Step by step cycling guide

ibrat82 · 01/11/2016, 08:09 PM

Can someone direct me to a thread or site that has a step by step guide to cycling a tank fishless? there seem to be old and outdated. Also every guide on Google seems to have its own method.

zak.payne · 01/11/2016, 08:12 PM

I am in the process of cycling my tank and all I did was throw in a deli shrimp to produce the ammonia as it rots and a bottle of bio spira.

Give that about 3-4 weeks before you test for ammonia and nitrites/nitrates. Once you have an ammonia of 0 and a nitrite of 0, you should be ready for your first fish or a small CUC. This is advice I have been given by long time reefers, so I have confidence in it's success.

ibrat82 · 01/11/2016, 08:18 PM

Im using the ammonia method. I read when ammonia dies down to 1ppm to keep feeding the bacteria until the ammonia is reading 0ppm in less than 12 hours. Then when the nitrates spike do a large water change. I hope this is correct. That's why I was hoping to see a step by step guide.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zak.payne

I am in the process of cycling my tank and all I did was throw in a deli shrimp to produce the ammonia as it rots and a bottle of bio spira.

Give that about 3-4 weeks before you test for ammonia and nitrites/nitrates. Once you have an ammonia of 0 and a nitrite of 0, you should be ready for your first fish or a small CUC. This is advice I have been given by long time reefers, so I have confidence in it's success.

zak.payne · 01/11/2016, 08:32 PM

The issue with wanting a "step by step" guide is that everyone does it differently. Sure, there are a handful of methods that might be similar, but each person has a slightly different method. I would find someone who you trust and have proven to have a successful tank and do what they did. That's what I'm doing being new to the hobby.

Irishman360 · 01/11/2016, 08:39 PM

I used raw shrimp to do the ammonia cycle as well as pure ammonia. Keep the raw shrimp in your tank until you read 2PPM on ammonia test kit, or dose with pure ammonia to 2PPM. Once you hit that, you play the waiting game. I would test every week to see where your parameters are for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Once everything reaches zero, your tank is fully cycled and you can add fish. If you want to be sure on that your tank is cycled and can handle the bio-load you can spike the ammonia up again with pure ammonia or raw shrimp to 2PPM and if your parameters drop down to zero in 24 hrs then you are good to go.

I would start to quarantine some fish and think about what you want in your tank. You want the less aggressive fish in your tank first. Semi aggressive and aggressive will end up claiming everything theirs and it will be hard to add additional fish.

ibrat82 · 01/11/2016, 08:40 PM

Yeah unfortunately I don't have anyone that I know of with a successful tank and mostly relying on information from the fine folks on this forum

thegrun · 01/11/2016, 11:10 PM

Read the stickies at the top of this forum "Setting Up: How To"

BrokenSpoke · 01/12/2016, 11:02 AM

This is about as step by step as your going to get and the guys at Bulk Reef used Red Sea Reef Mature Pro Kit for cycling the tank they're using for their 52 weeks of reefing series. The user manual that comes with the kit basically tells you what to do from day 1 through day 21 of the cycle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5QUjCbYBTM

ibrat82 · 01/12/2016, 12:02 PM

So today my ammonia levels have dropped to .50ppm from 2-3 ppm. I cycled the tank with 2-3ppm. So I added half the amount of ammonia I added when I started and my ammonia is now back at roughly 2-3 ppm. How often long do I have to keep feeding the tank ammonia when it drops? Until I see nitrates? or until when the ammonia i'm feeding gets to 0ppm over a 12 hour period?

Irishman360 · 01/12/2016, 12:26 PM

Did you test for Nitrate & Nitrite as well? When you first cycle the tank you are establishing bacteria to convert ammonia to nitrite to nitrate. You should let all the parameters go to zero. That way you know the each bacteria is established to convert one to the other. That would technically mean you are cycled and ready for fish if all read zero.

Other reefers do the additional spike to make sure their tank can handle the bio-load.

Sk8r · 01/12/2016, 01:15 PM

Most useful is a timetable. If you are using all non-live rock and just dropping in a little fishfood, it can take 8-12 weeks. I've done this, using one cup of discard water from the lfs coral tank. (No exposure to fish.)

With all live rock straight from another tank, no dieoff, as little as five days with new sand, but very, very weak cycle: don't trust it too much too fast.

With live rock shipped in, with dieoff, about 4 weeks.

With part live, part not---something between 4 and 8 weeks, depending on proportion.

