Can I successfully cycle my 75g with a 4" dsb, 40 to 50 lbs of base rock and 15 lbs of LR? Or should I also add a coctail shrimp to help jump my ammonia?
Cycle Question
- Thread starter Sregnar35
- Start date
The more ammonia you start with, the larger the bacteria bed will be. You can always start with just the live rock, and see how big the spike is from it. If your spike is less than 2ppm, add the shrimp. If it spikes to 5+, you are getting enough without adding the shrimp.
Let's say i do add the shrimp, will the ammonia spike from the shrimp be harmful to the LR, considering the LR is already cycled from a local reefer who's selling it to me for $35.
Yes and no. Won't hurt the rock or the bacteria. But, it can be harmful to some critters that may be on the rock. I though you were using uncycled rock--cycled rock won't really help you establish bacteria beds on other rock--it should already have some bacteria. It shouldn't be put into a cycling tank unless you're going to do water changes to keep the ammonia levels low (which seems counter productive to building a large bed, but is not).
Seems to me, if you are getting good live rock, you'll be jumpstarting the whole process. I'd approach it like this:
1. Put live rock in tank, let it sit a few days and test for ammonia to see if there's die off. No die off, go to step 2. If you see ammonia, wait until you don't, then go to step 2.
2. Add livestock gradually. A small collection of hermits, to start perhaps. Keep adding slowly, allowing the germs to catch up with the livestock.
Again, that's how I would do it.
1. Put live rock in tank, let it sit a few days and test for ammonia to see if there's die off. No die off, go to step 2. If you see ammonia, wait until you don't, then go to step 2.
2. Add livestock gradually. A small collection of hermits, to start perhaps. Keep adding slowly, allowing the germs to catch up with the livestock.
Again, that's how I would do it.
Well here's my dilemma, I have to get the rock in the next week because the girl selling it won't hold it for 6 weeks. What should I do, skip the rock, cycle with the shrimp, and hope to find another good deal after my cycle? Or put the rock in, add the shrimp, and hope some of the life stays on the living side?
Mogurnda, doing it the way you said, I would basically be skipping the cycling process and hoping that my 15# of LR seed my dsb and base rock, right?
I agree with mogurnda 100%. Skip the shrimp thing. Just add animals carefully. I have NEVER lost a fish to a cycling spike , because I am careful to add hardy species first and slowly... Starting slowly is very important if you are going to "skip" the cycling. The other key factor, I believe, is not to overfeed.
That is just IME.
That is just IME.
Here's the way I look at it:
Base rock and sand: no ammonia production, no problem.
Add cured live rock: Suddenly you have a biological filter (assuming you didn't kill it), although it is on a small scale. As you slowly increase your biological load, the bacteria will colonize the rock and sand.
If you wanted to go faster, then adding ammonia or a dead shrimp will get you there. It just seems like you could just take advantage of the rock as it is.
Just don't start with anything expensive and/or delicate.
Base rock and sand: no ammonia production, no problem.
Add cured live rock: Suddenly you have a biological filter (assuming you didn't kill it), although it is on a small scale. As you slowly increase your biological load, the bacteria will colonize the rock and sand.
If you wanted to go faster, then adding ammonia or a dead shrimp will get you there. It just seems like you could just take advantage of the rock as it is.
Just don't start with anything expensive and/or delicate.
Makes sense to me too, I'll have to try that. I want to minimize die off on my cured LR since i'll only be starting with 15#. I guess if I have problems after adding hermits or snails i'l know why.