Cycling..

[andy]

Hey all,

I'm new here and looking to start up a 12G nano asap! I've been trying to read as much as i can on the forums, but I've read so much conflicting information about cycling the tank..

Can anyone help me make sense of the different methods? I've read about putting LS + LR in the tank and letting that cycle the tank, or using dead shrimp, or damsels. Is there any method you have had a good experience with and would recommend?

Thanks so much, and I know I asked a lot of questions, so don't feel obligated to address then all. I look forward to learning as much as possible from you all...

 

[Jennie]

Hey all,

I'm new here and looking to start up a 12G nano asap! I've been trying to read as much as i can on the forums, but I've read so much conflicting information about cycling the tank..

Can anyone help me make sense of the different methods? I know it takes 2-6+ weeks and your allowing dead organisms to give off nitrates, which will turn to ammonia? then eventually it all balances out as the different bacterias are in the tank? Is my understanding correct?

First of all Welcome to Nanotank! Glad to have you here.

You're cycle will run 2-6 weeks, you're correct on that. The cycle will run from amonia to nitrites, to nitrates. It then balances out.

Adding the LS & LR together will shorten your cycle. If you add it in little quantities through out a period of time, you are introducing potential die off, which in turn can prolong your cycle. I personally used a piece of table shrimp to kick start it, worked for me. Some people use Damsels due to their availability, but didn't have the heart to add a fish that might or might not make it through the cycle. Like I said, some people use them, I prefered not to. As to getting your LS & LR, if there are no lfs, check around online, you would be suprised at groups that could be in your area.

 

[djconn]

Couldn't have said it better Jennie!

Depending on if your LR was cured on uncured, I would also leave your lights off or limit the photoperiod for most or all of the cycle.

 

[incysor]

I don't add anything to the tank. The natural die off in the rock will add enough ammonia to get things started. I leave the lights off as well, I think that it helps reduce algae/diatom blooms. Basically put the LR, and sand in the tank. Add arrange the rockwork until you have it setup the way you like add water and then let it sit for 2-10wks. You should have 1-2lbs of LR per gallon of water. If you buy cured rock the cycle will be considerably shorter than if you're using uncured LR.
Any rock that comes via mail should be considered uncured, and will take a bit longer than cured stuff from a LFS. The following two sites are pretty well thought of as far as I can tell, and you'll get rock with lots of life on it. Some will die off as your tank cycles but a lot will make it through and make the boring period a bit more interesting.

Welcome to the site.

B

http://www.liverocks.com/
http://www.tbsaltwater.com/about/tbs2.html

 

[andy]

Thanks so much for the quick replies..I've been doing research in every second of my free time and can't wait to start up my tank. I have been a long time freshwater (10g) owner, but have fond memories of a 55g FO Salt water tank my father used to have...

Few more quick questions:

1) For nano tank - I'd like to do a reef, so upgrading the lighting seems like a must - is it worth buying the 12G deluxe if I'm going to just upgrade the lighting anyways? I couldn't find any other major differences...Also, is nanotuning a solid place for lighting upgrades? I figure maybe 4x 24W (96W) from what I've read would work.

2) For live rock, I found a few LFS's in drivable distance -- Taking your advice incysor, they seem to have LR! Is $3.99 for Fiji a decent price (for local pickup)? I think it may be worth it to reduce the cycle time..

3) Suggested replacement Pumps for the 12G NC? Seems rios 90's have a good rep - what GPH am a I shooting for? Is there such thing as too much (I assume there is..)

4) Last....I feel so embarased asking, but I've been reading these forums for hours a day, and there are 2 terms I just don't get! A frag is stock you swap with others? Where does the name come from if so....And what the heck is a fuge (refugium maybe?) - I've read about 10-15W fuge lights...what the heck is that for.

Thanks!!

 

[Master Er]

I as well dont add anything to the tank. What you want to do is purchase cured live rock. Some LFS's have LR tanks with dates on them to show how long they have been curing thier rocks. So chooseing the rocks will be up to you and no matter how you aquascape your tank, you will have some die-offs happening. I cycled my tank for 10 weeks or 2-1/2 months but this is really up to you. I think the longer you cycle your tank, the better results you'll get. I started out by mixing my salt mix in the tank itself and with a bare bottom tank then placed my LR in the manner I wanted then added my sand. I didnt use live sand since I couldnt find any live sand in my area and anyway it will eventually become live sand. And yes, I limited the lights as well. You will notice ammonia spikes in your water (after 4 days to a week) however I didnt have any of that in mine or maybe it did but very scarcely that it didnt show up in my water tests. I actually didnt experience any algae blooms in my tank at all. Maybe because the LR I purchased was completely covered with purple and red coraline. Hope this helps. (correct me guys if I'm wrong)

 

[incysor]

1) For nano tank - I'd like to do a reef, so upgrading the lighting seems like a must - is it worth buying the 12G deluxe if I'm going to just upgrade the lighting anyways? I couldn't find any other major differences...Also, is nanotuning a solid place for lighting upgrades? I figure maybe 4x 24W (96W) from what I've read would work.

2) For live rock, I found a few LFS's in drivable distance -- Taking your advice incysor, they seem to have LR! Is $3.99 for Fiji a decent price (for local pickup)? I think it may be worth it to reduce the cycle time..

3) Suggested replacement Pumps for the 12G NC? Seems rios 90's have a good rep - what GPH am a I shooting for? Is there such thing as too much (I assume there is..)

4) Last....I feel so embarased asking, but I've been reading these forums for hours a day, and there are 2 terms I just don't get! A frag is stock you swap with others? Where does the name come from if so....And what the heck is a fuge (refugium maybe?) - I've read about 10-15W fuge lights...what the heck is that for.

Thanks!!

The 12dx would be fine if you want to keep mushrooms, softies, and some LPS. SPS, clams, and anemones would require modding it to get a lot more light.

$3.99lb for fiji is an excellent price for some areas, standard for others. Another good thing about buying rock from the LFS is that you can hand pick your pieces. This means you can get a more varied mix of shapes and sizes that'll suit your tank.

Rios actually have a pretty crappy rep, especially the larger ones. They can fail, burn out, and leak oil into your system. As long as you can find a similar sized pump with the same output go with another brand. The powerheads I think are fine, but they don't seem as durable as some of the other brands out there.

A frag is generally a small piece of coral that's come from a larger 'mother' colony. Depending on what type of coral you're talking about it can be a piece that naturally split/fell off/etc... Or it can be something that a reefer cut from the larger colony. GSP, xenia, anthelia, are all very common examples that need to be pruned periodically or they'll take over huge sections of your tank.

Fuge, is short for refugium. A refugium has live macro algae growing in it that absorbs nitrates out of the system. Macro algaes are photosynthetic, so they require a light that's suitable just like your photosynthetic corals, or most plants for that matter.

B