How to cycle my biocube

[brandon429]

It's algae food. Be siphoning up those waste areas as little 2 gallon water change clean up as often as it takes to keep the tank clean. Brine shrimp aren't a heavy tax like pellets, this is the right mode of care for any leftover feed though. Allow no compaction into the sandbed by routinely uptaking waste physically via siphon cleaning while it still sits on top of the sandbed

 

[abryant]

It's algae food. Be siphoning up those waste areas as little 2 gallon water change clean up as often as it takes to keep the tank clean. Brine shrimp aren't a heavy tax like pellets, this is the right mode of care for any leftover feed though. Allow no compaction into the sandbed by routinely uptaking waste physically via siphon cleaning while it still sits on top of the sandbed

Okay and how long do you think before I could add a second clown?

 

[brandon429]

Your system isn’t on the verge of crashing it could carry it now, but you’re skipping all disease preps with each new addition, the risk of losing them is delayed due to disease with quick stocking.

there are no examples we can find in thread searches of original ammonia non control in a display tank killing the fish, no reason it would begin now. If it was my tank above on the water-only cycling bacteria setup I would wait ten more days minimum before adding one. It’s ok to be hesitant / safe with added extra wait timing here since no bacteria other than water bacteria were input.

 

[brandon429]

Hey do you have an api or Red Sea ammonia test you could run and post the pic of the reading so we can see color gradients

just ammonia if possible

we want to compare that reading from the rare cycle to the light green color found from those kits on all normal cycles and stocked tanks. Curious if yours is opaque green alert, or just normal levels as usual even with the atypical cycling setup.

 

[abryant]

Hey do you have an api or Red Sea ammonia test you could run and post the pic of the reading so we can see color gradients

just ammonia if possible

we want to compare that reading from the rare cycle to the light green color found from those kits on all normal cycles and stocked tanks. Curious if yours is opaque green alert, or just normal levels as usual even with the atypical cycling setup.

I have an api and I will send a picture when I get home

 

[abryant]

I have an api and I will send a picture when I get home

Hey do you have an api or Red Sea ammonia test you could run and post the pic of the reading so we can see color gradients

just ammonia if possible

we want to compare that reading from the rare cycle to the light green color found from those kits on all normal cycles and stocked tanks. Curious if yours is opaque green alert, or just normal levels as usual even with the atypical cycling setup.

Hey just kind of curious what’s your setup looking like

 

[brandon429]

I only pico reef. This is the oldest pico reef on the planet / 17 yrs old and everything we do in my work threads with large reefs from cycling to sandbed cleaning to tank transfers to invasion fixes comes from contemplating the actions of this vase the past couple decades. Coral only, no fish headaches for me

 

[brandon429]

I would never want the hassle that comes with a big reef, owing to the work and cost I see big reefers undertake to keep that investment going. pico reefing for me all the way. I'd love to have a big planted tank with 25 angelfish, though. just not a big reef. it's very very fun online to manage other's big reefs remotely though, and free of charge just to hone science.

I bring back all the positive and negative outcomes from choices they post into work threads into my little home vase, to make it live longer. every outbound job completed solidifies my own reef vase to live longer as I use bulk web pattern outcomes from other's reefs to choose best options for my own.

 

[abryant]

I would never want the hassle that comes with a big reef, owing to the work and cost I see big reefers undertake to keep that investment going. pico reefing for me all the way. I'd love to have a big planted tank with 25 angelfish, though. just not a big reef. it's very very fun online to manage other's big reefs remotely though, and free of charge just to hone science.

I bring back all the positive and negative outcomes from choices they post into work threads into my little home vase, to make it live longer. every outbound job completed solidifies my own reef vase to live longer as I use bulk web pattern outcomes from other's reefs to choose best options for my own.

 

[abryant]

That was my ammonia

 

[brandon429]

that is a perfect pass, your system is in no way challenged by cycling issues. in fact that reads more cycled than the last 200 reefs I cycled remotely, not a joke, that's yellow to the point I'm shocked.


sooooooooo

Imagitarium water cycles better than today's current bottle bac mixes?

ocean water has nitrifying bacteria.

 

[brandon429]

that macna video says reef water doesn't contain cycling bacteria.



we must infer off your post, it dang sure does lol.

this is a great cycling post.

 

[abryant]

that is a perfect pass, your system is in no way challenged by cycling issues. in fact that reads more cycled than the last 200 reefs I cycled remotely, not a joke, that's yellow to the point I'm shocked.


sooooooooo

Imagitarium water cycles better than today's current bottle bac mixes?

ocean water has nitrifying bacteria.

Well I guess it does ‍

 

[brandon429]

@Dan_P

can you see any possible way cycling bac got in here, that functional, other than via strained reef water/imagitarium


is that not a shocking yellow api reading, the kind we all strive for in proof of cycle completion

his tank is set up in a way that if polled, 100% of respondents would agree can't be cycled. to me that means cycling rules on ammonia control are not fixed, yet.

the next 200 bottle bac cycles we see will be the classic .5 or .25, never that yellow, and he's been feeding rather copiously since day one.

hilarious that imagitarium water beats even fritz for $60 a vial in speed, instant bioload carry, and complete ammonia resolution lol. rock on.

I was hoping he'd post a light green so I can back edit this thread into 20 posts showing him equally cycled to the best bottle bac

but he exceeds that, by having a cycle so fast it was concerning to me + quick stocked + visual pic details like clear water, fish activity and open anemone and the rare totally yellow api. this makes imagitarium water the fastest cycling liquid Ive ever seen, although I need like 20 more examples to be sure. sure smells that way

 

[Garf]

Well I guess it does ‍

Imagitarium say the water is "sanitized"

 

[brandon429]

Garf can you find any other possible input for cycling bac here other than what rode in on the animals / appreciate any discerning eyes.

 

[abryant]

Garf can you find any other possible input for cycling bac here other than what rode in on the animals / appreciate any discerning eyes.

The sand?

 

[brandon429]

perhaps the reef sand did it/it was wet upon entry. I havent tested it myself, but AB did and said it didn't have cycling bac that's what I have to go from. we probably would need the same setup done as bare bottom to spike the football in the endzone.

since reef sand wet pack is so common, I will also catch a new tank build coming up and ask to see if they'll proof some light ammonia carry off just the sand part/ we add rocks later.

sand exists as a flat plane at the very bottom/low to no flow-through and 3D contact like active rocks do, or water that carries bac in suspension until they settle. amazing if only lower plane water contact handles all the mixed in waste ammonia, but its possible. can't rule it out just yet. gives new patterns to look for as we hone cycling details.

 

[brandon429]

and then in all fairness to the sand, it says on the bag you can add fish.

 

[abryant]

‍Yeah not sure but later today I will post another picture of my ammonia level but it’ll prolly be later tonight when I get home