Setting up the Cycle

[Raineforrest]

I've been making a plan in my head on how to cycle our new to us 46 gallon bow front tank. I have also formulated many questions and I want to know if I'm on the right track. Opinions and suggestions are welcomed.

I have decided that one of our investments will have to be a good rodi system because we definitely have chloramine in our water. I have thoroughly reviewed our water report online. When you mix up your saltwater to fill the tank, do you do it in individual 5 gallon buckets, test, then add to tank? I am wanting to have corals when I feel the tank is stable. Should I start with regular Instant Ocean or go ahead and get something reef specific? I do understand that minerals will need to be added back to the water after using the rodi system. Is the salt going to be sufficient for that purpose?

My husband has decided that he wants to use CaribSea Oolite Ocean Direct Live Reef Sand. I am concerned that it might be too fine and im guessing you do not need to rinse it because you would rinse off any good stuff. I read info saying to rinse it.

I am considering CaribSea Dry Base Live Rock and was thinking 60lbs could possibly be enough. Will live sand be enough to seed the good bacteria with this rock in the tank? Or would it be a good idea to use DrTims One and Only also? I am doing a fishless cycle so do I need to add ammonia to the tank?

I would like to get coralline algae started on my rocks. Do I wait to add this after the cycling is complete or do it during the cycle?

During the cycle, I know I need to test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates. I'm still working on figuring out what my levels should be during the cycle. I have this kit in mind to keep an eye on those numbers and plan on tracking in my handy dandy notebook.

Thank you so much for your time and letting me pick y'alls brains. Lol

 

[lapin]

Rinse the sand. You don’t want all the “dust” in your tank.
Use the Dr Tim’s. Follow the directions. Turbostart 900 bacteria is also very good.
Using ammonia is a more scientific way of feeding the bacteria. You could just use a table shrimp or fish food but it’s hard to measure the amount to use.
I have found the coralline products are pretty useless. It will grow when you add corals as long as you have good calcium levels.
Use the regular salt (IO). There is no need for high alkalinity salt until your tank has a lot of coral’s consuming it.
Enjoy your journey

 

[Raineforrest]

Rinse the sand. You don’t want all the “dust” in your tank.
Use the Dr Tim’s. Follow the directions. Turbostart 900 bacteria is also very good.
Using ammonia is a more scientific way of feeding the bacteria. You could just use a table shrimp or fish food but it’s hard to measure the amount to use.
I have found the coralline products are pretty useless. It will grow when you add corals as long as you have good calcium levels.
Use the regular salt (IO). There is no need for high alkalinity salt until your tank has a lot of coral’s consuming it.
Enjoy your journey

Thank you for the feedback ♡

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I've been making a plan in my head on how to cycle our new to us 46 gallon bow front tank. I have also formulated many questions and I want to know if I'm on the right track. Opinions and suggestions are welcomed.

I have decided that one of our investments will have to be a good rodi system because we definitely have chloramine in our water. I have thoroughly reviewed our water report online. When you mix up your saltwater to fill the tank, do you do it in individual 5 gallon buckets, test, then add to tank? I am wanting to have corals when I feel the tank is stable. Should I start with regular Instant Ocean or go ahead and get something reef specific? I do understand that minerals will need to be added back to the water after using the rodi system. Is the salt going to be sufficient for that purpose?

My husband has decided that he wants to use CaribSea Oolite Ocean Direct Live Reef Sand. I am concerned that it might be too fine and im guessing you do not need to rinse it because you would rinse off any good stuff. I read info saying to rinse it.

I am considering CaribSea Dry Base Live Rock and was thinking 60lbs could possibly be enough. Will live sand be enough to seed the good bacteria with this rock in the tank? Or would it be a good idea to use DrTims One and Only also? I am doing a fishless cycle so do I need to add ammonia to the tank?

I would like to get coralline algae started on my rocks. Do I wait to add this after the cycling is complete or do it during the cycle?

During the cycle, I know I need to test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates. I'm still working on figuring out what my levels should be during the cycle. I have this kit in mind to keep an eye on those numbers and plan on tracking in my handy dandy notebook.

