Just set up my first tank, a few noob questions..

[JustJax]

Hey all!

Excited to be a part of the community. I recently picked up a WaterBox Cube 20. It looks great, im really excited to get it going.

I have been trying my best to figure out the best way to cycle the tank, and have heard a ton of mixed opinions. I even watched some videos online that said you could add fish the next day, and others that say wait 4-6 weeks. At the end of the day I do understand that I need the Bio Filter to be able to successfully break down Ammonia and Nitrites into nitrates before any fish should be added, but what about CUC and corals? I want to do this the correct way, and will let nature run its course.

I added about:
10lbs of Caribsea LifeRock
Caribsea Agro Fiji Pink Live Sand
Brightwell Aquatics Microbackter7

Purchased ammonium chloride (Still trying to figure out how often to add this)

I am waiting on my AI prime light, which will be here in a few days. Is it ok to let the tank cycle while I wait?

Thanks all.

 

[BlennyTime]

Clean up crew should be fine to add once the cycle is complete. You may want to wait a little on corals until you are sure things are stable after you start adding fish.

You should be fine cycling the tank without a light.

Have fun

 

[Rmckoy]

Lights during cycle isn’t needed so yea. .
You can get everything started while you wait .

I’ve never personally used any nitrifying bacteria for a cycle .

but dosing and maintaining ammonia levels is essentially what’s needed .

 

[mdb_talon]

The answers you get here will probably be just as varied as any others you have seen

The way I do it is add ammonia(to 2ppm) Add correct dosage of bottled bacteria daily. Wait. Usually within a few days ammonia gone i dose more to get it to 2ppm. Then i wait a few days and if ammonia gone and nitrates been climbing i do a WC and i put a couple fish in(clowns because I am one of those who always has them in all tanks). Often times i will let it run a few weeks or more if i am in no hurry before adding anything, but i personally dont believe necessary when using bottled bacteria and ammonia quickly depleted.

Adding coral i normally wait at least several weeks if using dry rocks (not because of cycle but for tank to he more established and stable).

As for cleanup crew i recommend getting some at signs that it is needed. Get it right away and they have nothing to clean. Wait too long and algae overtakes tank it hard for them to catch up.

You can cycle without light just fine(or with a light just fine)

 

[Jekyl]

Get yourself some test kits. I use salifert and recommend them. After dosing in the bacteria use the ammonia to dose the tank as suggested. Usually 2 or 4 ppm. Once your tank can go from 2ppm ammonia to zero in 24 hours your tank is essentially ready. You'll have to do a 75 or 100% water change at that point. Then you are ready for fish and a small CuC. Corals should wait a month after that. Add more CuC as needed and take it slow on corals. They don't really thrive until the tank matures. Wait on harder ones and anemones until 9 months or so. Welcome to R2R!

 

[dhnguyen]

I used to dose vodka to trigger a bacterial bloom to help speed up the cycling process.

 

[Dunc]

Hey all!

Excited to be a part of the community. I recently picked up a WaterBox Cube 20. It looks great, im really excited to get it going.

I have been trying my best to figure out the best way to cycle the tank, and have heard a ton of mixed opinions. I even watched some videos online that said you could add fish the next day, and others that say wait 4-6 weeks. At the end of the day I do understand that I need the Bio Filter to be able to successfully break down Ammonia and Nitrites into nitrates before any fish should be added, but what about CUC and corals? I want to do this the correct way, and will let nature run its course.

I added about:
10lbs of Caribsea LifeRock
Caribsea Agro Fiji Pink Live Sand
Brightwell Aquatics Microbackter7

Purchased ammonium chloride (Still trying to figure out how often to add this)

I am waiting on my AI prime light, which will be here in a few days. Is it ok to let the tank cycle while I wait?

Thanks all.

Here is what I do. Purchase the appropriate size bottle of Dr. Tim’s One and Only Bacteria, ensure tank salinity is between 1.020 - 1.026 S.G, ensure tank temperature is between 76 - 80 F, add two clownfish and immediately shake the bottle of nitrifying bacteria and pour the whole bottle into the tank. Test for Ammonia (NH4), Nitrite (NO2-), Nitrate (NO3-). Check every 24 hours for 5 days. Once there is little to no Ammonia or Nitrites and some amounts of Nitrates the initial cycling of the tank is complete. This approach has been successful for me.

 

[Jekyl]

Ammonia in a bottle will do the same thing as adding fish without the health risk.

 

[dhnguyen]

Why use live fish to cycle a tank? It's not necessary and can be stressful on the fish. Just toss in a small piece of raw shrimp instead.

 

[Bmw015]

I went with a fishless cycle as well. Started with rock I aquascaped using reef cement on a bare bottom. Added dry sand. Then water to a salinity of 1.25. Added Dr. Tim's One and Only. Then added Dr. Tim's Ammonium Chloride at half the dose on the bottle, which brought Ammonia up to 2ppm. It took a little while for the Ammonia to drop. Once it did, I added more Ammonium Chloride.

At day 18, I had (bought new fish, lol) to add the clownfish. Before I added her, I did a big water change to bring the Nitrates down. Pulled the clownfish out of quarantine and drip acclimated.

The noobs went into the quarantine tank after acclimating. Good luck! I don't plan to add lights until I get coral. Maybe month 4. The hobby is exciting, but I've learned from previous tanks, it's best to take your time.

