to speed along cycle..??

[jibbittyflibbit]

i was wondering how to speed along the cycle process? im going to add 4 inches of southdown, 30lbs of hirocks.. then im going to add pure ammonia.. as opposed to fish or a rotting shrimp..
i used ammonia when i cycled my freshwater.. it worked pretty well.. and cycled like in 2 weeks. but then i had some seed material.. i was going from a 30 gallon to a 75.
now the 30 gallon is going to be my first attempt at SW tank.
im going to add 30lbs of TB saltwater rock, but i wanted to have it go thru a main cycle first..
should i order some live sand to help seed the tank ? i dont want to add the rock to cycle, as most people who use aquacultured rock dont have much die off.. and i dont want to kill off all the life on it with the high ammonia spike....
i really dont have any local sources to get a cup of sand from...
regards,
jib

 

[leopardshark]

i would use the live sand and tlc which will put some bacteria just like the live sand and rock into the tank and that should speed it up. tlc is just a liquid additives and i have used it since the day it came out and for me it works wonders.

 

[bang guy]

Every single time I have tried to "speed things up" it has been a mistake.
The ammonia sounds great in theory. Let us know how it works.

 

[fshhub]

Originally posted by Bang Guy
Every single time I have tried to "speed things up" it has been a mistake.
The ammonia sounds great in theory. Let us know how it works.
ditto on the speed factor and I also agree that ammonia sounds great in theory, but I am affraid to do so myself. I prefer to not go fast, personally.

 

[kev]

Jibbitty,
Use a product called Cycle.. Its live benifitial bacteria in a bottle. I have used it in ALL of my tanks, and every single one of them has cycled in relativily short times(1-2 weeks.) Some people say that its no good... Your trying to build up the the "good" bacteria right? So why not add it in huge quanities directly to the tank? HTH

 

[puffygrrl]

I concur...I wouldn't speed up the cycle, it just means you will have problems down the road. If you have the patience in the begining, you won't need it later on watching your fish in QT tanks IMO Good Luck!

 

[jibbittyflibbit]

i have no plans on bypassing the cycle or anything, i just wanted to find out if getting some live sand or something would help SEED the tank.. figuring the onlything in there would be southdown and rock thats been out of water for 30 years
most suggest a cup of sand from a fellow reefer.. however, i dont know anyone other than myself who keeps aquariums.
if i have no seed material, i assume that it would take a month to cycle. id much rather seed it, and see a 2 week cycle..
just wondering...
regards
jib

 

[leopardshark]

i would definetely put in some live sand and live rock to seed the tank. it will help. i just put in tlc just as a back up and sometimes i raise the temp to about 90 but i dont recommend that because i am still trying to figure out if that is true or not if it really works.

 

[fshhub]

you definitely could add some ls or lr to help out, with all dry sand and rock, though I would be prepared for a much longer cycle than a month. Not that it will happen, but I would be prepared for it.
The bacteria needs to colonize all the rock and sand, and until it is done, you could experience a SLOOOOOW cycle or lots of fluctuating for several months. It may take longer, not because of the lack of LIVE sand and rock, but because of the presence of UNLIVE or dead stuff. It might even go faster, with nothing, but that puts you back to square ONE all over again.
so, be sure that the cycle is complete and wait 2 or 3 weeks while testing daily, to insure that it is completed adn stable before continuing.

 

[wamp]

If your adding 30lbs of live rock, that will begin your cycle. Thats the whole poin of it. It it the filtration. No need for ammonia additions of any sort.
Your rock will have die off. This will create ammonia in the tank which will start the cycle.
You really do not want to "speed" a SW tank. These are much more delicate than FW and require not only a cycled tank, but a mature tank. Not to mention, once you get done with the cycle, which never really happens, you will add inhabitants very slowly. As stated, your tank is continually cycling. When you add anything, your filtration muct catch up to the added bio-load.
Go slow and enjoy. If you rush it, it will cost you more money in the long run.'
wamp

 

[jibbittyflibbit]

wamp,
most poeple who've gotten TBS rock have little or no spikes.. it is shipping within a day or two of being pucked from the ocean, and its is shipped in water... therefore i would think that if i added just the rock, there wouldnt be much of a cycle at all.. the rock would support itself, but as soon as i would add a fish or two, the ammonia would outstrip the bacteria in there.
i can understand if i used uncured rock thats been out of the water for awhile.. the die off from that would be massive enough to cycle the tank..
im still not sure what to do.. however, staring at dead rock and sand for months isnt going to be any fun.

 

[wamp]

Cured rock does not need to cycle. So, if what they say is true, your tank will not see any ammonia spike at all. UNLESS, you add more fish than your tank can handle.
I would not trust that though. I would watch it for at least 2 weeks and then recheck everything. If all is cool with your levels, I would add a fish but not one that is considered less hardy.

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by jibbittyflibbit
most poeple who've gotten TBS rock have little or no spikes..
I have to respectfully disagree. It's great rock but it will cause a considerable spike. Many of the animals on and in that rock will not survive in a closed environment and become a big ammonia source.

 

[jarvis]

Out of curiosity how long is uncured rock out of water?