Cycling tank

[SGTSLuGG]

Hi everyone,
I was wondering if I could get opinions on starting the cycle on my tank. Where ever I look at on the internet all say different things. I'm starting my 55 with 60 lbs live sand, and 50 lbs of live rock. I've got a wet dry filter with bioballs. So my question is this - which method would be the best way for my to start my cycle: deli shirmp, fish food, demsels, crabs? What are your opinions on this?

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Here how I have always done it with success...

add a deli shirmp, let it rot & start testing

Ammonia will raise then drop, followed by the Nitrites raising and then dropping, then the Nitrate will soar - once the ammonia & nitrites are gone, then do water changes to reduce nitrates.

Ammonia > Nitrite > Nitrate

Tank cycled

here is a general timeline - a lot depend on the state of your LR

 

[DaveK]

Nanoreefing4fun has it right. That is the easiest and one of the most dependable ways to cycle a tank.

In addition I would remove the bioballs from the wet dry. You don't need them with the live rock, and they will quickly turn into a nitrate factory. Since it's a new tank, you can take them all out now before you get started.

 

[Friday24]

i would recommend the deli shrip as well...i used 2 deli shrimp and dosed Microbacter everyday and got my RSM 130d cycled in about 4 days.....now on my RSM 400 used Microbacter as well, but instead of shrimp i used damsels and i would not recomend doing that to anyone else.....we had to remove almost every piece of LR to get them out, massive PIA!

 

[steved13]

+ 1 good advice above, live fish is condemning them to torture and a shortened life.

the deli shrimp works well.

 

[BigAl07]

Ditto to above... all solid and more importantly "Current" advice.

Deli Shrimp - drop it and forget it
BioBalls - pull em out and sell them to someone running a Fish Only system

 

[SGTSLuGG]

Dave and bigal, what should I put in my sump in the mean time? I have an extra bag of live sand... or I could buy more live rock to put in there? What is suggested? would this turn my sump into a refrigium?

 

[SGTSLuGG]

in place of the bioballs^^

 

[SGTSLuGG]

This may be a dumb question, but will the deli shrimp disappear, or will I have to eventually take it out of the tank?

 

[whippetguy]

Some take out the shrimp, some let it completely disintegrate and be consumed by nature. It can get real smelly, though.

 

[Friday24]

i took mine out.....tanks in my bedroom and it was gettin smelly....i would also recommend not running a skimmer or any carbon....not to say you can't do it, it will take longer to cycle

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Mush it up a bit...

will speed up the process some... I always let it completely rot, never much smell, but I also run carbon.

 

[steved13]

in place of the bioballs^^

I'd replace the bio balls with a filter sock.