It's been awhile since I've cycled a tank...

[Steve Maxwell]

and I have a question. I have a 75G DT and a sump/refugium that holds maybe 30 additional gallons. I added water this last Monday...all fresh except for 10 gallons from my established tank. I have about 70-80 lbs dry rock in there along with about 5 lbs rock from my established tank. I left a filter that I had in my established tank in the new tank for a couple days and added a bottle of Bio Spira.

Unfortunately today is the first day I've been able to take any water readings (my wife has been having kidney stone issues). I tested the water today and below are the readings:

pH = 8 (I know this is low)
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0
Phos = 0
Ca = 420

So I was going to find some Dr. Tim's Ammonium Chloride...but NOBODY in Houston has any in stock and it will take about 1 week to get some from Amazon. I've never used Bio Spira before, so I'm not sure how to tell when the tank is "ready". I have a few fish in QT that still need to go through a prophylactic ich treatment (starting tomorrow), but I have some 'shrooms & zoas that are starting to overgrow their frags and onto the frag racks, so I'd like to move them ASAP. I do have some Coral Accel that I can feed them while waiting to add the fish.

So...what do you think? Is there another way to test to see if it is really ready without using Dr. Tim's?

Thanks!

 

[jetmaker]

No nitrates it's not ready you can buy pure amonia but shake make sure it doesn't foam so you know it has no soaps added add a couple tps and then isn't check when you see nitrite add bio speria wait for nitrate may have to dose aammonia again when it goes to 0 in 24 hrs your good.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Devils advocate

You KNOW whats gonna happen if you rush.

Its live already.almost. Not really, So it has kinda cycled. So you just should wait for the cycling bacteria to build up enough to put fish in and handle the waste.. And coat the dry rock so it doesnt over buffer. And have the nitrates start to spike from the die off.
Id avoid the ammonia. . Keep putting the old tank water in to feed it. Itll do its own thing by its self.
You could put stuff in right this minute if what your sayn' is true.
But.
Id wait a couple weeks. Just cuz... well read my signature.
And I can point a couple of threads to you to help the case.
But the choice is yours really.

 

[jetmaker]

You will have to give it dirty water to start and make nitrate it may happen faster with some water and rock but to have a full cycle you would have to add a lot more of the other tank than that.

 

[Steve Maxwell]

Unfortunately the other tank is only a 29G, so can't pull a whole lot out. What about adding a few mL coral Accel to get things moving?

 

[jetmaker]

I'd add some skimmer dirt that give ammonia and watch nitrite come in probably a day and check a couple later and with the bio speria should have nitrate and cycle quickly

 

[Reefing Madness]

Go to the grocery store and buy jumbo shrimp. Lay a small net in your water and put the shrimp in there. This will cycle your tank with an abundance of bacteria.
Ghost feed your tank, that'll also give you a hand.
Ammonia is also an option, but you can't just add it one time.

 

[jetmaker]

Takes a while for shrimp ammonia faster but no not one time but bio speria Works.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

You will have to give it dirty water to start and make nitrate it may happen faster with some water and rock but to have a full cycle you would have to add a lot more of the other tank than that.

I'd add some skimmer dirt that give ammonia and watch nitrite come in probably a day and check a couple later and with the bio speria should have nitrate and cycle quickly

Go to the grocery store and buy jumbo shrimp. Lay a small net in your water and put the shrimp in there. This will cycle your tank with an abundance of bacteria.
Ghost feed your tank, that'll also give you a hand.
Ammonia is also an option, but you can't just add it one time.

Takes a while for shrimp ammonia faster but no not one time but bio speria Works.

