Hi! (i'm new) Cycling question

bchdfldian

bchdfldian

Member
Hi guys! I'm new. I've been reading these forums for a while now and finally decided to show my face

My husband has plenty of experience with reef aquariums. He cared for an especially large one for a few years (lost in a divorce * sigh * evil lady tore it up, sold it, and kept the money) and hasn't run one since - you know, emotional trauma and stuff.
I have had years of experience with freshwater; but, freshwater stinks. It's boring.
There is zero selection when it comes to marine life here in the middle-of-nowhere texas. We have one LFS next door with meager pickings and a local family owned store with 3 large salt tanks (they look OK)... those are the only stores for about 70 miles in any direction.
Okay! Now that the boring stuff is over, it's on to the Questions!
We will be aquiring a 48g bowfront in the next few weeks but are looking to start cycling my 10g here. We're going to be getting some live rock from an already established aquarium. I have heard that cycling is shorter with live rock from an established aquarium than regular. (we will be ordering more live rock with the larger tank, but are getting a few pieces to start cycling the 10g)
Also, is it ok to mix live sand with regular sand, or should we just use all live sand.
Thanks, and I look foreward to talking more with you guys later! :happy:
 
dapak83

dapak83

Member
it sounds like a plan... you can mix the sands together thats no problem...
if you are geting the 48 gal tank... y are u cycling the 10 gallon tank?
 
bchdfldian

bchdfldian

Member
Getting things started. After 10g is ready I can move it's contents to the larger tank and slowly add water over the course of a few weeks. Which will likely cause it to want to cycle again but it's more or less an experiment.
Does live rock from an established tank vs live rock you just bought effect the cycling process at all?
 
S

sinner's girl

Guest
if you are geting the 48 gal tank... y are u cycling the 10 gallon tank?
if she's smart, she cycling the 10gl to use as a QT for the 48gl tank. Or she can add the cycled water from the 10gl the to 48 to help it cycle, then start the cycle over in the 10gl
The tank cycles faster with uncured lr, but I'm not sure about cured lr...Add a raw salad shrimp to the tank to jump start the cycle.
You can add live sand to sand and the sand will became live over time, same with lr. If you add some base rock to the tank with lr, the base rock will become alive.
Don't be scared to order online, I've good luck with inverts (never bought fish online, I like to pick them out). But we drove 70+ miles get fish before, and the fish were fine.
 
S

sinner's girl

Guest
Does live rock from an established tank vs live rock you just bought effect the cycling process at all?
Depends. Is the lr you just bought cured or uncured? If it's cured, then no, I don't think it'll have much effect...
uncured lr, will help the cycling process.
 
bchdfldian

bchdfldian

Member
Not quite sure. I can ask. I know the LR has plenty of things growing on it and has been in the tank for a few months.
 
dapak83

dapak83

Member
ive goten fish from this site.. its healthy and happy...
as far that putng the stuff from the 10 gall to the 48 and adding water the cycle will start again as son as u add more liverock... if u want u can just cycle the 10 just to get the hang of it and to understand how the cyclying process happens.. it'll help in the long run.....
um IMO... i would cycle the 10... keep the 10 aside for now and then cycle the 48 with its contests like sinner girl said.....
Lr even if they are cured it will speed up the process soo it always helps... and also the salad shirpms kicks strts the process .. but if u dont like that idea u can jus feed the empty tank as if ther were fishes in there that also works... i suggest the shrimp itll be faster!
 
dapak83

dapak83

Member
when i did mines i jus left it in there
it becoms like a bubbe and slowly but surely will fully dissolve
 
bchdfldian

bchdfldian

Member
Oh trust me I know how to cycle a tank. I had just never heard of the salad shrimp before. But it makes plenty of sense. I suppose little things like that are common knowledge on a web community :D
My original question was really if LR from an establised tank would help or not since I'll be aquiring some shortly, I had read in an older thread about someone moving half of his LR from his established tank in to a brand new one, but putting all new water in it (not sure about the LS) and saying he wishes he had remembered about cycling with established LR. But, I never got the part if it was good or bad :p
 
murph

murph

Active Member
I had the same idea and also have a ten gallon set up. The logic of it seems sound. I have jump started many large freshwater tanks with water, filter media etc from ten gallon tanks.
I had planned on netting a small pin fish out of the bay here in FLA but the water quality and red tide has virtually wiped out bait fish in my area :mad: I couldn't resist so I got a small damsel to toss in the tank. I figure ten percent daily/bi daily water changes should keep him alive. Certainly not a shy little fish and so much more character than any of my cichlids ever had.
The decision to go saltwater is pretty much set in stone and hopefully I will be able to afford at least a 55 this weekend and get things rolling for real.
 
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