How to start?

[oysterxfast5]

What should I do to start my cycle on my tank? I just got it all set up today. Salt, temp, and sand is good. Should I just drop some brine and some of my other tank's water in? Add some LR? Like to get it going soon. Dont want to get a damsel in there but I might.

[oysterxfast5]

The reason I ask is the only way I know how to do this is to add a damsel to the mix.

[Sheol]

No need for damsels! LR itself will cycle your tank. You can also add a little Macroalgae or a piece of dead shrimp.
Rember, if you use a damsel, it will own the tank & new fish will not be welcome!

Sincerely,
Matthew

[Pmolan]

Any filter media from the old tank, liverock, cocktail shrimp. Some water may help too.

[oysterxfast5]

Well what I was going to do was when I do a water change put that water in, put a little bit of LR and some food to get it going. I can put my old filter on it too if that will help. I didnt want to do the damsel cause They are about impossible to get out.

[Lucky-rc]

you can get the damsel out, when you put someone else in there you can net him while he eats the new guy...lol

put a few pinches of food in there. this can be kinda slow but works. Also the old filter media is an excellent idea if your live rock is already cured it wont do a lot for you because you wont have any "die-off"

Lucky

[oysterxfast5]

I would like to get it done fast but I know as much as anyone else it takes time. The sooner i get it going the better. I could just get the damsel in there and not have alot of rock in there and just net him out after a month or 2.

[m2434]

I ussually estimate how much food the fish I plan on keeping will eat and dump it in, even though they arn't there yet... Works great. Everything else sounds good except the damsels - never add damsels to any tank, regardless of how old

[Lucky-rc]

In theory.... If your water came from a mature tank and your LR is already cured, if you use old filter media you should not have much of a cycle. All you would have left is the tank surface and substrate to colonize. With a light load you may not even see a spike.

Lucky

[oysterxfast5]

Well it is all new sand, but i am getting a cup to seed it sunday from the lfs. Not sure how much water I can save from the old tank, planned on rinsing off some debris.

[uscharalph]

You want to add as much LR as your going to want in the end, in the beginning. Thus going thru a cycle only once in the beginning.

[oysterxfast5]

Well I am going to get a few more peaces and add what is in my current tank. Cant just dismantle my current tank for 2 months. I dont think the fish would be happy with me. So the rock I will be adding is already cycled.

[Frick-n-Frags]

then you don't have to cycle. the bacteria is on the lR, not the sand, unless you have UG filter

just don't throw a huge bioload in all at once or it will have to re-cycle to meet the new, way bigger load.

there is nothing in the old water to really either help or hinder a cycle.(assuming it is not ammonia soup)

[2crazyreefers]

IMO use all the water from the 30 with your new sand and old live rock then when you add the balance of water it would be like a water change and you should be good to go. I usualy get small cycling with this method but not enogh to hurt anything. I have done this many times and it has always worked for me. 3 months ago I did this for my new 75 sps tank and stocked it the next day.

[oysterxfast5]

Frick-n-Frags isn't the sand basically the main place for the bacteria to live? Like I said before though, I was going to rinse the rock off with the old saltwater. It has some debris built up on it and I might as well clean it when I have the chance, so I wont be having 30 gallons to add to it.

[Craig Lambert]

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1031074