Help with cycle start please

[xaflatoonx]

My tank is going to be a 90 Gallon fish focused with a few corals tank. I am new to the hobby so dont have any old equipment - buying and getting all new stuff.

I have purchased 80 lbs of Dry rock.

http://www.amazon.com/Carib-Sea-ACS00370-Aquarium-40-Pound/dp/B0017JBX7M/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412703661&sr=8-3&keywords=dry+rock

So i plan to set up my tank and sump and all this weekend.

But i understand that i need to "cure" my rock separately since I will be needing to flush the water used to cure it anyway.

So please help me with the process. I am sure this like a second nature to a lot of you - but a quick step by step one liners will really help.

Or help me by editing the steps below.

1. Get a brute trash can that is clean
2. Fill it up with filtered tap water (filter i have in my refrigerator)
3. Add salt
4. Add dry rock
5. Add 5 lbs live rock ( i am going to get from LFS )
5. Add power head and heater

Let this sit and check for levels every other day till i get the 0-0-0.

As i understand it - this process is to CURE THE DEAD ROCK and get it ready to be transferred into the DT. The cycle process for the tank is separate and will require RO/DI filtered water.

Comments?

as always - thank you all for the guidance.

[xaflatoonx]

quoting lion king..

somebody..... anybody?

[wooden_reefer]

One advantage of cycling the rock outside its intended tank is that the quality of the cycling water has nothing to do with the water quality of the tank right after the cycle.

You can use a tall container and hence only a fraction of the water to cycle and then dump the cycling water, rinse the rock with new tank water, and then add to the sump of the tank.

In such a cycle, you are not concerned about the cycling water having too much nitrate or other waste, as all will be rinsed out.

[thegrun]

I'm not sure why you can't cycle the rock in your new tank unless you are trying to avoid the smell in your house. I still like to use RO/DI water even if you are cycling in a separate container, you do not want to leach contaminates into your live rock from non-RO?DI water.

[acabgd]

+1
I see no real reason to "cure" dead rock outside of your tank. Actually you can put it in your tank, add some live rock and add a shrimp (raw, from the deli) to kickstart your cycle.
Also, I strongly suggest you forget about your fridge water and get a decent RO/DI filter, such as the one from BRS.

[MillerR.]

I just finished cycling with a raw shrimp in my 90, no noticeable smell at all. Or maybe I just go used to it! lol

[xaflatoonx]

I agree with you.

Getting an RO/DI filter to cycle.
Will also cycle inside the tank.

Assuming the rest of the steps are good.
I will just add a raw shrimp in my tank once i start the cycle.

so new steps:
1. Add live sand to the tank.
2. Add dry rock
3. Add 5 lbs live rock ( i am going to get from LFS )
4. Add power head and heater
5. Mix water (RO/DI) and salt and pour in tank.
6. Add raw shrimp to the tank

let this cycle till i get the 0-0-0

I have y'alls blessing?

[thegrun]

Place the rock in the tank before you add the sand. It is important that the rock is directly on the bottom, if you have sand under the rock over time the sand will shift and you risk having a rockslide (only a fool builds a house on sand). I prefer using dry sand over live as the "live" sand usually has more dead than live organics in it. Wash the dry sand well before you place it in the tank or your water will be cloudy for a week. If you already have the live sand, I would still wash it in saltwater to remove as much of the fines (dust) again to avoid the cloudy water. You can start the process with the tank half full of saltwater and then top it off once the rock and sand are in the tank or just add the water after the rock and sand is in place, but adding the water that way tends to blow the sand all over the tank. You can place a plate on top of the sand and pour the water onto the plate to reduce the amount of sand that gets blown around.

[Xavibear]

I agree with you.

Getting an RO/DI filter to cycle.
Will also cycle inside the tank.

Assuming the rest of the steps are good.
I will just add a raw shrimp in my tank once i start the cycle.

so new steps:
1. Add live sand to the tank.
2. Add dry rock
3. Add 5 lbs live rock ( i am going to get from LFS )
4. Add power head and heater
5. Mix water (RO/DI) and salt and pour in tank.
6. Add raw shrimp to the tank

let this cycle till i get the 0-0-0

I have y'alls blessing?

