tank cycled?
- Thread starter Brian wea
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jman9331
Active Member
when you say another piece of livestock what have you added already?
http://reef2reef.com/threads/new-ta...d-cocktail-shrimp-live-rock-no-shrimp.214618/
your cycle was prob already done in a day per the thread above, and you wouldn't want to spike ammonia where living animals exist to test further, although the live rock typically tolerates when people do anyway.
before we knew your tank had live rocks it would seem to need longer, agreed. many people get told to bring home barren live rock and put a damsel in, so checking for that to redirect is prudent.
your cycle was prob already done in a day per the thread above, and you wouldn't want to spike ammonia where living animals exist to test further, although the live rock typically tolerates when people do anyway.
before we knew your tank had live rocks it would seem to need longer, agreed. many people get told to bring home barren live rock and put a damsel in, so checking for that to redirect is prudent.
As Brandon429 said, with your tank basically full of live rock, you would not have much if any cycle. With 20lbs of live rock in a 29g, it would have had the bacteria necessary to not cycle. unless of course you left the rock out and some died off.
At this point, I would say you are in good shape. Do a water change to lower the nitrates a bit (keep algae at bay) and add livestock very slowly. This allows the bacteria to build as it adjusts to new levels of bioload.
At this point, I would say you are in good shape. Do a water change to lower the nitrates a bit (keep algae at bay) and add livestock very slowly. This allows the bacteria to build as it adjusts to new levels of bioload.
OP
OP
Brian wea
Active Member
so it was worth the extra cash to buy the cured rock right out of the tank.. I brought it home in a bucket in water so I definently didn't have much die off. Brandon that's an awesome article thank you all for your replys
so happy! I have skip cycled every reef I have ever owned. if I had dry rocks I would not, and that controls pest input better so each way has its pros. I didn't want to make skip cycling sound like anarchy and luck, its testable, repeatable under close conditions so those were worth exploring. same thing with sandbed cleaning lol
many times people want to skip cycle a tank:
leaks, xferring into new tank
upgrade larger to smaller or vice versa
setting up a display tank in some fancy reef convention, with a few hours total time until the show and it must thrive a few days no ammonia
having to take your whole reef apart after 9 yrs to clean out a dirty sandbed, or attack algae
many times people want to skip cycle a tank:
leaks, xferring into new tank
upgrade larger to smaller or vice versa
setting up a display tank in some fancy reef convention, with a few hours total time until the show and it must thrive a few days no ammonia
having to take your whole reef apart after 9 yrs to clean out a dirty sandbed, or attack algae
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WetWhistle
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I find even using liverock to skip the full cycle you still have a cycle. You just have more bacteria to help process the waste but you still don't have the food web of micro organisms like pods and snails that help clean up your tank at the same levels you will once the tank is fully cycled. This is why it was common practice to cycle a tank for at least 6 months with a minimum of predators in the tank to allow significant numbers to build up without predation and allow levels to drop. Over time people forgot that it was not just ammonia, nitrates and phosphates you were waiting for to come down but also the food web to build up that helps you process you tank and eat algae. They got impatient and started shortening the wait because they were to much of a hurry and wanted an instant reef. Let your tank build a proper foundation and it will reward you in the long run. You will run into less issues down the road if you stay patent and help keep livestock loss lower so it keeps the hobby cheaper for you.
A reef tank is not truly fully into its own till after a year sometimes longer for its most productive state and most balanced. I say take your time and plan what organisms you want to keep long term. It will give you time to research what you want to keep and give you time for you truly enjoy your system and understand the complexity and dynamics of a reef tank. Use this time to learn this hobby and all it has to offer.
A reef tank is not truly fully into its own till after a year sometimes longer for its most productive state and most balanced. I say take your time and plan what organisms you want to keep long term. It will give you time to research what you want to keep and give you time for you truly enjoy your system and understand the complexity and dynamics of a reef tank. Use this time to learn this hobby and all it has to offer.
Jlobes
5000 Club Member
honestly, the only way to "know" if your tank is cycled is to do a digestion test, using pure ammonia chloride. Digestion test involves testing the tank for ammonia and nitrites, adding ammonia, waiting 24 hours and restesting the tank. Your tank should process both ammonia and nitrites to ZERO in a 24 hour period. If that is the case, tank is ready to go. However, seeing as you already have livestock in the tank(a bit early, since you havent confirmed cycle is complete) this may not be the best method.
http://reefbuilders.com/2015/11/16/long-wait-add-livestock-reef-tank/
in support of Wet Whistles take, a traditional method. In my cycling thread I mentioned one reason uncured live ocean rock has dieoff, if not for shocks of transfer, was from simple starvation. Heterotrophic feed availability is the mass builder for your corals, and without it the finer items will die and this includes corals that could have otherwise made it in a more mature system.
As with electronics and our general lives speed and quick setup has its demand as well, and the other side is look what established successful tankers do, they season the system and recurring startup issues might be well adjusted there.
the digestion test merely tells of filtration abilities, not of prudence in stocking items that require anything above basic care, take a head of caulastrea lps coral for example, simpler than many others.
in support of Wet Whistles take, a traditional method. In my cycling thread I mentioned one reason uncured live ocean rock has dieoff, if not for shocks of transfer, was from simple starvation. Heterotrophic feed availability is the mass builder for your corals, and without it the finer items will die and this includes corals that could have otherwise made it in a more mature system.
As with electronics and our general lives speed and quick setup has its demand as well, and the other side is look what established successful tankers do, they season the system and recurring startup issues might be well adjusted there.
the digestion test merely tells of filtration abilities, not of prudence in stocking items that require anything above basic care, take a head of caulastrea lps coral for example, simpler than many others.
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