The ONLY real way to hasten a cycle to its max speed (by how much bacterial presence it starts with) is by warming the tank to 78-80 degrees and keeping it there, no more, no less.

laga77 · 01/12/2016, 02:56 PM

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...t=12+day+cycle
Running good , no problems

01/11/2016, 08:09 PM	#1
ibrat82 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 292	Step by step cycling guide Can someone direct me to a thread or site that has a step by step guide to cycling a tank fishless? there seem to be old and outdated. Also every guide on Google seems to have its own method.

01/12/2016, 01:15 PM	#11
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Most useful is a timetable. If you are using all non-live rock and just dropping in a little fishfood, it can take 8-12 weeks. I've done this, using one cup of discard water from the lfs coral tank. (No exposure to fish.) With all live rock straight from another tank, no dieoff, as little as five days with new sand, but very, very weak cycle: don't trust it too much too fast. With live rock shipped in, with dieoff, about 4 weeks. With part live, part not---something between 4 and 8 weeks, depending on proportion. The ONLY real way to hasten a cycle to its max speed (by how much bacterial presence it starts with) is by warming the tank to 78-80 degrees and keeping it there, no more, no less. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/12/2016, 02:56 PM	#12
laga77 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Alsip, IL Posts: 1,133	http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...t=12+day+cycle Running good , no problems __________________ Four legs good. Two legs better. Current Tank Info: 50G SPS/NPS Reef, 120G Mixed Reef, 120G FOWRL, 29G Seahorse tank, 20G Observation tank,

01/11/2016, 08:12 PM	#2
zak.payne Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Lakeville, MN Posts: 142	I am in the process of cycling my tank and all I did was throw in a deli shrimp to produce the ammonia as it rots and a bottle of bio spira. Give that about 3-4 weeks before you test for ammonia and nitrites/nitrates. Once you have an ammonia of 0 and a nitrite of 0, you should be ready for your first fish or a small CUC. This is advice I have been given by long time reefers, so I have confidence in it's success.

01/11/2016, 08:32 PM	#4
zak.payne Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Lakeville, MN Posts: 142	The issue with wanting a "step by step" guide is that everyone does it differently. Sure, there are a handful of methods that might be similar, but each person has a slightly different method. I would find someone who you trust and have proven to have a successful tank and do what they did. That's what I'm doing being new to the hobby.

01/11/2016, 08:39 PM	#5
Irishman360 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Brighton, CO Posts: 286	I used raw shrimp to do the ammonia cycle as well as pure ammonia. Keep the raw shrimp in your tank until you read 2PPM on ammonia test kit, or dose with pure ammonia to 2PPM. Once you hit that, you play the waiting game. I would test every week to see where your parameters are for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Once everything reaches zero, your tank is fully cycled and you can add fish. If you want to be sure on that your tank is cycled and can handle the bio-load you can spike the ammonia up again with pure ammonia or raw shrimp to 2PPM and if your parameters drop down to zero in 24 hrs then you are good to go. I would start to quarantine some fish and think about what you want in your tank. You want the less aggressive fish in your tank first. Semi aggressive and aggressive will end up claiming everything theirs and it will be hard to add additional fish.

01/11/2016, 08:40 PM	#6
ibrat82 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 292	Yeah unfortunately I don't have anyone that I know of with a successful tank and mostly relying on information from the fine folks on this forum

01/11/2016, 11:10 PM	#7
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	Read the stickies at the top of this forum "Setting Up: How To"

01/12/2016, 11:02 AM	#8
BrokenSpoke Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Parker, CO Posts: 564	This is about as step by step as your going to get and the guys at Bulk Reef used Red Sea Reef Mature Pro Kit for cycling the tank they're using for their 52 weeks of reefing series. The user manual that comes with the kit basically tells you what to do from day 1 through day 21 of the cycle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5QUjCbYBTM

01/12/2016, 12:02 PM	#9
ibrat82 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 292	So today my ammonia levels have dropped to .50ppm from 2-3 ppm. I cycled the tank with 2-3ppm. So I added half the amount of ammonia I added when I started and my ammonia is now back at roughly 2-3 ppm. How often long do I have to keep feeding the tank ammonia when it drops? Until I see nitrates? or until when the ammonia i'm feeding gets to 0ppm over a 12 hour period?

01/12/2016, 12:26 PM	#10
Irishman360 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Brighton, CO Posts: 286	Did you test for Nitrate & Nitrite as well? When you first cycle the tank you are establishing bacteria to convert ammonia to nitrite to nitrate. You should let all the parameters go to zero. That way you know the each bacteria is established to convert one to the other. That would technically mean you are cycled and ready for fish if all read zero. Other reefers do the additional spike to make sure their tank can handle the bio-load.