To add cuc or not to add cuc

[domination2580]

I'm going to be setting up my dry rock in the bottom of a 55 gallon bucket with powdered and heater to start getting the rock culture. Should I get a cuc and our them in with the rock?

 

[brandon429]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/n...d-cocktail-shrimp-live-rock-no-shrimp.214618/


Your question ties into the above like this:

Will a few crabs crawling around group A rocks in a vat of water hurt anything? Certainly not, only meds will stop your cycle. They'll help by providing some waste material but not much.

Will they die because of being added so soon? Depends. How are you going to feed the bacteria and what is your turnaround timeframe? If you plan on leaving the rocks in the bucket for five months with a cuc without spiking ammonia to any ppm, and wait for the rocks to catch up naturally, with very light feeding for the cuc then they may not die and you'll be waiting months to cycle, and still have to remove them to test (people usually wait post cycling to add life forms)

If you want to use the rocks sooner, and will have to drive the ammonia to testing levels, then you shouldn't add the cuc.

 

[FL_Reefer]

I'm just curious, why not set up your tank and just cycle it? It will be a lot easier to build your aquascape with dry rock and you can make it just the way you want to. Then just add s cuc when needed. Just a thought

 

[Salty1962]

Wait for rock to cure. CUCs don't take kindly to ammonia.

 

[PatW]

The main functions of a clean up crew are to eat nuisance algae, eat discarded food and process detritus.

I don't see any of those applying to dry rock being cured.

A cleanup crew needs inputs. If algae, you would need to light the system. If food, you would need to ghost feed it.

Also, you would not be able to resort to chemical aids of curing like bleach, vinegar or acid.

However, putting a cheap led light on the rock, ghost feeding, periodic water changes and time would probably give you a superior result. I have not heard of anyone doing it because most of us are impatient.

 

[jerseypete]

Nope. Just use the 55 gallon and pure ammonia. I left mine in there for 5 months. Build took longer that expected. But I never had hair algea dinos etc when I finally placed in the tank and added all fish the first week.

 

[domination2580]

OK. I'll have to find pure ammonia...where could I get some

 

[jerseypete]

I got mine from a cleaning supply store. What ever you use just make sure it pure ammonia. No fragrance. Nothing else in the ingredients. I even think Dr tims makes one for cycling.

 

[jerseypete]

I also placed a powerhead and a large bag of gfo. To help with any phosphates leaching from the dry rock.

 

[jetmaker]

OK. I'll have to find pure ammonia...where could I get some

Walmart

 

[domination2580]

Gfo? And would chaeto work? also, what if I were to put one fish in to help with ammonia

 

[domination2580]

Walmart

Seriously....where at in Walmart...what am I looking for exactly....would love to get this started today

 

[jetmaker]

In cleaning supplies but make sure you get the pure ammonia

 

[jetmaker]

That's what I used to cycle mine.

 

[jerseypete]

Gfo? And would chaeto work? also, what if I were to put one fish in to help with ammonia

I think you have to do I lot of reading first. Not trying to be rude at all. But a fish don't help with anmonia. Their the source. Put the dry rock in with a power head and heater. Add 2 cap fulls of ammonia. Then leave it alone. Will that's going on. Read read and read more. I spent a year reading up. Then a year building. And reading also. By your questions I can tell your really new at this. And in my opinion asking questions on a thread like this is good. But nothing beats reading some articles on "fish less cycling" etc etc. Putting rock in with ammonia in a tub is not the only thing you have to do. But it will get the ball rolling while you do some research

 

[domination2580]

So I need to at least buy nitrifying bacteria in order to get the bacteria startedd

 

[domination2580]

Dr Tim's says get the ammonia in, then the bacteria, and when the level comes down over night it's good to go...I won't be using the water, just the Rock

 

[jujuman16]

Seriously....where at in Walmart...what am I looking for exactly....would love to get this started today

Make sure you look at the ingredients and only ammonia is listed. Some say ammonia and emulsifiers or surfactant, which is basically soap. The easy way to tell if its good is to shake the bottle, if you get suds then its not the right one. The one you want should have the same effect as shaking a water bottle. Be careful not to add too much. Too much ammonia will stall the bacteria.

 

[jujuman16]

Sorry forgot to add. The only places i have found the good ammonia were Dollar Tree and Ace Hardware. I have this weird thing about shaking ammonia bottles when i go to a store... o_O I think Dr Tims has the best instructions on how to do the fishless cycle with ammonia. Though you can use any other brand like biospira, etc. just follow his instructions. Sometimes its hard to find Dr Tims locally...

I start by adding 1 drop of ammonia for every 2-3 gallons, test, and if more is needed then add a few more until it gets to 2-3 ppm, not higher, and wait for the cycle. Once ammonia, nitrite and nitrate read zero, add ammonia once again to 2-3 ppm and wait for it to finish. I have cycled plenty of tanks like that.

 

[jetmaker]

Walmart pure ammonia is just that pure with no soap