cycling with live rock

Crystabel · Apr 8, 2012

Hi all !

so we went and bought our live rocks Friday ! Finally ! We just started with 45 pounds as we weren't sure of how the pieces would look into the tank ! ( we have a 45 gallon so the minimum!!!)

I like the aquascape, but I would like to add more - so not sure what we will do - maybe move everything ! LOL

so our LFS said 3 weeks for the cycle ? it seems short no ??? When should we start to monitor ammonia ? forgot to ask - we were too excited to get home and put the rock in !!!!

We have quite a few pods (well I think !) and a tiny feather duster I think. there are several tubes - but only one that seems to have a worm inside !

anyways - thanks in advance for input on the cycle ! We want to do things right !!!

Isabelle

BarbH · Apr 8, 2012

Hi Isabelle, congrats on getting your live rock, definitly an exciting step. Just started setting up my tank and getting water and rock into it, so understand the excitement. Length of the cycle will differ for each tank depending on how much die off you have from your rock. I am sure that those with more experience can give you answers based on their own personal experience, for monitoring your ammonia I would probably wait at least a few days. Along with monitoring your ammonia you will also want to test for nitrites and nitrates.

As for adding more rock it is a personal preference but you will want to make sure that you allow for enough flow so that stuff does not get trapped in your rock work. Also for your tank are you planning on doing a fish only or are you also going to be doing corals. If you are doing corals they will start to grow and fill in your tank so that is something to also keep in mind.

Crystabel · Apr 8, 2012

well I will let it be for now and add some rock in the sump.... will see later how we feel about it !!!!

we are planning corals - so that is why we are not quite sure if we have enough! good luck yourself ! it is so much fun !!!! And thanks for the reply!

BarbH · Apr 8, 2012

Looking good

Reef Breeders · Apr 8, 2012

Nice, looks like a cool 45 cube. The cycle is not over until ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are at 0 and stay there for a couple days, after an initial spike. Live rock should start the cycle, I would add dead shrimp to kick start it a bit more. Test for the first time a few days after adding the shrimp. Have fun, and Good Luck!

Zeither18 · Apr 8, 2012

They sell bottles of beneficial bacteria that would also help start the cycle. There are a few types out there. I used a bottle called colony for my first sw tank and I added my first fish in a week and all was good, even though they say u can add immediately I still waited. Just keep testing because the time limit is different for everyone. And I like the rock. My LFS has some in a tub and was always curiouse what it would look like in a tank.

henrysreef · Apr 9, 2012

The scape looks nice, the key thing to remember when starting up is.. go slow. Whatever fish/corals you put in there are going to live for years (if you do things right). So start them off on the right foot. There is nothing wrong with waiting a few days after your test kits show zero to start adding livestock.

Crystabel · Apr 10, 2012

I was very surprised by the look of the rock as your are right - it looks like nothing in a tub ! and so much life already ! I thought we would need to wait a while before seeing something alive in there - but right on the first day !

thanks - like the scape = but not sure where I would add more rocks - maybe simply in the sump!

We are taking things slow thanks ! first bought the tank in January and just managed to put in rock now !

tested the water and not much ammonia yet - I might try to kick start the cycle if it doesn't go up !

hopefully we are good to add a cleaning crew in a month or so ! ;o)

Zoanthkid · Apr 10, 2012

Sounds to me like u guys have a good idea of what it takes.. if you are able to be patient enough to just be putting rock in, and are accepting of the idea of not even putting a cleanup crew in for a month, I'd be willing to bet u are going to be successful in this hobby.. patience is the single most important factor and it sounds like that's a virtue u were blessed with. Good luck and happy reefing. Oh and I like the scape, I personally wouldn't add more rock to the display.. u will be amazed at how crowded your tank can get once u start stocking and things take off.

Mike&Terry · Apr 10, 2012

Congrats Isabelle! It is great to see your progress and your 'scape looks great. I love the caves and your fish will too. The one suggestion I have is to make sure you keep some space between the rock and the glass. It will give you some room to clean the glass, allow for better flow, and give your corals a bit of room to grow.

I agree with Zoanthkid and would take it slow on the cycle. Patience really is key to keeping a successful reef and you are off to a GREAT start! :bigsmile:

Wy Renegade · Apr 10, 2012

Given your excitement with all the new critters you are seeing, you may want to check the following thread, particularly post #10 which addresses what is known as soft-cycling (ie cycling in a manner that allows you to keep as much of the life as possible alive and well during the cycling process), rather then following the traditional cycling method.

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/new-hobby-sw-beginner-forum/57100-back-basics-cycling-new-tank.html

Traditional cycling can result in the loss of much of the life contained on LR at purchase. Additionally, you may find a number of the threads linked in the following thread to be an excellent source of information;

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/new-hobby-sw-beginner-forum/9412-new-hobby-have-questions.html

Tabasco1 · Apr 10, 2012

+100 on leaving room between the rock and the glass for cleaning. Other than that I think the aquascape looks great!! Good work.

When I do my cycle, I don't really test for anything but Ammonia to start off with. Make sure you get a spike so you know your cycle has started. Once I get a spike and my ammonia starts to drop then I will test for both ammonia and nitrite. Once those two have dropped quite a bit then I will test for nitrate. I figure, why waste tests? Why bother testing for nitrate when you have high ammonia?

+1 for "soft cycling" if you can keep your ammonia spike at .1 you will keep alot more beneficial life. Just know, at least in my experience, that a soft cycle typically takes longer

Good luck and have fun!

Crystabel · Apr 11, 2012

thanks ! I had read on soft cycling actually - and went online to learn more about it and some said it is a lot of work and it is sometimes needed to do 100% water changes - so that had turned me off !!! But I will continue to monitor the Ammonia and go from there - I would rather try the soft cycle !!!

and I did some work on the aquascape to clear the sides a bit - there are still 2 spots closer to the glass then I like - but it will be OK to clean - maybe not with a magnet - but still ! easy enough I think !

thanks all for the advice and will read some more with the links that were added ! thanks!!!

and sure I will have more questions etc later ! ;o)

and I am patient !!!! rather take my time and succeed with minimal losses !!!!

Isabelle