Cycling Idea, I think it's working

[sal t. nutz]

This may be a better cycling idea than even using shrimp, as it is much faster. I put 4 shrimp in my 300, and I guess there is just too much water volume for that to cause a spike. I couldn't hardly get any Ammo to show up. So, I used Ammonia, pure ammonia in a bottle and added about 1/2 a cup. I would suggest much less on a smaller tank. I tested about an hour later, and now my ammonia is on the high side of my ammonia chart. I think this is a much better and faster way to kick off a cycle, no waiting for shrimp to decompose to casue ammonia. Could knock about 5 days to a week off of a cycle. Has anyone else tried this?

 

[bustashat]

eww you poured amonia in? so un natural!
flop in some dead shrimp man! let nature take its course!!

 

[nm reef]

In the past I have seen talk about using ammonia from a bottle to jump start a cycle....but if memory serves me correct it was strongely suggested to insure the ammonia added was pure ammonia and not a combination of chemicals.Been a while since I saw the topic discussed but seems it is possible.....personally I prefer the slow and natural way......

 

[sal t. nutz]

Sammy, Are you saying you don't cycle your tanks? You just add one fish and wait? As that fish produces ammonia, it will have to endure the ammonia, and then Nitrites while the bacteria builds. Does anyone else do it this way? Or did you mean you ad a fish like a damsel? I didn't want to buy crap fish to cycle the tank, and I wouldn't expose the fish I currently have to that.
Bust, what do you mean unnatural? When that shimp decomposes, that is exactly what it would have produced. Not unnatural at all.
NMreef, it was pure ammonia, actually, it was ammonia and distilled water, that is all that was in the ingredients. It was like PineSol or anything, it was real ammonia.

 

[sal t. nutz]

Good Catch, actually yes. That return pump comes from a 40 gallon Dual Bioball chamber Wet/Dry. But I expect that DSB and Base rock to do a good portion of the filtration. I will also be investing in a good skimmer after I cycle.

 

[fireeater]

hehe...Was the 5 bucks on the sand the cost of gas money to drive across to the pure white beaches of Pensacola and get your own sand?
I used to live in both places while in the Navy. Almost stayed in Jacksonville after I got out. Applied for the Fire Accademy but moved back here (hometown) and got hired on at the FD.

 

[sal t. nutz]

BigMac, The sand and rock will be Live right after the cycle. They may not have Denitrifying bacteria, but they will have Nitrifying bacteria, which is all that a Wet/Dry is capable of anyway. Denitrifying bacteria in the low-oxygen parts of the sand and rock will prob take a good 6 months or longer. You were right about the skimmer, I plan on getting the MR-2 by MyReefCreations.
FireEater, No, I actually purchased the sand. A holding facility for companies like Southdown and others that sell CaCO3 based sands is right here in Jacksonville. They sell the stuff to those companies for $20 a ton. That is a penny a LB. I called them and they were very cool, let me drive my truck right into the quarry and bag it up myself. Then he didn't even weight what I got, just asked me to guestimate. I told him roughly 700 LBS and he said "Give me $5" Prolly bought himself lunch. You would not beleive the size of the mountain of Aragonite they had there. And huge frontend loaders, bigger than monster trucks. And 18 wheelers with open trailers filling up with the stuff. I felt so dumb out there with a shovel and garbage bags. Glad I got it though, it awsome.

 

[sal t. nutz]

Just like you said "So is the Wet/Dry". Nitrifying bacteria doesn't take long at all to build up. Denirtifying bacteria does. So the sand and the rock will be live with Nirtifying bacteria in no time, but for the Denitrifying bacteria, I will have to wait quite a while. Water changes until then I guess. The only reason to be scared to put straight ammonia in the tank, is not understanding the cycle process. I am not attcking you directly, I just mean people in general. There in NO difference between, shrimp decaying and producing Ammonia, and adding pure Ammonia, other than, adding pure Ammonia is cleaner. Shrimp deay, and produce much more pollutants than just Ammonia. I think this is the most efficient and cleanest way to do it.

 

[itchy trigger]

ive called 5 sand companies in my area and not ONE has ever heard of aragonite =) is there anyway for me to find out if it is or not?
One of the main expenses in setting up my new tank is gonna be the DSB. i would love to get a DSB of all aragonite and seed it with a scoop from someones tank and some LR.
-DSZ

 

[drew_tt]

most people that I know of dont use pure NH3 for sw because of the live rock usually involved... its a very common thing to do in fw though..
Drew

 

[ed r]

I would think there is no reason why cycling with ammonia would not work. However, many people use live rock in their reef tanks. To keep as much of the live growth on the rock alive as is possible, you want to keep the ammonia low. You certainly do not want it to go from 0 to off the scale in 30 seconds. Also, if one is using live rock, there is no need for anything else except to wait. Fresh live rock will cycle itself. Truly cured live rock that has not been transported overnight will not need to cycle.
IMO ammonia is ok in a tank otherwise barren of life. It is not needed in tanks that have life. It can speed up a cycle, I admit. However, every time I have tried to do something faster with my reef tank, I lived to regret it while not all of the creatures did.

 

[sal t. nutz]

Never thought of it that way Sammy, now I am pissed. I prob could have just put my fish in there and waited a couple of months before adding any more, and I would have been fine. Why didn't you speak up sooner???? j/k Oh well, now I have to wait a month or so for it to cycle. I guess I already forgot the main thing that is so great about a huge tank, water stability.