By faster in all those techniques you mean about 2 3 weeks. Right?
Same as if he did nothing right now but ghost feed.
You could dose ammonia at low levels this week with dr t and a shrimp and skimmer gunk
In two weeks would all of you put a fish in that? Plus corals.
Knowing there's a lot of dead rock about to go live swing his ph and have die off nitrates leach Po and for the next three to five months the trouble you have just like in any other new tank.
So add that to overloading the next to nonexistent bio filter.
And then put fish in it.
I mean ok. I get flamed for explaining how a light meter works and having a mandarin.
Even though I've been using light meter for 25 years and a mandarin for 5.
So now it's good advice to help rush a cycle?
Just Sayin.
Can we redefine move things along and asap.

Dude five gal a week or less of tank water and 3 more weeks it'll be ready to start slowly adding a fish or two.
You can test in two and deop in some snails.

 

[jetmaker]

I have been in this 30 Plus yrs to and remember 6 week cycling but my most recent with ammonia and bio speria 9 days total cycle.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

bio speria 9 days total cycle

really...

 

[jetmaker]

really...

Yup really

 

[jetmaker]

really...

Yup really

 

[jetmaker]

Sorry about double post but others have had this same experience with bio speria

 

[Reefing Madness]

I have a better deal. Use all Cured Live Rock and you can throw live stock into the tank in 3 days.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

This is what I call, my Bag O' Guts.

 

[jetmaker]

You can do good with live rock but you have to start ammonia to produce nitrite and turn to nitrate to cycle and I agree it can be done quick.

 

[jetmaker]

You can put in all the bacteria you want but if it don't have ammonia and nitrite to feed on it won't live.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I have a better deal. Use all Cured Live Rock and you can throw live stock into the tank in 3 days.

You can do good with live rock but you have to start ammonia to produce nitrite and turn to nitrate to cycle and I agree it can be done quick.

Hey agreed. But thats not the setup he has goin. Anyone with 30 years exp has my ultimate respect. PERIOD.
But you can do these thins because you have that experience. So you know but he might not what the price on the back end is. With his set up I think youll agree hes gonna battle algae big time and a lot of swings. You and I may know what to to to curb all that (fuge water change wet/dry skim gfo).
The OP clearly didnt know enough to about cycling and had to ask for help. He is being given really advanced advice that comes with a price(small to you and me) and that could hurt him.
My only caution is if he does what yall are sayin, is he gonna have the tools to deal with the aftermath during the next 1 to 4 months. System health aside, his fish are gonna get stressed.(ich bomb?)

Yup, from my lessons I've learned how to set up a tank and put fish in the tank same day I buy the rock. Safely. But im not typical and I have tools not available to many.

So maybe we can agree on some stuff for his case.
His tank is likely cycled enought to put a fish in and survive for a pro.(it would be best to wait 2-3 weeks)
A shrimp will take time.
For speed:
Keep trading water back and forth in the tank a gallon every day?(dust the rock and get some detritus in the column. (Ammonia/food source)
Pull small (or large) rocks from current setup(maybe a little funky sand bacterial seed)
Use Bio Spira. Dont over use.
No ammonia.(bacteria bloom? and fish stress?) He has natural amonnia sources available and hed actually wait longer for the dosed AM to dissipate.
Dont use fresh salt mix in the new set up for a while unless it's NSW or bioassay(less fish stress)
Ready in 9 days (id wait 14)
(am i missing a step there? feel free to add)

Consequences:
With that there will probably be LARGE algae nutrient ph akl prob the next 2 weeks after he adds fish.(dry rock)
so Test constantly (old guys can eyeball it )
Massive macro in the fuge. (ph and po & no stability)
Smaller water changes with more focus on detritus.
Med wet skim to pull dissolved organics and mostly aeration(ph is gonna swing baby)
And there's gonna be some awful surprises he'll be back on the boards with in 30 days.
Fish and coral health and serviveability are still questionable up to 30 days after addition with out intermidiate knowledge.
(Im missing some here too im sure)
Oh and add constant worry about your tank because you know you cut corners.

Success is in the prep and in this case it wasn't there. Band-aiding for speed I wouldn't recommend to any one, especially for those who don't know the price.