .

 

[danielfernandes]

The aquarium has more than 400 liters and my gallon to fill filtered water has only 100 liters. So I will need to do it in at least 4 steps and each one takes an average of 6 hours to filter 100 liters of water.

Is it okay to put saltwater in the aquarium little by little without actually starting the cycle? that is, standing salt water in the aquarium with rocks and substrate until it is completely filled. thanks.

 

[AquaticFarm]

When I'm setting up a new tank for myself or a client, I generally put straight rodi water into the tank and then add the salt with a strong pump to circulate it. During this time, I also add the heater so that it helps some of the salt to dissolve faster.

After I get the saltwater to where I want it, I slowly put in the substrate and rocks. After all of this is when I generally add the bottled bacteria to get the cycle started. What a lot of people don't tell you is that during the time of initial cycling, as long as there are no fish involved, crank the heat up to 85° F. The bacteria will multiply faster in warmer water.

 

[Screwgunner]

This is true but put your rock in first then sand. Do not fill tank all the way up. When you put rock and sand in the water will rise.

 

[Spare time]

The aquarium has more than 400 liters and my gallon to fill filtered water has only 100 liters. So I will need to do it in at least 4 steps and each one takes an average of 6 hours to filter 100 liters of water.

Is it okay to put saltwater in the aquarium little by little without actually starting the cycle? that is, standing salt water in the aquarium with rocks and substrate until it is completely filled. thanks.

Its fine as long as it isn't live rock in there.

 

[Screwgunner]

Whoops

 

[Screwgunner]

Why that would be a instant cycle.

 

[danielfernandes]

There will be no living rocks and sand. Initial biological filtration will be by biological media.

My only fear is the water getting too cloudy and how that would affect the cycling of the aquarium. Especially if that sand would end up going to filters and who knows, to biological media.

If I may have one more question: Putting the rocks and sand... after mixing up some of the water I can and pouring it into the aquarium every 100 liters would affect anything? And in this case, an option would be to put the salt water the way I can but I already keep the whole system on?

 

[AquaticFarm]

Bacteria don't mind if the water is cloudy. They are just affected by pH, salinity, and temperature. Since your rock and sand isn't "alive," it honestly shouldn't affect anything.

I would hold off on putting your biological media into the tank until the temperature and salinity is where you want it. Other than that, they just need a source of ammonia to start multiplying and converting into nitrite and nitrate.