cycling tank

[ZAX]

While cycling my new tank, should I put a few snails to help  keep things clean? Or wait til the tank is cycled? Our tank has been set up for about 2 weeks now.      :-\

 

[Blob-79]

what do you have cycling in the tank atm?

 

[ZAX]

It is a 60 gallon tank, about 90 pounds live rock, 2 inches sand, a few polups, 2 mushroom, I think spagetti leather and one snail , running a protein skimmer.

 

[pulpfiction1]

It is a 60 gallon tank, about 90 pounds live rock, 2 inches sand, a few polups, 2 mushroom, I think spagetti leather and one snail , running a protein skimmer.

myself, i use a couple of cheap damsels,dont think  i would put any of the coral life you have into a  new, cycling tank.

 

[ZAX]

The corals I have came on the live rock. Should I get one or two damsels?

 

[pulpfiction1]

you need to know the cycle,amonia,nitrites,nitrates.the first 2 are deadly to fish and anything else that lives,nitrates not so deadly but needs to be controlled,you tank has to go through this cycle to establish a safe enviroment for your livestock,i use damsels because they are cheap and no loss if they die in the process,they are extremely hardy so they start the  cycle of the tank quite readily.you need to test the parimiters often to see when the cycle has completed b4 you add anything to the tank.live rock and sand aid in this.here is a quick read on it:

http://www.fishyou.com/saltwater/tankcycle.html
or
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/CycleAquarium.php#HowCycleWorks

 

[lewis844]

if you put damsels in your tank they may not die and then your stuck with them unless you have a fish trap and a lot of spare time!

 

[pulpfiction1]

i said i use that method,i just get fish that will eat the damsels,all i was recomending was that you wait till the tank is fully cycled before putting anything of value in.
and i do have a trap,works fantastic

 

[chablonski]

Or you can go buy a proper test kit and test your water and when everything is good then go buy the fish you want to have in your tank.

 

[Blob-79]

the hour or two of time it took me to make a fish trap out of acrylic was the most rewarding time ive ever spent

 

[Salty1]

When it comes to this hobby the number one rule is be patient. I usually leave my tanks running with nothing but liverock for 3 months before adding anything. Remember that most of these fish, corals still come from our Oceans. We should have alot more respect for the creatures we keep. If you need to rush try floating a cocktail shrimp in the tank for awhile (lots of info on the web about this) or buy some bacteria additive to kick start things. Just my two cents.

 

[shayneh]

I agree chuck a shrimp or raw scallop in there. Why waste time, money and effort on a damselfish that may not survive or survive and not be wanted once it turns out to be as friendly to other tank inhabitants as the cat from pet cemetary...after it was buried. The saying only bad things happen fast in saltwater couldn't be more accurate. Enjoy all the stages of setting up your tank as I'm sure there are lots of pods and tubeworms re-establishing themselves and who doesn't love watching the coralline slowly color everything up.

 

[ZAX]

Never heard of that before, thanks for the info. Think I'll buy a shrimp ring tommorrow. So I put in a 2 or 3 shrimp and leave it there til the tank cycles, approx 6 weeks I read on web. Later will decide what fish I want.   

 

[ZAX]

I put in 2 cocktail shrimp today, they sank right away. Snail loving the one and bisttleworms attacking one. Are the shrimp supposed to float or maybe sank cause they were froze. Also should I shut off the protein skimmer (don't want to lose the the live stuff from the rocks)

 

[xxmurrxx]

i did the shrimp method, It sank..
Also left the skimmer on during the cycle had no problems.

I left the shrimp in until i got a pretty high ammonia spike then i removed it.

 

[ZAX]

Been a week with the shrimp in the tank, can't even find it any more (all ate up I guess). Been testing the water and still getting a zero reading for the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, calcium was 500 dropped to about 440, phospate was zero now about .07, KH is 161,1, hydrometer 1.023.  Been testing the water every 4 or 5 days. Is it possible the tank is already cycled since the rock and sand came from another tank? The rocks are all turning purple and red so I think this is a good sign, and lots of critters and tiny snails come out at night.

 

[Salty1]

"Been testing the water and still getting a zero reading for the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate" If you haven't seen these numbers change then your cycle hasn't started. Be patient things will slowly change. It is true that your liverock (if previously cured) will speed up this process. I would wait at least three weeks before adding (slowly). Your patience now will pay off down the road.