I even took the time to draw out my plumbing on Illustrator. My first tank was an impulse purchase. This is my third tank and I was determined to be as patient as possible. Even 18 days in was too fast for me. But I needed to free up the quarantine tank. SMH.

 

[Gup]

Hey all!

Excited to be a part of the community. I recently picked up a WaterBox Cube 20. It looks great, im really excited to get it going.

I have been trying my best to figure out the best way to cycle the tank, and have heard a ton of mixed opinions. I even watched some videos online that said you could add fish the next day, and others that say wait 4-6 weeks. At the end of the day I do understand that I need the Bio Filter to be able to successfully break down Ammonia and Nitrites into nitrates before any fish should be added, but what about CUC and corals? I want to do this the correct way, and will let nature run its course.

I added about:
10lbs of Caribsea LifeRock
Caribsea Agro Fiji Pink Live Sand
Brightwell Aquatics Microbackter7

Purchased ammonium chloride (Still trying to figure out how often to add this)

I am waiting on my AI prime light, which will be here in a few days. Is it ok to let the tank cycle while I wait?

Thanks all.

I want to welcome you to R2R. You will find that the longer you are here, the more you will learn and enjoy this site

 

[srobertb]

Add a little ammonia and watch it cycle. For a long time cycling with no lights was considered best practice. My first tank the LFS owner told me to put in live rock and sand, add a frozen grocery store shrimp, then wrap the hole tank in newspaper for 2 months

Just be patient. The tank will go through a cycle but you’re not done yet. Next you’ll have the uglies. Diatom blooms, hair algae, cyano. You can fight them or let them work themselves out.

just remember stabilizing the tank is a lot easier without animals in it. I like to add a small clean up crew of snails once I get some food for them.

 

[Appoloreefer]

Hey all!

Excited to be a part of the community. I recently picked up a WaterBox Cube 20. It looks great, im really excited to get it going.

I have been trying my best to figure out the best way to cycle the tank, and have heard a ton of mixed opinions. I even watched some videos online that said you could add fish the next day, and others that say wait 4-6 weeks. At the end of the day I do understand that I need the Bio Filter to be able to successfully break down Ammonia and Nitrites into nitrates before any fish should be added, but what about CUC and corals? I want to do this the correct way, and will let nature run its course.

I added about:
10lbs of Caribsea LifeRock
Caribsea Agro Fiji Pink Live Sand
Brightwell Aquatics Microbackter7

Purchased ammonium chloride (Still trying to figure out how often to add this)

I am waiting on my AI prime light, which will be here in a few days. Is it ok to let the tank cycle while I wait?

Thanks all.

I cycled my tank by adding two damsels and active bacteria and live rock, no sand, I ran my lights daily and had no algae outbreaks and my tank cycled in two weeks, I still have not added a CUC because I have no algae and want to wait a bit. my tank is doing great and I am now after 6 weeks getting diatoms. There are so many opinions out there and honestly you have to do it how you feel and think is best for your tank and what you want because every tank is different. Good Luck

 

[Azedenkae]

Hey all!

Excited to be a part of the community. I recently picked up a WaterBox Cube 20. It looks great, im really excited to get it going.

I have been trying my best to figure out the best way to cycle the tank, and have heard a ton of mixed opinions. I even watched some videos online that said you could add fish the next day, and others that say wait 4-6 weeks.

Hey there! I'll try to help you with as much as possible.

At the end of the day I do understand that I need the Bio Filter to be able to successfully break down Ammonia and Nitrites into nitrates before any fish should be added, but what about CUC and corals? I want to do this the correct way, and will let nature run its course.

CUC and corals come after. Cuc is not some sort of magical nutrient control (as some aquarists believe), they will still produce ammonia and stuff like any fish or whatever you have. Their purpose is to keep various different types of algae in check, and also eat excess food.

Corals feed off of nitrates, phosphates, and basically dissolved organic compounds/matter in the water. Also microbes, though that's more sponges than corals. They also photosynthesize (well, at least most of the ones we tend to keep), hence why the feeding on organic compounds (including from microbes). They can come after fish, or if you are able to produce the nutrients they need, they can come before too. Or at the same time. Whichever way.

I added about:
10lbs of Caribsea LifeRock
Caribsea Agro Fiji Pink Live Sand
Brightwell Aquatics Microbackter7

Purchased ammonium chloride (Still trying to figure out how often to add this)

Here, this guide will help you decide when to dose ammonia:

Since you did not begin with live rock, your cycle might take a bit of time. Life Rock supposedly contains dormant microbes, and the live sand supposedly also contains a diversity of microbes, but neither products seem to work well. Or at least no one has really reported it.

I really wanna do a test one day where I chuck in a piece of Life Rock into a tank with no sand or anything and just dose ammonia and see how well it cycles. :3

I am waiting on my AI prime light, which will be here in a few days. Is it ok to let the tank cycle while I wait?

Yes, a light is not necessary for cycling.

[EDIT]

A comment on fishless vs. fish-in cycling: I personally don't care either way about the 'ethics' of it, both can work and work well and one can keep live stock healthy even through a fish-in cycling nowadays, so whatever.

I just find it more a pain to do fish-in cycling. Constantly dosing Prime or similar, dosing this, dosing that, maybe big water changes, etc. A pain.

Not what you were asking, because you went down the fishless cycling path anyways, but yeah thought I'd mention my thoughts.