Thank you so much for your time and letting me pick y'alls brains. Lol

All of your choices are good so far. I would recommend splitting rock type up. I did 45 lb.s of dry for my aquascape. Then added 30 lbs. of live rock. You will never be sorry for starting off with SOME LIVE rock. As for your sand, live sand is also awesome, what grain size really depends on what fish you want. If you want any of the gobies, you will need a finer grain. I started out with the IO. Reef crystals, because I knew I wanted corals, and would not to switch salts down the road.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I've been making a plan in my head on how to cycle our new to us 46 gallon bow front tank. I have also formulated many questions and I want to know if I'm on the right track. Opinions and suggestions are welcomed.

I have decided that one of our investments will have to be a good rodi system because we definitely have chloramine in our water. I have thoroughly reviewed our water report online. When you mix up your saltwater to fill the tank, do you do it in individual 5 gallon buckets, test, then add to tank? I am wanting to have corals when I feel the tank is stable. Should I start with regular Instant Ocean or go ahead and get something reef specific? I do understand that minerals will need to be added back to the water after using the rodi system. Is the salt going to be sufficient for that purpose?

My husband has decided that he wants to use CaribSea Oolite Ocean Direct Live Reef Sand. I am concerned that it might be too fine and im guessing you do not need to rinse it because you would rinse off any good stuff. I read info saying to rinse it.

I am considering CaribSea Dry Base Live Rock and was thinking 60lbs could possibly be enough. Will live sand be enough to seed the good bacteria with this rock in the tank? Or would it be a good idea to use DrTims One and Only also? I am doing a fishless cycle so do I need to add ammonia to the tank?

I would like to get coralline algae started on my rocks. Do I wait to add this after the cycling is complete or do it during the cycle?

During the cycle, I know I need to test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates. I'm still working on figuring out what my levels should be during the cycle. I have this kit in mind to keep an eye on those numbers and plan on tracking in my handy dandy notebook.

Thank you so much for your time and letting me pick y'alls brains. Lol

Also, on the coralline algae, I did use the bottles stuff after my cycle, but I als got it on several other things like snails. It will not come into the tank on its own, it must be introduced into the tank on something. As for your cycle numbers, you will test daily at first, you will see the ammonia go up, then as it comes down, the nitRITewill go up, then as the nitrITE comes down, the nitrATE will start coming up, that is when you are cycled. I will make a very solid recommendation that you can research at Bulk Reef Supply. Please leave your lights OFF for the first few months. They recommend 4 months, I did 3.5, and I NEVER EXPERIENCED the “uglies”. It is well worth the wait. And fish do not need light, so they will be just fine.

 

[Raineforrest]

All of your choices are good so far. I would recommend splitting rock type up. I did 45 lb.s of dry for my aquascape. Then added 30 lbs. of live rock. You will never be sorry for starting off with SOME LIVE rock. As for your sand, live sand is also awesome, what grain size really depends on what fish you want. If you want any of the gobies, you will need a finer grain. I started out with the IO. Reef crystals, because I knew I wanted corals, and would not to switch salts down the road.

Thank you. I will look into my live rock options. Did you get yours online or locally? ♡

 

[twentyleagues]

