Forgot the cycle process?

[smoney]

If I add water from an established tank and live sand, and liverock; how long should the cycling processes take? What should the process consist of again?

 

[fishieness]

do you mean you are adding established live rock and live sand?
it may take quicker then, but otherwise, just as long as normal which depends. usualy it takes a few weeks but an exact time scale is impossible to determine. as far as what you need, live rock, sand, water, salt, water movement, and a heater, and something to start amonia buildup (raw shrimp)

 

[smoney]

I am adding water from my established tank. Then I am adding live sand from the lfs, not the one in the bags, but the ones they make, if you will. I am going to add a little bit of liverock from my refuge, and live rock that is new. If I add cheatomorphia, will that speed up the process?

 

[chipmaker]

The local lfs here sells nothing but fully cured LR, which would be just like usuing live rock right out of an established tank. Same for the live sand. They routinely sell this stuff and within 5 days or so start adding fish, a little at a time. There may be a small amount of die off depending on how long its out of the water until its placed in the new tank, and then you may also get some dieoff with it getting reacclimated, but overall it shoul dbe no problem or a very short cyle period. Only a water test can tell for sure. Yu can add chaeto etc at any time during a cycle, and it will start consuming any nitrates. Its the new live rock I wold be concerned with as to just how alive it actually is.

 

[judyk]

You will still cycle, but it will be small. I can't remember how long it took for me. I used water from my water changes in my first tank, used live rock straight from the gulf and sand from the beach.

 

[milomlo]

I did not use established water. I used LR from an established tank. Only 15# of LR though and 15# of base rock and then I used argaonite (ms) sand, not live sand. I have a 29 gallon and it only took 7 days.

 

[smoney]

Yeah, I thought there would be a little bit of cycling, I was just wondering how long it was going to take about, because I was using established water and I am also going to be using the established live sand from the lfs. they have this huge thing of live sand probably like 200lbs of livesand, that is connected to all their tanks. I am thinking of now buying some established rocks.