Dry Rock and Dry Sand Cycling

JoeSalamone14 · 08/08/2017, 08:33 PM

So I am working on getting my 29 gallon biocube running. I just ordered 40 pounds (wont use all of it) of dry fiji pink sand, and i will soon be getting around 20+ pounds of DRY rock. When cycling the tank i was planning on using a bottle of BioSpira to get the bacteria in the tank. Is there anything else that you would reccomend? I would prefer not to use any live rock because i want to make as clean of a tank as possible (no hitchhikers, complain and argue your point all day but I dont want a second tank to battle Aiptasia in.)

Any tips would help and be much appreciated

Thanks Guys,

Joe

FishD@ddy · 08/08/2017, 08:47 PM

I'm currently cycling with Dry rock and will add dry sand in a week. It's been 2 weeks so far. I added 30lbs of rock and add 20lbs of sand, not more. I added Dr. Tims bacteria but i think it will still take more time for me because of the lack of sand.

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der_wille_zur_macht · 08/08/2017, 08:48 PM

It's hard to answer about the rock specifically because dry rock (like live rock) varies in cleanliness and quality. The sand is probably fine, but the rock may be carrying a heavy nutrient load. I'd suggest letting it soak in freshly mixed saltwater with heat and circulation for a few days, then measuring typical nutrients (ammonia, nitrate, phosphate). If you get super high readings, cure the rock before proceeding. If the readings are reasonable, go ahead and put it in the display with the sand and proceed with your plan to establish a bacterial population.

Go slowly and test often once you're working on that bacteria. Make sure there's at least some nutrient source in the system (minimal amount on the rocks may be enough, or add food or a small piece of shrimp or something). Otherwise, you won't grow anything, and once your first livestock goes in you'll essentially be doing an old fashioned livestock cycle, which isn't the best idea.

Finally, I'm sure you're aware of this, but since you did specifically call out your desire to avoid pests, it's pretty hard to keep a tank sterile. Once you start adding livestock, you're likely to get at least SOME type of pest sooner or later. An aiptasia can sneak in on a frag fairly easily, for instance.

FishD@ddy · 08/08/2017, 08:49 PM

Btw, I didn't add sand yet because I'm playing with my wave makers and location etc. once I see Ammonia dropping, that is when I'll add sand and start the lights after 1 week of adding the sand

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JoeSalamone14 · 08/08/2017, 08:52 PM

I certainly plan on taking my time. This will be my second tank and i plan to take it slow and learn from my mistakes. I am going into this with the assumption that i will have no livestock for a month or more. Thanks for the quick responses.

JoeSalamone14 · 08/08/2017, 08:53 PM

Also, i plan on getting something like the caribsea live rock since i love the look of it. I will defintely do some cleaning of the rock before adding it to the tank

08/08/2017, 08:33 PM	#1
JoeSalamone14 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Maryland Posts: 29	Dry Rock and Dry Sand Cycling So I am working on getting my 29 gallon biocube running. I just ordered 40 pounds (wont use all of it) of dry fiji pink sand, and i will soon be getting around 20+ pounds of DRY rock. When cycling the tank i was planning on using a bottle of BioSpira to get the bacteria in the tank. Is there anything else that you would reccomend? I would prefer not to use any live rock because i want to make as clean of a tank as possible (no hitchhikers, complain and argue your point all day but I dont want a second tank to battle Aiptasia in.) Any tips would help and be much appreciated Thanks Guys, Joe

08/08/2017, 08:48 PM	#3
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	It's hard to answer about the rock specifically because dry rock (like live rock) varies in cleanliness and quality. The sand is probably fine, but the rock may be carrying a heavy nutrient load. I'd suggest letting it soak in freshly mixed saltwater with heat and circulation for a few days, then measuring typical nutrients (ammonia, nitrate, phosphate). If you get super high readings, cure the rock before proceeding. If the readings are reasonable, go ahead and put it in the display with the sand and proceed with your plan to establish a bacterial population. Go slowly and test often once you're working on that bacteria. Make sure there's at least some nutrient source in the system (minimal amount on the rocks may be enough, or add food or a small piece of shrimp or something). Otherwise, you won't grow anything, and once your first livestock goes in you'll essentially be doing an old fashioned livestock cycle, which isn't the best idea. Finally, I'm sure you're aware of this, but since you did specifically call out your desire to avoid pests, it's pretty hard to keep a tank sterile. Once you start adding livestock, you're likely to get at least SOME type of pest sooner or later. An aiptasia can sneak in on a frag fairly easily, for instance. __________________ 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)

08/08/2017, 08:47 PM	#2
FishD@ddy Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 56	I'm currently cycling with Dry rock and will add dry sand in a week. It's been 2 weeks so far. I added 30lbs of rock and add 20lbs of sand, not more. I added Dr. Tims bacteria but i think it will still take more time for me because of the lack of sand. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

08/08/2017, 08:49 PM	#4
FishD@ddy Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 56	Btw, I didn't add sand yet because I'm playing with my wave makers and location etc. once I see Ammonia dropping, that is when I'll add sand and start the lights after 1 week of adding the sand Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

08/08/2017, 08:52 PM	#5
JoeSalamone14 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Maryland Posts: 29	I certainly plan on taking my time. This will be my second tank and i plan to take it slow and learn from my mistakes. I am going into this with the assumption that i will have no livestock for a month or more. Thanks for the quick responses.

08/08/2017, 08:53 PM	#6
JoeSalamone14 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Maryland Posts: 29	Also, i plan on getting something like the caribsea live rock since i love the look of it. I will defintely do some cleaning of the rock before adding it to the tank