I have used Reef crystals most of my salt life it works great and has everything you need to run smaller tanks with just regular water changes unless you are putting in a ton of sps or something like that. The oolite sand is ok the arganite is better. You dont want it to be too fine. I used caribesea special grade live sand. I did not rinse the sand before I used it. It will cloud the water, depending on your mechanical filtration this should not be a problem. I mix my water in a 55g brute trash can typically it last me 3 weeks with regular water changes on 2 tanks. I keep it heated and flow from a powerhead. I used all marco dry rock and for the most part no issues. I used brighwells start xlm and their ammonia product. API tests are fine just follow the directions and realize api ammonia test is total ammonia not just free ammonia. Most people have a hard time telling the color difference between 0 and .25. It will help to add a little fish food during the start of the cycle as the bacteria need a carbon source and I think a little phosphate is helpful also during different stages. I wouldnt worry about adding any coralline product as there is little evidence it does anything at all. You will get coralline off shells of cuc and frag plugs. You could probably get some from lfs or local hobbyists once the tank is stable. Live rock is a double edge sword. You get a ton of good stuff but can also get stuff you may not want in the tank. Both live and dry rocks have their good points and bad points. I literally cycled my tank for about a month put a couple fish in, turned on the lights and added corals and cuc been going fine since. I do weekly maintenance on my tanks pick off any algae I dont want, blow off the rocks, clean the glass, and do water change. I recently started coral snow also. I have a build thread if you want to see it. i have not had too many uglies that are not easily handled by my cuc or myself. Its all dry rock.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Thank you. I will look into my live rock options. Did you get yours online or locally? ♡

I bought mine locally, but the type I got, you can purchase online. It is called Jakarta live rock.

 

[RocketEngineer]

I would suggest not buying that test kit. Those types are not very accurate and two really aren’t needed after the first couple weeks. And chasing pH can cause more issues than it solves. You would be better off not buying them. Instead get a quality nitrate kit. Once you start seeing nitrate rise, you know you’re ready for fish.

 

[KStatefan]

There is nothing wrong with Instant Ocean. It is available multiple places. For your first fill you can add salt to the tank to mix. After that you will have to mix in a different container.

I would not worry about testing Nitrite. Just test for ammonia then Nitrate.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I've been making a plan in my head on how to cycle our new to us 46 gallon bow front tank. I have also formulated many questions and I want to know if I'm on the right track. Opinions and suggestions are welcomed.

I have decided that one of our investments will have to be a good rodi system because we definitely have chloramine in our water. I have thoroughly reviewed our water report online. When you mix up your saltwater to fill the tank, do you do it in individual 5 gallon buckets, test, then add to tank? I am wanting to have corals when I feel the tank is stable. Should I start with regular Instant Ocean or go ahead and get something reef specific? I do understand that minerals will need to be added back to the water after using the rodi system. Is the salt going to be sufficient for that purpose?

My husband has decided that he wants to use CaribSea Oolite Ocean Direct Live Reef Sand. I am concerned that it might be too fine and im guessing you do not need to rinse it because you would rinse off any good stuff. I read info saying to rinse it.

I am considering CaribSea Dry Base Live Rock and was thinking 60lbs could possibly be enough. Will live sand be enough to seed the good bacteria with this rock in the tank? Or would it be a good idea to use DrTims One and Only also? I am doing a fishless cycle so do I need to add ammonia to the tank?

I would like to get coralline algae started on my rocks. Do I wait to add this after the cycling is complete or do it during the cycle?

During the cycle, I know I need to test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates. I'm still working on figuring out what my levels should be during the cycle. I have this kit in mind to keep an eye on those numbers and plan on tracking in my handy dandy notebook.

Thank you so much for your time and letting me pick y'alls brains. Lol

I agree with Rocketengineer on the test kits. Get Hanna test kits as they take all guess work out of the equation. They are a bit pricey, but way worth the money. I would only get what I call the big 4, PH, ALK, nitrate and phosphate.

 

[twentyleagues]

Nothing wrong with api tests its more about our inability as humans to discern the color/shift point and our ability or lack there of to follow direction. Are there better test kits? yes. Hannah is probably the easiest to use. API will easily get you through your first 6month to a year of your first reef tank. Api are a little vague on certain tests but usually will give you a close enough ball park. There are tests like salifert or redsea that can give you closer numbers but again our errors can cause issues.

 

[Spare time]

Don't use oolite, it is a mess to deal with. Use carib sea ocean direct. As for a test kit, any cheap ammonia test kit will work. A nitrite test isn't that necessary but is helpful as the presence of nitrite can make nitrate appear way higher than normal during the cycle. I like nyos for nitrate. For cycling bacteria, the two fritz products and biospira are my favorite. Dr Tim's works but can be slow. I like to use ammonium chloride (fritz and dr tims sells some), but fish food will also work. The coralline bottles are fine to use, and they should be able to cycle a tank. As for rock, consider bommie reef rock. It is basically live rock with coralline and nothing else on it (other than microbes obviously).