Get dry sand.

[xaflatoonx]

i already bought live sand :(

[xaflatoonx]

i go the carib-sea fiji pink reef sand... 80 lbs of it...

AM I SCREWED?

[thegrun]

i go the carib-sea fiji pink reef sand... 80 lbs of it...

AM I SCREWED?

Not at all, but as I posted above I would still rinse it. Put 5 pounds of sand in a 5 gallon bucket, fill the bucket 3/4 with saltwater and use your fingers to dig down into the sand and stir it all up, then pour off the cloudy water. Repeat until the water says somewhat clear. Some live sand is relatively clean and needs very little washing, other sand has a lot of fines in it.

[xaflatoonx]

Thanks thegrun - I was juuuuust about to go into panic mode.. lol

This helps guys - thank you all.

Hoping for a good clean start this weekend. :)

[JMorris271]

Not at all, but as I posted above I would still rinse it. Put 5 pounds of sand in a 5 gallon bucket, fill the bucket 3/4 with saltwater and use your fingers to dig down into the sand and stir it all up, then pour off the cloudy water. Repeat until the water says somewhat clear. Some live sand is relatively clean and needs very little washing, other sand has a lot of fines in it.

I have a brother that used the Carrib sand and it was pretty clean already. He washed it anyway using a 35 gal. Brute can and got it done with less steps . He did the same swirling process and pour offs until it was clear just a tad easier than 5 lbs at a time. He had the 35gal can already for water mixing though.

[mpderksen]

Post pictures of your scape when it's done! I love seeing other ideas.

Only because you said you were new, another thing you may not know is to keep the lights out durning cycling to reduce algae growth. I have 55 lbs of the exact same rock cycling in a 20 in my office. The only reason I did it there was because it will replace existing LR from my DT. I used a bottle of bacteria, rather than a piece of LR. I think it spreads faster. Different opinions on that part. I'm just paranoid about hitchhikers. But the advantage to some LR could be the coraline transfer.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/10/08/sysu9uhu.jpg

[xaflatoonx]

yes sir - i sure will.

JMorris/mpderksen - excellent points and i will definitely keep those in mind.

and you are absolutely right - i AM new - and every small detail is huge for me. Even though it may be common sense for you guys. So i definitely appreciate it.

[xaflatoonx]

by the way guys - cleaning that sand... thats a lot of saltwater going to waste huh?

[mpderksen]

by the way guys - cleaning that sand... thats a lot of saltwater going to waste huh?

Absolutely! But I think everyone here would agree that NOT doing it right will be 10x more expensive when the tank crashes from cutting corners. If you have $ concerns, it's cheaper in the long run to buy different sand and cut your losses.
But really, rinsing sand is something you have to do anyway, so no reason not to do it with what you already bought. I've always used a mix of dry and live to cut the initial cost. Same with rock.

(My advice might be worth exactly what you pay for it)

[JMorris271]

For rinsing sand, I will be using treated tap water.
Think of it as washing your car.:fun2:

[xaflatoonx]

makes perfect sense.... And i definitely didnt mean to imply that i want to cut corners...

thank you gents.

[acabgd]

For rinsing sand, I will be using treated tap water.
Think of it as washing your car.:fun2:
You cannot really use tap water for cleaning live sand, otherwise you will get dead sand. The freshwater will kill everything that is "live" in that sand.
Now, using tap water with salt added is another story...

[mpderksen]

makes perfect sense.... And i definitely didnt mean to imply that i want to cut corners...

thank you gents.

I sure didn't take it that way. It's awesome that you are asking "how?" Instead, "what did I do wrong?".

Tap water certainly varies. In my area, I wouldn't wash the outside of my tank with it!
Others can chime in, but I would create a multiple wash station with several buckets. Bucket #1 will be the primary wash, #2, then #3 etc. do the initial wash of pile-o-sand in #1, and then pour it into a container for reuse. Eventually, #2 will look as nasty and #1, so you dump the first. Does that make sense? If you need 3 washes per pile, you may end up using 5 buckets total instead of 3 x 4, or whatever.
A better way to explain it may be that the third wash of the first round is still good enough for the first rinse of the last round.
Take pictures, we LOVE pictures!

