Few Cylcing Questions

Trolldoll · 12/02/2009, 09:46 AM

On my last tank setup I used all LR and LS. My cycle was very short. I never had a diatom bloom or massive algae breakout. I tested my water sometimes twice a day. Now that I have a little experience I know I dont have to have all LR and packaged LS is a waste of money. I bought 50lbs of Marco dry rock and I'm getting dry sand from Petsmart and seeding it all with LS from my current tank. I only have one piece of LR thats is about 2lbs that I can remove from my current tank for seeding.

Do I need to get more LR for seeding?
Does it need to be from an estableished tank or just fully cured LR?
How often should I test?
Do I even need to worry about maintaining alk/cal/mag during cycle or just before I start adding my livestock?
I will be using 10-15g of water from my current tank from water changes. Total new system is only 50-55g. How will nitrates that are in the old water effect my cycle?

peasofme · 12/02/2009, 09:56 AM

the more u seed, the faster. more established more bacteria. nitrates won't affect it. test whenever you think the cycle is complete.

der_wille_zur_macht · 12/02/2009, 09:59 AM

It really depends on your stocking plans. If you're OK with stocking slowly, you don't need a big cycle, and hence you don't need to add anything beyond what you're already planning. I see this as the "safest" route because there's less to go wrong.

If you're desperate to stock quickly and heavily, then you *may* need a stronger cycle. Problem is, there's no real basis other than rules of thumb about how much of a cycle you need for a particular stocking style, and it's harder to measure than it seems, anyways. If you're in a hurry, add a few pinches of your regular fish food to the water when you set up the new tank, and then test as usual (once a day is more than enough.)

No need to monitor calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium when the tank is empty unless you want coralline growth to proceed rapidly.

How high are the nitrate levels in your current tank?

Trolldoll · 12/02/2009, 10:36 AM

Thanks

I'm in no rush. However, I will need to move a few of my corals over as soon as the cycle is complete due to overcrowding and warfare.

My nitrates get as high as 10-15 with biweekly water changes. I overfeed and picked a poor substrate. Its not crushed coral but it is very coarse and I suspect its not helping. Current tank is a 29g 20 months young.

der_wille_zur_macht · 12/02/2009, 10:56 AM

No worries about nitrate levels that high in either tank IMHO.

What corals will you need to move? Corals require stability, but not much of a nutrient processing capability (that's really for fish waste). Hence if you're in no hurry to move fish over, you don't really need a large bacterial population, just a stable tank.

I wouldn't get too depressed about having a coarse substrate - IMHO it can be a benefit. Coarse substrates get a bad rep for trapping debris, but they can be vacuumed during water changes without fear of sucking them right out of the tank. Plus, they promote better water flow through the substrate, so as long as you're not trying to achieve a low-oxygen zone, they can actually promote better waste processing (better oxygenation to support oxygen-loving bacteria.) Instead, look at your total nutrient imports (feeding, bad source water, additives, etc.) and exports (skimming, water changes, etc.) and look for an imbalance.

12/02/2009, 09:46 AM	#1
Trolldoll Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hampton, VA. Posts: 124	Few Cylcing Questions On my last tank setup I used all LR and LS. My cycle was very short. I never had a diatom bloom or massive algae breakout. I tested my water sometimes twice a day. Now that I have a little experience I know I dont have to have all LR and packaged LS is a waste of money. I bought 50lbs of Marco dry rock and I'm getting dry sand from Petsmart and seeding it all with LS from my current tank. I only have one piece of LR thats is about 2lbs that I can remove from my current tank for seeding. Do I need to get more LR for seeding? Does it need to be from an estableished tank or just fully cured LR? How often should I test? Do I even need to worry about maintaining alk/cal/mag during cycle or just before I start adding my livestock? I will be using 10-15g of water from my current tank from water changes. Total new system is only 50-55g. How will nitrates that are in the old water effect my cycle?

12/02/2009, 09:59 AM	#3
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	It really depends on your stocking plans. If you're OK with stocking slowly, you don't need a big cycle, and hence you don't need to add anything beyond what you're already planning. I see this as the "safest" route because there's less to go wrong. If you're desperate to stock quickly and heavily, then you may need a stronger cycle. Problem is, there's no real basis other than rules of thumb about how much of a cycle you need for a particular stocking style, and it's harder to measure than it seems, anyways. If you're in a hurry, add a few pinches of your regular fish food to the water when you set up the new tank, and then test as usual (once a day is more than enough.) No need to monitor calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium when the tank is empty unless you want coralline growth to proceed rapidly. How high are the nitrate levels in your current tank? __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

12/02/2009, 10:56 AM	#5
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	No worries about nitrate levels that high in either tank IMHO. What corals will you need to move? Corals require stability, but not much of a nutrient processing capability (that's really for fish waste). Hence if you're in no hurry to move fish over, you don't really need a large bacterial population, just a stable tank. I wouldn't get too depressed about having a coarse substrate - IMHO it can be a benefit. Coarse substrates get a bad rep for trapping debris, but they can be vacuumed during water changes without fear of sucking them right out of the tank. Plus, they promote better water flow through the substrate, so as long as you're not trying to achieve a low-oxygen zone, they can actually promote better waste processing (better oxygenation to support oxygen-loving bacteria.) Instead, look at your total nutrient imports (feeding, bad source water, additives, etc.) and exports (skimming, water changes, etc.) and look for an imbalance. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

12/02/2009, 09:56 AM	#2
peasofme Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: usa Posts: 1,405	the more u seed, the faster. more established more bacteria. nitrates won't affect it. test whenever you think the cycle is complete.

12/02/2009, 10:36 AM	#4
Trolldoll Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hampton, VA. Posts: 124	Thanks I'm in no rush. However, I will need to move a few of my corals over as soon as the cycle is complete due to overcrowding and warfare. My nitrates get as high as 10-15 with biweekly water changes. I overfeed and picked a poor substrate. Its not crushed coral but it is very coarse and I suspect its not helping. Current tank is a 29g 20 months young.