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Nothing wrong with api tests its more about our inability as humans to discern the color/shift point and our ability or lack there of to follow direction. Are there better test kits? yes. Hannah is probably the easiest to use. API will easily get you through your first 6month to a year of your first reef tank. Api are a little vague on certain tests but usually will give you a close enough ball park. There are tests like salifert or redsea that can give you closer numbers but again our errors can cause issues.

I have api and it works for what I need it for, but I've been getting RedSea kits and I like those more than the API. API was good for me cause of how cheap they were haha

 

[Sophie"s mom]

As many others here have said, nothing really wrong with the API test kits. They just depend on US being able to color match, and can be kind of vague for some things. For ammonia and nitrite, I would use them for sure. The reason I like Hanna so much for the ones you will use most often, is because they are pretty much fool proof. You follow the instructions, and get a digital reading, period. no color matching, no guess work at all.

 

[Ksturg]

The oolite sand can blow around if you are not careful on power head placement I used to only use that in the past but for me was too fine. The api is fine for cycling testing ammonia nitrate and nitrite and a starting point for ph…but you will want to upgrade later i use salifert ( but why buy things twice and potentially spend more money) The orange bag of IO salt is just fine I use it still just do some water changes to add elements back…IMO you won’t have enough coral load in a 36 to require the high mag salt. Invest right away in po4 control and it will save you a lot of time in the ugly stage again just my opinion…I didnt and got bad gha that is now gone but took 3 agonizing months to get rid of. I like dry rock as there is no hitchhikers…bristle worms left out of check can quickly become and overwhelming eyesore…I personally don’t want them in my tank along with whatever else live rock can bring in. Don’t waste your money on coralline algae stuff it will grow in your tank when it’s stable and ready to grow. I have used DR Tim’s and put fish in right after I added the bottle and completely skipped the cycle people may call bull but I have done it several times. If you are going fish less just add the dr Tim’s and just let it run its course it will be sped up by Dr Tim’s but really don’t get in a hurry. Mistakes will be made then you will be trying to figure out what happened…take it SLOW!

 

[CoastalTownLayabout]

On initial cycling and test kits. Regardless of the recent argy bargy surrounding this step the established methods of natural (raw shrimp etc.) or product based cycling (Tim’s etc.) all work. Test kits are unnecessary for the experienced but useful for beginners. For the beginner, testing during the initial cycle is a great way to get familiar with testing regimes and observed trends. Useful down the track for managing the more nuanced balancing acts of calc / alk and nitrate / phosphate.

On sand. Fine grade does limit flow options but can be a great choice for lower energy soft coral systems. I’ve always liked the look of it. Coarser grain size is probably a better option for you.

On post initial cycle. There’s many ways to skin the cat here but I’m convinced blasting new dry rock tanks with too much light is not the best option. No light for 2 - 3 months also seems unnecessary. Almost all current gen lights allow adjustable intensity and spectrum. Use this tech to start low and blue and build up in small increments until ready for hardy low light coral. Similar to test kits, beginners and initial cycling you’ll be well versed in your lighting tech by the time it really counts.

Good luck, hope it all goes well.

 

[CoastalTownLayabout]

On coraline. The trick here is inoculating your tank with a type that finds your system parameters and lighting favourable to its growth. Bottled products seem a bit unnecessary, look for the thick crusty / plating goodness on back walls and overflows of LFS’s you visit and ask for a slice. Crush it up into powder and pour in your tank.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Welcome and Did you add ammonia chloride or something to increase ammonia initially ? It is suggested and afterwards, when ammonia rises then falls and holds a steady reading of Zero for at least 5 days and also nitrate rises and falls and holds at 20 or below- you are cycled.
Being that you are using API kits , I would suggest taking a water sample to a trusted LFS and see what numbers they come up with and to compare with yours then you will know where your readings are at as testing for some can be tricky with these kits