Cycling My First Tank

Hawk23

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Hello Everyone!

Question... I am setting up my new tank and my friend was able to get some live rock and hold it in his tanks for me while I wait for my tank to get here. Since the rock had been in an established tank for years prior to moving to my friend's tank, and then into mine next week, how long should I expect my cycle to take? I was anticipating a month, but started researching on here and saw that since the rock was in established tanks and will never have been dried out, it might shorten the cycle time?

Thanks in advance!
 

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The live rock way from what I see seems to be a good, natural way to do it, When I started mine I used this stuff. Took me about two months to cycle, even with cured and cultured rock. But sometimes, I've heard it can take 4 months or so. Just test it every 2 weeks and you should be okay after your nitrites bottom out. The longer your tank sits empty at ideal water parameters, the better the water is, just make sure you continue tossing in little bits of nitrate producers, maybe a marine pellet or two every week or so in order to produce the nitrites for the bacteria to eat! Good luck!
1613758576677.png
 
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Hello Everyone!

Question... I am setting up my new tank and my friend was able to get some live rock and hold it in his tanks for me while I wait for my tank to get here. Since the rock had been in an established tank for years prior to moving to my friend's tank, and then into mine next week, how long should I expect my cycle to take? I was anticipating a month, but started researching on here and saw that since the rock was in established tanks and will never have been dried out, it might shorten the cycle time?

Thanks in advance!
You won’t get a cycle if it’s mature already and you have enough of it. Just swill it off in a bit of old tank water, go get rid of turds, then you’re good to go. Add water at correct temp and salinity with flow, and you have started reefing. :)
 
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Hawk23

Hawk23

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The live rock way from what I see seems to be a good, natural way to do it, When I started mine I used this stuff. Took me about two months to cycle, even with cured and cultured rock. But sometimes, I've heard it can take 4 months or so. Just test it every 2 weeks and you should be okay after your nitrites bottom out. The longer your tank sits empty at ideal water parameters, the better the water is, just make sure you continue tossing in little bits of nitrate producers, maybe a marine pellet or two every week or so in order to produce the nitrites for the bacteria to eat! Good luck!
1613758576677.png
Okay awesome! I will see if I can find this around me. I have a bottle of Dr. Tims One and Only ready to use. Would that be similar to this?
 
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Hawk23

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You won’t get a cycle if it’s mature already and you have enough of it. Just swill it off in a bit of old tank water, go get rid of turds, then you’re good to go. Add water at correct temp and salinity with flow, and you have started reefing. :)
oh wow! That is neat I'll be a reefer sooner than i thought lol. Now to figure out livestock. Thanks for the info!
 
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brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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in that thread, we wouldn't mind if you moved your rocks ten times among tanks and then into yours, same outcome. we didn't list any interval in which a cycle gets undone. look at the heartbreak you'd cause by adding bottle bac there, we'd be disappointed and downtrodden that the bacteria were not trusted to run without our almighty offerings.

the specific reason we'd add no bac is to develop total trust in cycling from day 1 vs taking fifteen years to consider its remote possibility. all your reefs live longer with early cycle jedi training, this is the blindfolded mini planets swordfight simulation portion. the fact we aren't using ammonia testing above for all reefs is the actual blindfold.

because you are able to do this initial skip cycle, you are able to move a full reef home to new home. or downgrade, or upgrade without loss or rip clean to head off cyano instantly, all the same moves and all done very very quickly shattering the old rule nothing good happens fast.

everything good happens when we use skip cycle live rock and trust it. rushing the stocking leads to fish disease not cycling issues.
 
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Hawk23

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in that thread, we wouldn't mind if you moved your rocks ten times among tanks and then into yours, same outcome. we didn't list any interval in which a cycle gets undone. look at the heartbreak you'd cause by adding bottle bac there, we'd be disappointed and downtrodden that the bacteria were not trusted to run without our almighty offerings.

the specific reason we'd add no bac is to develop total trust in cycling from day 1 vs taking fifteen years to consider its remote possibility. all your reefs live longer with early cycle jedi training, this is the blindfolded mini planets swordfight simulation portion. the fact we aren't using ammonia testing above for all reefs to ever present is the actual blindfold.
I'll read that thread thanks! and I guess I'll leave the bottle bac out and let nature do its thing with this live rock. Thanks again!
 
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brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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please post we need the updates to be able to separate this portion of cycling from the other three: dry rock cycling, and blended live/dry setups, and uncured ocean rock cycling like KP aquatics
 
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Hawk23

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please post we need the updates to be able to separate this portion of cycling from the other three: dry rock cycling, and blended live/dry setups, and uncured ocean rock cycling like KP aquatics
I will for sure. I will be setting everything up hopefully next weekend. I have my build thread here too if it helps. That will have pics etc. as well while the whole setup is going on. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/hawks-first-tank.805355/
 
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Hawk23

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Update time! So everything was done setting up (Display, Sump plumbing etc.) on Thursday night. Live sand, live rock and water are in the tank. I have noticed a couple pods in the tank and this morning I think I saw a tiny fan worm (unsure). I will try to get a picture, but it is very tiny, so might be tough. There was also a bristle worm on day one but haven't seen it since. Probably been hiding in the rocks and only comes out when I am sleeping lol. I am about to go take pictures, so I'll update this again in a few minutes.
 
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Hawk23

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Here are some of the pictures. Let me know what you think. I know I have some wire management to take care of lol. Also if anyone could help identify if this is a fan worm? Thanks!
27EC34F6-9362-4A9C-A580-E8EF965DC416.jpeg
4F866F41-3A71-4B2E-B0B6-6BB9F5AD6D1A.jpeg

Is this a fan worm?:
54C72207-8CE6-407B-A02C-33D65BCCDC22_1_201_a.jpeg
 
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brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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Curious about the live rock

where did it come from, I expected it to have colors and algae and coralline and non white settings with animals attached
 
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Hawk23

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Curious about the live rock

where did it come from, I expected it to have colors and algae and coralline and non white settings with animals attached
Live rock came from a friends tank. There are spots of coralline on the rock but not a lot. as for animals, only a few fan worms (unsure if thats what they are) that I have seen, and pods. Also some hair like tentacle comes out of the center rock sometimes. No clue what that could be. As for other algae, there doesn't seem to be too much present.
 
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brandon429

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if they are attached, its 100% cycled agreed. that one item circled looks like anthelia polyps or could be a fanworm agreed this is cycled rock and itll be taking on its colors and pigments in your system, nice sourcing! much better than all dry starts, less chance of dinos

the known history of the live rock counts 100% in the cycle assessment, based on that statement its 100% skip cycle live rock and least likely to have dieoff when transferred in fact.
 
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Okay awesome! I will see if I can find this around me. I have a bottle of Dr. Tims One and Only ready to use. Would that be similar to this?
I used this on my tank when it was cycling. I started cycling with no sand and only live rock for one week, then added this bottle and some ammonia and in a little less than two months I’m done. I have no algae growth too so I’m really happy
 
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