New tank setting up question

L

Leigh

New Member
Hi I am new to the site and hobby so please excuse any incorrect terminology I will try my best and be as accurate as possible
I have set up a new to me rsm 250 tank with the sump built into the partitioned rear of the tank
Firstly I have some questions on cycling as I'm not sure I'm doing things the best way but may be ok .
I have set up using live rock ,live sand, and r/o water my 1st question is if putting all this straight into the tank with the correct salinity level and temperature will this start to cycle of it's own accord or do I need to do anything else as I would possibly like to try this without adding anything to the tank .also what sort of cycle time can I expect from doing thing this way .I'm not being impatient and am not worried about the curing time am just curious on what to expect as other info I'm ready can be quite confusing and sometimes contradicting. Any help on this question would be much appreciated
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
:rbwwelc:to RS ! We Love pics !

+1 ^

Here is one way you could proceed - add a deli shrimp (Prawn Uk) , let it rot for a week or two...
Start testing and watching... the Ammonia will raise then drop, followed by the Nitrites raising and then dropping, then the Nitrates will soar - once the ammonia & nitrites are gone, then do water changes to reduce nitrates.
Ammonia > Nitrite > Nitrate
Tank Cycled

This old school method.... has been used to cycle 10's of thousands of tanks... and works
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
CyclingGraph.gif
 
L

Leigh

New Member
Thank you so much for the info ..very helpful I will do exactly that my only question is do I leave it in the whole time until thing zero ? Also would you run the skimmer while cycling or turn it off until cycles ?
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
On the skimmer... you can do either... no right answer here... may not be much to skim... what I did while cycling... was run it a few days a week... to break it in... which is needed for it to get working properly.

If wanted... you could dump back in... whatever it skimmed... but IMO either way fine

On the prawn... he will disintegrate... in a couple weeks, if needed mush him up a bit, when the cycle finishes and you add a cuc (clean up crew - snails) any remaining bit... will disappear over night :)

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask, RS is a sanctuary of reefing forms... flame free and we all had the same questions at some point of our sw (saltwater) journey.
 
L

Leigh

New Member
Thanks so much .don't suppose anyone has any idea why I'm getting micro bubbles all of a sudden ? It started while the skimmer wasn't on so that kinda rules that out I think. I was thinking maybe my bubble trap foam is too coarse to catch all the fine bubbles that are making it through the pumps into the main tank area but not too sure if that's right
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
best guess... gate height... you have to play with this to get it right... and water level. look in your water level window and make sure it up to like one mark down from the top... as you change... gate height you will see the levels move...

AND you will need to top-off (add) something like 2 gallons a week ro/di (not sw) evaporation...
 
L

Leigh

New Member
Think you are right with the gate height but I have a suspicion that the skimmer that is in mine is for the c250 not the 250 which look a little different /shorter not sure why it would have been changed but I'm thinking that's why my water level is low once I adjust the gate to get the skimmer right so I'm thinking I can maybe pack up under the skimmer an inch allowing me to open the gate more so that the filters are completely covered thus not letting air to top of them pulling air through ......... bit of a Frankenstein this system but the people I got it from had no clue and gave up hence how I came to buy it .I've had all sorts of things missing or inadequate and had to buy 3 new pumps due to them abusing the wiring and replace missing water cooling fans and wiring to them plus 2 noisy hood fans :( but here she is back from the ashes nearly perfect for use I'll add a pic once I've sussed out how to make the file smaller to upload it :duh:
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
ahhhh RSM 250C very nice you are correct... you have a better newer skimmer and setup a bit different... but similar principles...

Great start and pretty scape !
 
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