Am i Cycling?

akopley · 08/10/2006, 12:03 AM

Ok this is the deal...I have my tank set up with a closed loop producing the circulation. I have put in base rock, substrate and salt. i am still building my sump which will take the water from the overflow and return it after being skimmed and passing through a refugium. But since i donnt have that yet is my tank cycling since it is circulating? What causes the algae to start growing in the first place? I am about to order live rock to add to the base...does the cycle begin when i add this rock or has it already begun?

sir_dudeguy · 08/10/2006, 12:10 AM

no "cycling" is a turn used for the bacteria growing on the rock...when you get live rock its already got the bacteria there, so you dont really have any cycles, unless its uncured where it would have die off...but cycling is the process if amonia being broken donw into nitrites, and nitrites down into nitrates...i believe it never stops, but i could be wrong on that.

algae is often just a phase in new tanks, but it can grow because of high nitrates/phosphates. long light hours/bad lights will only help it.

so the cycle will begin w/the live rock, unless its completely cured, at which point you wont see a cycle really

hth
mike

akopley · 08/10/2006, 12:15 AM

I know how to spell "cycling" i just messed up on my typing. Thanks for the knowlegde young patawan.

akopley · 08/10/2006, 12:16 AM

You answer a lot of post but how do we see a picture of your tank?

sir_dudeguy · 08/10/2006, 12:17 AM

oh lol i wasnt putting the perenthases (cant spell myself

) around cycling cuz you spelled it wrong lol. i was just using them to..you konw.......crap i'm at a loss for words lol. but you know what i mean right?

sir_dudeguy · 08/10/2006, 12:21 AM

lol ya i do answer lots of post lol. the reason for that is i'm still on vacation, so i've just been at home for the whole summer. but school starts again on monday so i'll be on here lots less (well...maybe..i've only got 4 classes lol) from then on.

as for the pics of my tank..i'll work on that. i posted on that one thread that says something about "lets see your 55 gallons" or something like that...i think it would be in the last 3 pages or so...If i had a chance to do it over tho, i'd do it a bit differently...i didnt exactly have much money to work w/so i just got the stuff as i got the money lol.

kass03 · 08/10/2006, 12:21 AM

basically the cycle does'nt begin until something live is introduced to produce waste which is what the good bacteria feed off of.

Or as said live rock will already have bacteria growing in it.
When you get live rock even if it's cured there still could be a small cycle. If you buy it cured online and it has to be shipped theres still usually die off.
If you get it from the LFS and they just got it there could be die off as well.
When you start with some dry rock and some live the bacteria might have to catch up and cycle some.

As you can see theres many different variables so it's always good to test and see if the ammonia goes up and starts a cycle.

kass

sir_dudeguy · 08/10/2006, 12:31 AM

Quote:

basically the cycle does'nt begin until something live is introduced to produce waste which is what the good bacteria feed off of.

correct...or if you arent gonna use live rock you can use a dead shrimp, dump some skimmate from another skimmer in the water, or i've even heard that you can pee in the tank but i dont know who the crap would wanna do that lol.

i would not however add a dead shrimp or fish or any other form of growing the bacteria when you've got live rock in there already...that would just cause some nitrate problems i would think.

and like kass said...you can get some of live, and some of base/dead rock. the live should seed the dead rock and in a few months or so it would be considered "live".

bertoni · 08/10/2006, 02:02 AM

If the tank has no organic material in it, a bit of fish food now and then will provide bacteria food to start the colonization. No need to go overboard or add live animals. The base rock might have enough organic material to get the process started a bit, but I'd probably add a bit of food. That'll also get some filtration ready for any possible ammonia surge from the live rock.

dirtyclownfish · 08/10/2006, 05:10 AM

i would also suggest putting a pinch of fishfood in the tank every day to help supliment the ammonia for the growth of beneficial bacteria

08/10/2006, 12:03 AM	#1
akopley Premium Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 701	Am i Cycling? Ok this is the deal...I have my tank set up with a closed loop producing the circulation. I have put in base rock, substrate and salt. i am still building my sump which will take the water from the overflow and return it after being skimmed and passing through a refugium. But since i donnt have that yet is my tank cycling since it is circulating? What causes the algae to start growing in the first place? I am about to order live rock to add to the base...does the cycle begin when i add this rock or has it already begun? Last edited by bertoni; 08/10/2006 at 01:59 AM.

08/10/2006, 12:10 AM	#2
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	no "cycling" is a turn used for the bacteria growing on the rock...when you get live rock its already got the bacteria there, so you dont really have any cycles, unless its uncured where it would have die off...but cycling is the process if amonia being broken donw into nitrites, and nitrites down into nitrates...i believe it never stops, but i could be wrong on that. algae is often just a phase in new tanks, but it can grow because of high nitrates/phosphates. long light hours/bad lights will only help it. so the cycle will begin w/the live rock, unless its completely cured, at which point you wont see a cycle really hth mike __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

08/10/2006, 12:17 AM	#5
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	oh lol i wasnt putting the perenthases (cant spell myself ) around cycling cuz you spelled it wrong lol. i was just using them to..you konw.......crap i'm at a loss for words lol. but you know what i mean right? __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

08/10/2006, 12:21 AM	#6
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	lol ya i do answer lots of post lol. the reason for that is i'm still on vacation, so i've just been at home for the whole summer. but school starts again on monday so i'll be on here lots less (well...maybe..i've only got 4 classes lol) from then on. as for the pics of my tank..i'll work on that. i posted on that one thread that says something about "lets see your 55 gallons" or something like that...i think it would be in the last 3 pages or so...If i had a chance to do it over tho, i'd do it a bit differently...i didnt exactly have much money to work w/so i just got the stuff as i got the money lol. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

08/10/2006, 02:02 AM	#9
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	If the tank has no organic material in it, a bit of fish food now and then will provide bacteria food to start the colonization. No need to go overboard or add live animals. The base rock might have enough organic material to get the process started a bit, but I'd probably add a bit of food. That'll also get some filtration ready for any possible ammonia surge from the live rock. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

08/10/2006, 12:15 AM	#3
akopley Premium Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 701	I know how to spell "cycling" i just messed up on my typing. Thanks for the knowlegde young patawan.

08/10/2006, 12:16 AM	#4
akopley Premium Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 701	You answer a lot of post but how do we see a picture of your tank?

08/10/2006, 12:21 AM	#7
kass03 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Kaukauna, Wi Posts: 2,937	basically the cycle does'nt begin until something live is introduced to produce waste which is what the good bacteria feed off of. Or as said live rock will already have bacteria growing in it. When you get live rock even if it's cured there still could be a small cycle. If you buy it cured online and it has to be shipped theres still usually die off. If you get it from the LFS and they just got it there could be die off as well. When you start with some dry rock and some live the bacteria might have to catch up and cycle some. As you can see theres many different variables so it's always good to test and see if the ammonia goes up and starts a cycle. kass

08/10/2006, 05:10 AM	#10
dirtyclownfish Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Lebanon, IN Posts: 257	i would also suggest putting a pinch of fishfood in the tank every day to help supliment the ammonia for the growth of beneficial bacteria __________________ L.P.Patmore Current Tank Info: 55 Gallon Display Tank, Euroreef RS-100 Skimmer, 30 Gallon Sump, Current USA Gamma UV Sterilizer, Current USA T5 Lights