Newbie has cycling question

[guentk01]

I have a 29 gallon Oceanic biocube that I setup on Sept. 15. I put 10 lbs of live rock in it (I don't want a whole bunch of the rock) and about 15 lbs of live sand in it. I have 3 damsels and 1 turbo snail about 5 other snails (the ones with the long tenacle that bury in the sand) and about 5 little crabs (they look like small hermit crabs). Everything is going good but I am not sure about how long the cycle will take, or how I will even know. Any help you can give will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Kelly

 

[tizzo]

Originally Posted by GuentK01
http:///forum/post/3140045
I have a 29 gallon Oceanic biocube that I setup on Sept. 15. I put 10 lbs of live rock in it (I don't want a whole bunch of the rock) and about 15 lbs of live sand in it. I have 3 damsels and 1 turbo snail about 5 other snails (the ones with the long tenacle that bury in the sand) and about 5 little crabs (they look like small hermit crabs). Everything is going good but I am not sure about how long the cycle will take, or how I will even know. Any help you can give will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Kelly

There is no telling how long it will take without more info...
1. the 10 lbs of LR you added, was it fully cured? Was it mail order? The LS, where'd you get it?
But one thing is consistant. The way to tell when your cycle is over... test kits. Ammonia, nitrite then nitrate.
When they all read 0, then your cycle is done.
Till you all another fish, then you keep having mini cycles. Usually so mini that you won't even know they are there. HTH

 

[guentk01]

Originally Posted by Tizzo
http:///forum/post/3140161
There is no telling how long it will take without more info...
1. the 10 lbs of LR you added, was it fully cured? Was it mail order? The LS, where'd you get it?
But one thing is consistant. The way to tell when your cycle is over... test kits. Ammonia, nitrite then nitrate.
When they all read 0, then your cycle is done.
Till you all another fish, then you keep having mini cycles. Usually so mini that you won't even know they are there. HTH

The live rock was fully cured, I got it from a LFS, the LS I got from Petsmart in a bag.
Should I check the water everyday or every other day, or should I wait 3-4 weeks before I start testing it?

 

[florida joe]

But one thing is consistant. The way to tell when your cycle is over... test kits. Ammonia, nitrite then nitrate.
When they all read 0, then your cycle is done.
You never want your cycle to be over. You want you tanks biofiltration to be able to cycle organics constantly.
Our nitrates need not read zero when you test but your ammonia and nitrites must.
With all due respect I think perhaps some research on marine aquariums would have served you well before you started up your tank

 

[guentk01]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3140530
You never want your cycle to be over. You want you tanks biofiltration to be able to cycle organics constantly.
Our nitrates need not read zero when you test but your ammonia and nitrites must.
With all due respect I think perhaps some research on marine aquariums would have served you well before you started up your tank
I agree with you Florida Joe about the research. I have kept freshwater aquariums for years and years with no problem, and as of now I have a 5000 gallon koi pond and a 125 gallon african cichlid tank. I think I am just VERY scared of these things called saltwater aquariums. I don't want to lose any fish and I keep second guessing myself. Thanks for the information.

 

[snakeblitz33]

You don't want to loose fish, but you will. Any aquarist - new or expert, will see fish deaths. It's a part of the hobby.
30 day cycle - in general. Test your water parameters with a "liquid master test kit," and make sure your ammonia and nitrite levels read zero before adding a small clean up crew and then later ONE fish.
Taking it slow and having patience are keys to this very rewarding hobby.

 

[socalnano24]

Originally Posted by GuentK01
http:///forum/post/3140045
I have a 29 gallon Oceanic biocube that I setup on Sept. 15. I put 10 lbs of live rock in it (I don't want a whole bunch of the rock) and about 15 lbs of live sand in it. I have 3 damsels and 1 turbo snail about 5 other snails (the ones with the long tenacle that bury in the sand) and about 5 little crabs (they look like small hermit crabs). Everything is going good but I am not sure about how long the cycle will take, or how I will even know. Any help you can give will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Kelly
10 pounds of live rock is very low for a 29 gallon. You may want to consider a little bit more. Most recommend a gallon per pound. At a minimum I would recommend at least 20 for yours.

