Cycling with Blue Hermits??

[RaddReef319]

I'm setting up a new AGA 75 gallon tank with a 29G sump. I will have greater than 60% aged water from a local aquatics store's show tank maybe as much as 80%. I'm using Caribsea live sand for substrate. I've been reading about how to kick start a system's nitrogen cycle by introducing ammonia producing products. With so much aged water should I add some blue leg hermits for ammonia or some rock that has some dead stuff on it? Or do I not need to add dead stuff for the nitrofying bacteria to eat so they don't end up dying off? I appreciate any advice......

 

[Mariner]

Adding live blue legged hermits will not do much to kick off your cycle. If you add well-cured Live Rock from an lfs along with your sand and water, you probably won't have or need to have much of an initial cycle, and you should be able to add a few hardy inhabitants in short order. But if the LR is only partially cured or freshly shipped, it will have plenty of die off on it -- enough for a full cycle lasting 2 to 4 weeks, at the end of which you can add your clean up crew (including blue legs).
HTH,
Mariner

 

[RaddReef319]

I've always been a little unclear why some readings say that without a large ammonia spike initially the tank will never really start the nitrogen cycle. If I have aged water and fully cured LR the nitrogen cycle should be able to work and do so in a short amount of time.

 

[ficklefins]

If you use rock/sand/water from an established tank you will not get the same type of cycle that you get from obtaining your rock through mail order. If I was in your situation I would buy what you have mentioned above and setup the tank. I would then test the water every week until my nitrate/ites and ammonia reached zero or very close to it without any fluctuations.

When I first started out in this hobby I picked up my rock from someone moving and my tank never went through the traditional cycle process, and after 3 moves my tank still has not done a cycle process even though I have added new water and new sand. The only thing I have ever added to the tank to test water were mollies, and I knew that water was as good and I planned on keeping them as long as they lived.

 

[afboundguy]

I'm a big fan of not cycling a tank with any livestock. Granted hermits are pretty robust but just use live rock. You could also put in some shrimp or even urine if you want to get fancy

 

[Nate82]

haahha that'd be a funny sight aiming for the tank

 

[RaddReef319]

LOL! Urine is probably not going to be an option for cycling although it's readily available, he he.... But it sounds like I don't need to add anything in an effort to add ammonia. I'm also going to add a chaeto ball and some carbon in the sump. I'm going to run my skimmer and uz sterilizer right away as well. The reason I'm concerned is I'm moving and only have enough money for one extra month. So, I need to move everything with my tank only being set up for a month. I'm hoping that everything will be fine.

 

[Hypertek99]

I cycle my tank with cocktail shrimp

 

[RaddReef319]

I cycle my tank with cocktail shrimp

Do you put them in the tank and let them decompose or have critters to eat it?

 

[afboundguy]

You can just throw them in there without critters.

 

[stunreefer Verified Sponsor]

Urine is probably not going to be an option for cycling although it's readily available, he he....

Totally off subject from the OP, but back in the day before many of todays products were available the aquaculture facility I used to work with used Urine as the ammonia source for their giant clams... funny, yep, but you've never seen clams grow so big so fast!