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09/18/2021, 12:27 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Savannah, GA
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back again, question
i've been out of the hobby for about 5 years. i picked up a 20g nano with non-live sand and non-live rock. what is the best cycling/bio/bacteria solution on the market today to get things rolling?
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09/18/2021, 05:05 PM | #2 |
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Location: Miller Place, NY
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A piece of frozen shrimp or flakes will start you off.
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250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps. |
09/19/2021, 08:22 AM | #3 |
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09/19/2021, 10:04 AM | #4 |
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What they said. If yo would like to add a small piece of live rock from a trusted source, that will help things along. I am not a fan of bacteria in a bottle or "live sand" that's been on a shelf in a warehouse for who knows how long.
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I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer |
09/19/2021, 12:20 PM | #5 |
Smelly fish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Denham Springs, LA
Posts: 262
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I agree on seeding the tank with live rock from an friends tank or LFS and shrimp, you can also use a cup of sand from another tank. In the early day we used sand to seed before live rock came into play.
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Vince 120 RR Bare Bottom & 56 Bean animal connected to one sump. Life Reef external/blueline 40 HDX, Carbon reactor, GFO reactor, proton 48 led, 2 Kessils 160we tuna blue on 120 & 6 HQ t-5 on 56, b |
09/20/2021, 08:57 AM | #6 | |
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Quote:
Adding MicroBacter7 or dr Tim’s one n done is a great start definitely use if no live rock or sand is avail or with is a good boost Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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CJ Aint no kill like overkill Current Tank Info: 90G DT 55G Sump/refuge, Saving for 300G |
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09/21/2021, 10:19 AM | #7 |
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thanks for everyone's responses. I exchanged some non-live sand for some live sand, pink fiji and am going to my LFS to buy a small piece of LR. I was also looking at TurboStart but it sounds like between the LS/LR/and a piece of shrimp as the above suggested, buying supplements in a bottle may not be needed. I'm in no hurry to stock anything, in fact, if the cycle takes over 30 days I'm totally fine with it.
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09/21/2021, 10:20 AM | #8 |
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thanks for everyone's responses. I exchanged some non-live sand for some live sand, pink fiji and am going to my LFS to buy a small piece of LR. I was also looking at TurboStart but it sounds like between the LS/LR/and a piece of shrimp as the above suggested, buying supplements in a bottle may not be needed. I'm in no hurry to stock anything, in fact, if the cycle takes over 30 days I'm totally fine with it. If I was to get totally desperate I can also visit the ocean haha...i'm literally 5 minutes away from it.
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09/21/2021, 10:24 AM | #9 |
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Now I will throw you the CURVE BALL --
The longer you can wait without lighting the better. I think 3 months is what they say. This is important for bacteria & helps avoid algae blooms. @ least that's what they say.
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250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps. |
09/21/2021, 10:26 AM | #10 | |
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09/22/2021, 06:59 AM | #11 |
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The guy who mentored me back in the early 90s was a huge fan of wild live rock for getting a reef systems started. Since only a tiny fraction of the microbial stuff in a reef ssytem can be cultured it's still the best source for the microbial stuff and sponges essential for a healthy reef ecosystem.
here's an article and some videos: "Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R2BMEfQGjU Changing Seas - Mysterious Microbes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7hsp0dENEA Nitrogen cycling in hte coral holobiont https://youtu.be/DWItFGRQJL4 BActeria and Sponges https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oLDclO7UcM Maintenance of Coral Reef Health (refferences at the end) https://youtu.be/dGIPveFJ_0Q Optical Feedback Loop in Colorful Coral Bleaching https://youtu.be/oadKezUYkJE Richard Ross What's up with phosphate" https://youtu.be/ZRIKW-9d2xI
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"Our crystal clear aquaria come nowhere close to the nutrient loads that swirl around natural reefs" Charles Delbeek |
09/22/2021, 08:39 AM | #12 | |
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