Suggested products?

[austin95]

Hey everyone! Wanted some suggestions on some products. I know there’s a quality gap and wanted to go with what the more experienced reefers thought

My setup - 55 Gallon FOWLr tank (HOB gear)

For tank cycling, what ammonia should I use?

Testing kits?

Bacteria? Unsure of needs to be added when cycling or if not

Thanks!

 

[Euphyllia97]

Throw in a shrimp and let nature do the work :) Don’t add anything. Only thing I would suggest, but it is not a must is to throw in a small piece of live rock preferably from the sea to add some beneficial bacteria that you can not buy in a bottle or get without introducing them :)

 

[Rocks reef]

You could always just use a product like Dr. Tims all-in-one, he also sells ammonium chloride if you wish to go that route.
Are you able to get any actual live rock? I'm not talking about some rock at LFS has sitting in a barren tank. I mean, rock for a reputable source or some rock from a fellow reefers mature tank? If you can, you don't need to add anything. It will already have the beneficial bacteria you need.

 

[fushi]

Hey everyone! Wanted some suggestions on some products. I know there’s a quality gap and wanted to go with what the more experienced reefers thought

My setup - 55 Gallon FOWLr tank (HOB gear)

For tank cycling, what ammonia should I use?

Testing kits?

Bacteria? Unsure of needs to be added when cycling or if not

Thanks!

I like this ammonia, but any brand works. Fritz is another good option. However, be careful with the Dr. Tim's liquid; the one I purchased (a while ago) had a way higher concentration than listed.

Hanna Kits are my favorite, but since you’re going FOWLR, it’s probably not worth spending the money. API kits work great and are affordable.

Real live rock is best and will make cycling the easiest. However, if you’re not going to use live rock i recomend prodibio biodigest. It's basicly the only bacteria tested by users that actually contains a mix of real ocean bacteria; most of the other bottles are just wastewater treatment bacteria branded for aquarium use.

 

[Rocks reef]

I like this ammonia, but any brand works. Fritz is another good option. However, be careful with the Dr. Tim's liquid; the one I purchased (a while ago) had a way higher concentration than listed.

Hanna Kits are my favorite, but since you’re going FOWLR, it’s probably not worth spending the money. API kits work great and are affordable.

Real live rock is best and will make cycling the easiest. However, if you’re not going to use live rock i recomend prodibio biodigest. It's basicly the only bacteria tested by users that actually contains a mix of real ocean bacteria; most of the other bottles are just wastewater treatment bacteria branded for aquarium use.

 

[Vivid Creative Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

If you have any reefing buddies with healthy established tanks. ask for a big scoop of their sand, Preferably from the back of the tank, where it never gets cleaned - basically the yuckiest, mucky parts.

That will kick start the cycle and introduce beneficial bacteria at the same time, but be prepared for a clouding tank for at least a day after dumping it in

 

[austin95]

Hey everyone! Wanted some suggestions on some products. I know there’s a quality gap and wanted to go with what the more experienced reefers thought

My setup - 55 Gallon FOWLr tank (HOB gear)

For tank cycling, what ammonia should I use?

Testing kits?

Bacteria? Unsure of needs to be added when cycling or if not

Thanks!

I like this ammonia, but any brand works. Fritz is another good option. However, be careful with the Dr. Tim's liquid; the one I purchased (a while ago) had a way higher concentration than listed.

Hanna Kits are my favorite, but since you’re going FOWLR, it’s probably not worth spending the money. API kits work great and are affordable.

Real live rock is best and will make cycling the easiest. However, if you’re not going to use live rock i recomend prodibio biodigest. It's basicly the only bacteria tested by users that actually contains a mix of real ocean bacteria; most of the other bottles are just wastewater treatment bacteria branded for aquarium use.

Thank you!! Using live rock makes me a bit nervous because I’m worried it may harbor parasites or something. I’d rather use dry rock that way I know for sure it’ll be fine.

If you have a trusted source where you buy yours, that would be great!!!

 

[fishyjoes]

There are a couple of bottled bacteria products that work quicker than others - caribsea bio-spira and fritz turbo start.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/n...-equal-whos-who-and-what-do-they-need.989780/
In my opinion there is no need to dose ammonia or establish a cycle before getting fish. Either get wet live rock from an established system or use one of those two products the day you get your first fish (or a day or two before).

As long as you don't get many fish at once, or too large of a fish, it will be fine. I have done this several times with my QT setup when I get new fish (I keep the tank dry until needed, and set it up with a bottle of bacteria when I get a new fish for QT).

The raw shrimp method will work, but it will take months. Dr Tims also works, but it also takes much more time.

I would also suggest reading some of the stickies in the fish disease forum
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-and-diagnosis.771/
Learn about how to quarantine and treat various diseases. It's pretty terrible when you've got a few fish doing well and a new addition wipes them out with ich or velvet or something.

 

[fushi]

Thank you!! Using live rock makes me a bit nervous because I’m worried it may harbor parasites or something. I’d rather use dry rock that way I know for sure it’ll be fine.

If you have a trusted source where you buy yours, that would be great!!!

So I get my live rock from Tank Stop, and prefer the Australian stuff. I just pick through the pieces i get, and use the ones I can pick off any unwanted things. You don’t need a ton of live rock, just enough to seed the tank with bacteria, fungus, and all the other little things that we don't fully understand yet.

If you’re going to use dry rock, I think it is best to pre-soak it in a tub with a pump or airstone and some bacteria in the dark for a while. I also like to dose phosphate and ammonia to the tub. Seasoning the rock will make starting the tank easier. I think giving the rock time to build up a biofilm helps fight off dinos and cyano that plague new dry dock tanks.