[xaflatoonx]

haha - absolutely - i will be definitely taking a good load of pictures!

And yes - that process makes sense.

I was gonna go the large container route to do more sand at once - but i will do it this way - more buckets - 5-10 lbs each time... and do it the right way.

I am sensing with this hobby - anything that is quick is bad... whatever takes longer is the better process ... lol - i am not sure if you follow the big bang theory - but Sheldon would NOT be a good reefer! lol

okay - so we have been talking about the sand...

i may have missed it - but do i need to wash the dry rock before putting it in the tank?

i got these rocks...

http://www.amazon.com/Carib-Sea-ACS00370-Aquarium-40-Pound/dp/B0017JBX7M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412868415&sr=8-1&keywords=dry+rock

if so - same process? wash/rinse with saltwater until no dirty water in the bucket?

[xaflatoonx]

you know what - scratch that - i already asked that question... lol

sorry - i think i am getting old.

I will just wash it a little with RO/DI water and then put it in the tank... and start my cycle with cleaner live sand...

[JMorris271]

You cannot really use tap water for cleaning live sand, otherwise you will get dead sand. The freshwater will kill everything that is "live" in that sand.
Now, using tap water with salt added is another story...
I said treated water and yes you can. Use Prime and the toxins are bound. Ammonia, heavy metals and the like

[acabgd]

I said treated water and yes you can. Use Prime and the toxins are bound. Ammonia, heavy metals and the like
I don't know what you mean by "treated water". But if you wash live marine sand with freshwater you will kill most if not everything in it. What's the point then in paying a premium for live sand?

[lawdog]

Not sure why anyone is saying to "rinse" live sand...if you paid for the sand in the bag with water live sand... the whole point of what you paid extra for will be wiped out... that sand is meant to go right into the tank bacteria and all...

Its funny how people come up with do this or do that.... keep it simple... start out with Good Water (must get an RODI system) and good live rock and the rest will take care of itself over time.

[acabgd]

not sure why anyone is saying to "rinse" live sand...if you paid for the sand in the bag with water live sand... The whole point of what you paid extra for will be wiped out... That sand is meant to go right into the tank bacteria and all...

Its funny how people come up with do this or do that.... Keep it simple... Start out with good water (must get an rodi system) and good live rock and the rest will take care of itself over time.
+1

[pREEFERED]

My tank is going to be a 90 Gallon fish focused with a few corals tank. I am new to the hobby so dont have any old equipment - buying and getting all new stuff.

I have purchased 80 lbs of Dry rock.

http://www.amazon.com/Carib-Sea-ACS00370-Aquarium-40-Pound/dp/B0017JBX7M/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412703661&sr=8-3&keywords=dry+rock

So i plan to set up my tank and sump and all this weekend.

But i understand that i need to "cure" my rock separately since I will be needing to flush the water used to cure it anyway.

So please help me with the process. I am sure this like a second nature to a lot of you - but a quick step by step one liners will really help.

Or help me by editing the steps below.

1. Get a brute trash can that is clean
2. Fill it up with filtered tap water (filter i have in my refrigerator)
3. Add salt
4. Add dry rock
5. Add 5 lbs live rock ( i am going to get from LFS )
5. Add power head and heater

Let this sit and check for levels every other day till i get the 0-0-0.

As i understand it - this process is to CURE THE DEAD ROCK and get it ready to be transferred into the DT. The cycle process for the tank is separate and will require RO/DI filtered water.

Comments?

as always - thank you all for the guidance.

Hey xaflatoonx great thread, I have the same questions...also, did you place your raw shrimp in a filter sock or just dropped it in the tank? and how many shrimp did you use?

[Dan_P]

The rocks you bought are dead, dry, and bare. Why do you think you need to cure them?

[pREEFERED]

little bit of a misunderstanding, i didn't cure my rock i just placed everything in the tank and let it kick off. I was more so concerned about cycling with raw shrimp... i put 2 in yesterday and tested this morning and already am seeing an increase in ammonia. awesome.

do i let the shrimp fully decompose or take them out at a certain point?

[acabgd]

Test for ammonia and when it reaches 2ppm take them out.