Lights & Cycling
- Thread starter DonGil
- Start date
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ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
You don't have to run your lights at all while cycling. You'll get different opinions on how long to runs your lights depending on what type you have. Anywhere from 6-12 hours seems to be the consensus, varying depending on what lighting you have.
Troylee
all about the diy!!!!!
No live stock means no need for lights... But you can run them how ever looking at a dark tank sucks haha...
I havent cycled a tank in many years . However, If i did I would run my lights from day one. Why? During the cycling process you are attempting to establish the bio deverse population needed to process waste and nutrients in your rock and water column. Algae is an imprortant part of this population. Why not kick start the algae from day one so that i too can become established and begin to process the nutrient in your rock and water? I know a lot of people in this hobby dont understand or accept the role of algae to process nutrients but honestly algae is an effective way to purge your rocks of excess nutrients. As long as the net is less added than processed your rocks wille ventually clear up and become covered with desirable algae instead of the green fuzzy stuff.
Some of the rocks in my system were collected in 1990. Several times since then these rocks have been covered with various forms of "undesirable" algae. I have been told several times that they were "bad" and needed to be disposed of as they have "crashed" or subject to "live rock syndrome" LOL . Over the years I have learned to manage nutrients and I know now that algae is my friend. No matter what nutrients have been absorbed into the rock, given enough time and biological activity the compound can be leached back out. In my case the rocks are still going strong and they look great. One of the reasons is that I have allowed the various algae blooms to run their course and clean up on their own. Understand this is only true if the net input is less than the output.
Some of the rocks in my system were collected in 1990. Several times since then these rocks have been covered with various forms of "undesirable" algae. I have been told several times that they were "bad" and needed to be disposed of as they have "crashed" or subject to "live rock syndrome" LOL . Over the years I have learned to manage nutrients and I know now that algae is my friend. No matter what nutrients have been absorbed into the rock, given enough time and biological activity the compound can be leached back out. In my case the rocks are still going strong and they look great. One of the reasons is that I have allowed the various algae blooms to run their course and clean up on their own. Understand this is only true if the net input is less than the output.
Pkunk35
Valuable Member
Great post. I tend to agree with turning the lights on from day one of the tank as well, I also tend to think that the photosynthesis is important from the beginning.
That said, I also think it would be fine to run with no lights during the beginning stages of the tank especially if you have any natural light hitting the tank at all.
Trex
Valuable Member
To expand, whenever I have cycled a tank, I treated the tank as if it had been running for years -- skimmer, water changes, lights..... I like to limit the ammonia spike, I paid good money for the life on the live rock I purchased, and want to do all that I can to preserve that life.
DonGil
Community Member
After 1 week of cycling:
Ammonia - 0.50
Nitrate - 20
Nitrite - 3.0
PH - 7.8
Salinity - 1.022
I've been topping off the tank with RO water, about 2 cups per day. Should'nt my salinity level be 1.025?
Thanks
Don
Ammonia - 0.50
Nitrate - 20
Nitrite - 3.0
PH - 7.8
Salinity - 1.022
I've been topping off the tank with RO water, about 2 cups per day. Should'nt my salinity level be 1.025?
Thanks
Don
Saltwatertaylor
Well-Known Member
You salinity is a little low, your PH is also low. You will know when your cycle is complete because you will have a nitrate level of 0. Nitrates should also be 0, but it will come with water changes. Ammonia is very low, but it should be 0 by the end of the cycle.
Saltwatertaylor
Well-Known Member
A good way to increase salt is by adding salt to your topoff water. Also, when you do water changes, just make the water you add a lot more saltier than 1.024 (especially because you dont have any animals in the tank). To be honest, if you have nothing in the tank you can add the salt directly into the tank.
SeahorseKeeper
Where's the mysis?
Just gotta get that ammonia to zero.
DonGil
Community Member
Week 4.5 of cycling:
Ammonia - 0.0
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Ph - 8.2
Salinity - 1.024
Temp - 77.5f
Cycling appears to be done!! My question is I have very little algae growth in tank. I'm starting to get some small green spots on my rock, and some purple. The brown algae, which I assume is Diatom?, is starting to fade away. Do I even need a clean up crew? Im thinking they may starve!
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Ammonia - 0.0
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Ph - 8.2
Salinity - 1.024
Temp - 77.5f
Cycling appears to be done!! My question is I have very little algae growth in tank. I'm starting to get some small green spots on my rock, and some purple. The brown algae, which I assume is Diatom?, is starting to fade away. Do I even need a clean up crew? Im thinking they may starve!
HookedonSalt
Community Member
You may not right now but soon as you put livestock in there you will
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Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
SeahorseKeeper
Where's the mysis?
You can add your first fish addition and then the first part of the CUC.
