cycleing a 125 gal. reef tank

[hannam11]

Hey i was woundering what the best way to start cycleing my tank is? I have a 125 gal. tank with refugium i have not done any thing yet not even water. Can i get some addvice? Thanks

Sean Hannam

[TekCat]

get some rocks, cure them in a separate tub, put them in tank (along with saltwater :) ), add sand, dump a small chunk of shrimp, remove it after 3-4 days, then let the nature take its course. :)

[hannam11]

You meen live rocks? should i get live sand? What about the refugium how do i start that? I have had salt water tanks for a long time but i have allways cycled them with fish. Thanks for your help.

Sean

[TekCat]

Nowdays cycling with fish considered cruel and unnessesary.

Yes, I meant Live Rocks. If you get them uncured then you'd have to cure them first. ... thinking more about the subject: if you're going to order LR online, even cured one would still have some die off during shipping. So, It should be enough to cycle the tank without any fish or shrimp. So, here is what I'd do:
- Order some cured LR.
- fill tank with saltwater
- place LR in tank
- die off on the rocks will trigger cycle
- wait until ammonia and nitrite are ZERO

On the refugum topic. Usually it is a section in the sump that houses creatures to reproduce safely without being eaten. E.g. pods. In addition, some grow macroalgea in fuge for nutrient export. Fuge also could be totally separate tank connected somehow to the system. Here is a link that you may find useful: http://www.melevsreef.com/what_sump.html

[hannam11]

My tank has been down for 4 years. There is alot of new stuff out there. thanks for all your help.