Reef Discussion

[ryan1986]

Ok what's an "AVERAGE" time for a marine cycle. Now I do have 2x massive prawns in tank and did use pre used sand.
After 2 days my ammonia is of the chart.

Just to confirm I'm not rushing just asking as i have just been told I'm going into hospital for a major back operation this Thursday and won't be out for a few days to a week and don't want to miss something or do something wrong. I.e leave skimmer off etc.

 

[NiCd]

You will have your initial "cycle", which is your development of bacteria that deals with ammonia, nitrate and nitrite, that takes about 6 weeks with the method you are using, then you will have microcycles for about 12 months afterwards you will be dealing with, like your diatoms, cyno, hair algae and bacterial issues.

No need for skimmer until fish or corals are being added.

The only thing you need to do for the next month is keep on top of your top-ups and if possible get something to help seed/add to critters in

 

[ryan1986]

You will have your initial "cycle", which is your development of bacteria that deals with ammonia, nitrate and nitrite, that takes about 6 weeks with the method you are using, then you will have microcycles for about 12 months afterwards you will be dealing with, like your diatoms, cyno, hair algae and bacterial issues.

No need for skimmer until fish or corals are being added.

The only thing you need to do for the next month is keep on top of your top-ups and if possible get something to help seed/add to critters in

Id like to seed it with a tinny bit of live rock so may buy a kg or two. Or I would be happy to swap a few kg of dry rock for live.

 

[NiCd]

Ideally, if you can swap with a reefer that has a quality tank this is the best way, that way you are not bringing in crabs, mantis, predatory snails, cirolanid, aptasia, majano, brown zoas, acoel flatworms, bubble algae, brown hydroid, eunice just to name a few

 

[ryan1986]

Ideally, if you can swap with a reefer that has a quality tank this is the best way, that way you are not bringing in crabs, mantis, predatory snails, cirolanid, aptasia, majano, brown zoas, acoel flatworms, bubble algae, brown hydroid, eunice just to name a few

Exactly why I bought the rock I did not live

 

[Sam Parker]

Ammonia off the charts is expected in that time. Give it a few weeks to convert to nitrite and nitrate though.

A little live rock rubble won’t hurt, especially if you are going to be out of action for a while.

All the best with the back operation, let me know if I can help out at all

 

[ryan1986]

Ammonia off the charts is expected in that time. Give it a few weeks to convert to nitrite and nitrate though.

A little live rock rubble won’t hurt, especially if you are going to be out of action for a while.

All the best with the back operation, let me know if I can help out at all

Thanks bud. Yer I'm not stressed if takes 6 weeks. Just wanted to prep for anything that may need doing over the next 2-3 weeks as ill be pretty screwed during that time.

 

[Sam Parker]

Get the prawn out now, and leave it sit.

Take your time, the longer you leave it the better the tank will be.

Rest up and let us know if there is anything we can do to help

 

[ryan1986]

Get the prawn out now, and leave it sit.

Take your time, the longer you leave it the better the tank will be.

Rest up and let us know if there is anything we can do to help

I thought would be better to leave the prawns in there till end of cycle or they degrade completely

 

[jart]

The old adage, "Slow and steady wins the race." holds largely true for this hobby. Both the easiest thing and the hardest thing to do. :)

I believe the best thing I ever did for my tank was to start with clean rock (in my case I "nuked" with vinegar and cooked for weeks in salt water prior to putting into the tank) and let the tank cycle "empty" for over 3 months. The best thing, but also one of the hardest things - external pressure of my daughters regularly asking when we were going to be able to get some fish, internal pressure just wanting to "get started". The proof is in the pudding, at least in my case, after the initial minor algae outbreak during the months of cycling I have never had an issue with any nuisance algae or unwanted pests.

Ryan, hope your op goes well. If you are already going to be out of action for a few weeks, my advice would be to let the tank do its thing "empty" for as long as possible and when it does come time to start adding things to ramp up the bioload slowly and give your tank time to keep pace with the additions. Looking forward to seeing your vision come to life over the next few months.

 

[NiCd]

The old adage, "Slow and steady wins the race." holds largely true for this hobby. Both the easiest thing and the hardest thing to do. :)

I believe the best thing I ever did for my tank was to start with clean rock (in my case I "nuked" with vinegar and cooked for weeks in salt water prior to putting into the tank) and let the tank cycle "empty" for over 3 months. The best thing, but also one of the hardest things - external pressure of my daughters regularly asking when we were going to be able to get some fish, internal pressure just wanting to "get started". The proof is in the pudding, at least in my case, after the initial minor algae outbreak during the months of cycling I have never had an issue with any nuisance algae or unwanted pests.

Ryan, hope your op goes well. If you are already going to be out of action for a few weeks, my advice would be to let the tank do its thing "empty" for as long as possible and when it does come time to start adding things to ramp up the bioload slowly and give your tank time to keep pace with the additions. Looking forward to seeing your vision come to life over the next few months.

Couldnt have said it better myself