starting tank over

[Stroja62]

hi guys,

so my fish just died 1 by 1 and had a lot of equipment fail all at once. not been a good start to the year.

i want to restart my tank from the begining.

so my questions are
1. how long generally speaking would it take to cycle with out the use of live bacteria. (my water will be coming directly from ocean.
2. is there a thread that will help me step by step in cycling.
3. is it safe to bleach rock, then rinse it then let it dry in the sun?

 

[don_chuwish]

1. a couple of months if there is some ammonia source for the bacteria to live on
- but really, just give it a kick start with some bottled bacteria, it really helps
2. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/cycling-an-aquarium.306554
3. You can bleach the rock, rinse well several times, maybe even add some Prime. Then let it cure in a tub or tank with heat, circulation, and salt water - covered. Add bacteria in a bottle and ghost feed it. Do water changes weekly while testing for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate. Keeping it covered helps avoid unwanted algae growth.