What do I do next

[dangerfish]

Ok, so I finally got water in my tank the salinity is good everything is working (except my heater check my other thread i'm such an idiot) I got dry sand in my tank, no rock yet but im planning on it, I'll be using dry rock. so what do I do next and if cycling then what should I use to start the cycle.

 

[lmforbis]

A lot of people just put a raw shrimp in the tank to start the cycle. If you purchase dry rock like Pukani there is a ton of dead stuff on them to start the cycle. I'd add the rock before you start cycling. The rock is the place with the largest surface area for the bacteria to colonize therefore the most important part of the filtration. You can also get some bottled bacteria to kick start the cycle.

 

[bang guy]

I agree to add most of your rock at this point.

If it were me I would add a substantial amount of uncured live rock and use that, along with ghost feeding, to cycle your system.

 

[rudysmallfry]

I started with pukani dry rock. Even after curing it before putting it in the tank to cycle, the smell of the stuff dying off was very strong. Before your house starts to smell like low tide, do yourself a favor and start your cycle with a bottle of Bio-Spira. It will jump start beneficial bacteria and get your cycle started without the bacterial bloom that I experienced.