 

[florida joe]

10 pounds of live rock is very low for a 29 gallon
why would you think so

 

[socalnano24]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3140687
why would you think so
Well I can cite a source if you'd like : "The Natural Method, a hybrid approach being tried by a growing number of American reef aquarists. This method calls for ample use of live rock (1 to 2 pounds per gallon of system capacity) along with a moderatley deep 2 to 3 inch layer of live sand either on the bottom of the tank or in a seperate sump". The Conscientious Marine Aquarist
Since most of us are using a filtration/ live sand/ live rock combo, I believe that is what we are trying to achieve.
Its also what I've heard recomended on this site time and time again.....

 

[florida joe]

Live rock is not a prerequisite for every marine aquarium. To give a minimum pound weight one must adhere to is wrong. The methods you refer to are for Certain circumstances. Type of tank type of inhabitance, esthetics etc

 

[bowfish]

It was my understanding that its not the weight of the LR but the surface area.

 

[socalnano24]

Originally Posted by bowfish
http:///forum/post/3141155
It was my understanding that its not the weight of the LR but the surface area.
Bowfish: I agree that the more porous the rock the better. Last time I checked there's not a porosity index on lr. The lb per gallon is just a convenient way of getting close to an adequate amount of bio filtration.

 

[socalnano24]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3141137
Live rock is not a prerequisite for every marine aquarium. To give a minimum pound weight one must adhere to is wrong. The methods you refer to are for Certain circumstances. Type of tank type of inhabitance, esthetics etc
Joe, its a freaking recommendation, I'm not the salt water tank police as you apparantley are. They can do whatever they want as far as I care; just giving my opinion.

 

[florida joe]

Joe, its a freaking recommendation, I'm not the salt water tank police as you apparantley are
Would your recommendation be better served if you defended it
I agree that the more porous the rock the better
and if you were adding live rock for di nitrification would your statment be correct ???

 

[socalnano24]

yup...

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by SocalNano24
http:///forum/post/3142208
yup...
I am sure you understand advection and the rate of which water must pass through the rock to deliver near zero oxygen to feed anaerobic bacteria so please explain.How rock with a high degree of porosity is better at achieving this

 

[fretfreak13]

I don't know if this was mentioned, but Nitrates (the last part of the cycle) are sometimes hard to get to zero. 20 and under is fine, and shouldn't harm your livestock, but anything above that could be dangerous. I was able to tell when my cycle was over when ammonia and nitrites were zero, and I did have some nitrates. Hope that helps. =)

 

[florida joe]

I don't know if this was mentioned, but Nitrates (the last part of the cycle)
Umm that’s not exactly correct the last part of the bio cycle is nitrogen gas

 

[pezenfuego]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3140530
You never want your cycle to be over. You want you tanks biofiltration to be able to cycle organics constantly.
Our nitrates need not read zero when you test but your ammonia and nitrites must.
With all due respect I think perhaps some research on marine aquariums would have served you well before you started up your tank
While I had a freshwater tank I researched for 5 months before starting a saltwater tank. I feel that is why I've had success above everything else. While I did not know a whole lot about saltwater tanks by the end of this time, I definitely knew enough to start.
Now, not everyone does that and that is perfectly fine.
And really and truly FL Joe, when it come to the nitrogen cycle, there is no "last step." There are processes which convert nitrogen gas back into ammonia. Ergo...cycle. That my friend is why we don't call it the nitrogen chain. However in the aquarium, nitrogen is the last step.
Anyway, a forum (in my opinion) is one of the best places to learn about this stuff due to the fact that active forums are never outdated.
But a book is certainly helpful. The Conscientious Marine Aquarist is about as close as you can get to a "complete reefing guide."
Good luck in this and when you feel comfortable, post some pictures.

 

[florida joe]

And really and truly FL Joe, when it come to the nitrogen cycle, there is no "last step." There are processes which convert nitrogen gas back into ammonia. Ergo...cycle. That my friend is why we don't call it the nitrogen chain. However in the aquarium, nitrogen is the last step.
Ummm so in the contests of the marine aquarium nitrogen gas is the last phase of the nitrogen bio cycle ERGO what I said Unless you are professing that nitrogen is some how Absorbed from the atmosphere into our aquariums And converted into ammonia which would be very interesting to me please elaborate on your finding