cycle a 120 g tank-bio media question

[dimidragos]

Hello, i start to cycle my first reef tank, its a 125 g with 23 gallon sump. I start with 75 pound Real Reef Rock (i understud it's a well know brand in US) and 55 pound of live sand. Two Tunze 6095 at full power In sump i have a Clari Sea SK 5000 and some medium filter pads only. Feeding pump Jebao DSC 6000, one line under full power but i estimate the flow in the return at max 2000 liter/hour. Not more. I use a Deltec 2060 skimmer. I add one day micrbacter 7 , next day Seachem Stability.
What media to add into the sump?? I think about Seachem Matrix because i use them in my malawi tank and i'm really happy with them. I consider also Brightwell Bio Bricks or Cubes but they are terrible expensive here and i understand that i need to replace them each 6 months...Other sugestions? It's much better to add 20 pound of rocks into the tank and nothing in sump??
Other question regarding the Carbon, GFO, Purigen, when i can start to add them now in begin or later before i add the live stock??
Thanks alot, i will apreciate your answer!!
P.S. sorry for my English, im not a native speaker!

 

[brandon429]

What you use in sump won't affect cycle, each of those options are found on successful tanks so just choose.

Due to specifics in your description, this exact method will cycle your tank even if you test for no parameters at all:

Fill w saltwater, run at 78 or thereabouts and let all that stew for 30 days doing nothing but running the tank with water sand pumps and rock, only brief periods of low light not high production lighting like when it runs corals

At the end of thirty days change a lot of water. Begin. You don't have to add nor test for anything. Thirty days, good to go


Here are things that will not affect your cycle:

Feeding or not

UV sterilizer or not

Carbon dosing or not

Any retail additive given, or withheld

Granular filter carbon

Skimming or not skimming

All your cycle needs is time and water due to special characters associated with rrr

 

[dimidragos]

I understand everything and i beleive its true. Then i can stop skimming also? I was thinking to use some bio media like Seachem Matrix now from begin just to seed with bacteria in this period of time.

 

[brandon429]

It's still ok to skim as well, those are aerating devices and new filter bac are hungry for o2. The skimmer doesn't strip the water of feed for bac, still plenty

 

[dimidragos]

Thanks Brandon, still not any information abou the bio media.... shuld i use or now??

 

[brandon429]

you can use it or not, no effect on your cycle.