Dry Rock Pre-Cycle

[LSU-reefer]

I am in the process of setting up a new tank and put some dry rock into a trash can about 6 weeks ago. I have been running a heater and a pump and used some of this stuff along with Microbacter7:

Microbacter Dry Rock Bacteria Starter Kit

Everything needed for fishless cycling a new system with Dry Rock is in this kit! This kit is designed to be used with unseeded dry rock such as Marco Rock or artificial live rock replacements. Plain dry sand is recommended instead of so called 'live sand' which may have been seeded with...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

I have also been putting my water change water in there from time to time. I have about 6 weeks left until i am ready to move it to the new tank and my question is how do i tell if this si truly cycled or not? My first thought is simply to see if there is nitrate/phosphate in the water?

 

[brandon429]

It’s done, check this post out below. You may have phosphate leaching or all kinds of non cycling waits, but filtration ability is set for any tank that adds water an waits six weeks.

 

[brandon429]

Bacteria in a bottle, Myth or Fact

Did the online calc indicate to use one mil in the tank for your gallonage

www.reef2reef.com

you boosted bac for this wait interval. That tank there didn’t, and still passed. yours is done because the bac fed by natural systems, and the dosed ones and they got in even if you didn’t add them, by that time.

the specific proof test sequence using api is found in that top link, you have a way to prove it’s ready by that three picture ammonia sequence we used. It tunes api or red sea into not misreading. We use them to test just that small working range, then we know it’s done.