Cycling tank with just DRY rock

[Camps23]

Hey,
I know there are countless threads on this if you google...and trust me I have been reading most of them.
I figured I would throw it out there to see if anyone else has done this locally.
I just got done my leak test of the new tank last night and added salt (currently mixing).
Im looking to start my cycle but currently only have dry rock in the tank. Will i need to add some live rock to my sump to
help seed the rest of the tank ? Im just nervous on this as I really dont want to introduce any hitchhikers to a brand new setup.
Whats the best route for cycling the tank ? I do have the option of getting a cup or so of sand and 10lb of live rock from a fellow reefer but
like I said Im worried about hitchhikers. Anyone seed a tank with bio spira or products like that ?

 

[Poseidon]

Cycling tank with just live rock

You need an ammonia source to start the cycle.
The product I always use, I just throw a fish ( chromis) in and it cycles in a couple days.

There are many kick start bacterias, not going to start THAT discussion again, but review wise the dr Tim's version seems to be the most liked.

 

[pulpfiction1]

send me a pm I have something you can use
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Tapatalk 2

 

[nexusnight]

I used the bio spira. Poured in a whole large bottle in my 55 and waa good to go. No spikes in any parameters at all. Going on three months now and never had a problem. I even put fish in two days later. Gary at sealife recommends this method and he was right on point. You may want a couple pieces of live rock with coraline to get that going however. I would just suggest doing a coral dip and a freshwater dip on the rock to eliminate pests.

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[Camps23]

I used the bio spira. Poured in a whole large bottle in my 55 and waa good to go. No spikes in any parameters at all. Going on three months now and never had a problem. I even put fish in two days later. Gary at sealife recommends this method and he was right on point. You may want a couple pieces of live rock with coraline to get that going however. I would just suggest doing a coral dip and a freshwater dip on the rock to eliminate pests.

Sent from my GT-I9100M using Tapatalk 2

I have been reading about the bio spira and it sounds like your tank never fully goes through a cycle when using it. Did you introduce any ammonia with the bio spira ? From what I gather it just helps turn the nitrites into nitrates but dont you need ammonia first ?

 

[Poseidon]

[quote author=nexusnight link=topic=4820.msg45554#msg45554 date=1363802029]
I used the bio spira. Poured in a whole large bottle in my 55 and waa good to go. No spikes in any parameters at all. Going on three months now and never had a problem. I even put fish in two days later. Gary at sealife recommends this method and he was right on point. You may want a couple pieces of live rock with coraline to get that going however. I would just suggest doing a coral dip and a freshwater dip on the rock to eliminate pests.

Sent from my GT-I9100M using Tapatalk 2

I have been reading about the bio spira and it sounds like your tank never fully goes through a cycle when using it. Did you introduce any ammonia with the bio spira ? From what I gather it just helps turn the nitrites into nitrates but dont you need ammonia first ?
[/quote]

Ya that's what the fish is for, an ammonia source

 

[reeffreak]

i would not rinse the liverock in fresh water, you would be killing off benificial bacteria, which is what you want to seed your rock with. Even coral dip I wouldnt use either, it could soak up into the rock and leach out in your tank, which would suck. just get a chunk of LR from someone reputable and put it in the tank.

 

[nexusnight]

as mentioned the fish creates needed waste to create ammonia.Using bio spira essentially "instantly cyles" your tank. i use this term vaguely as your tank will show no real signs of cycling. you will still go through all the "stages" of a new tank. ie: diatom bloom, diffrent algea blooms ect. I would recommend if you use it add your clean up crew soon after. the diatoms set in pretty quick.  You can pm me if you have further questions about using it.

 

[nexusnight]

i agree with reeffreak, i was only mentioning the dips if another product was used and fish added right away. even a reputable supplier or tank owner may have ich in their system and not even know it. You would have to the rock from a system that has not had fish in it for at least 6 weeks, or quarantine it. Just my two cents 

 

[yveterinarian]

Hey,
I know there are countless threads on this if you google...and trust me I have been reading most of them.
I figured I would throw it out there to see if anyone else has done this locally.
I just got done my leak test of the new tank last night and added salt (currently mixing).
Im looking to start my cycle but currently only have dry rock in the tank. Will i need to add some live rock to my sump to
help seed the rest of the tank ? Im just nervous on this as I really dont want to introduce any hitchhikers to a brand new setup.
Whats the best route for cycling the tank ? I do have the option of getting a cup or so of sand and 10lb of live rock from a fellow reefer but
like I said Im worried about hitchhikers. Anyone seed a tank with bio spira or products like that ?

I always cycle my tanks with just dry rock - no fish - no live rock.  All you need is some household ammonia with no perfumes or additives (I get mine at Walmart)  and a bacteria starter culture.  There are many out there and Pulp's is good, I use Stability and have had good results but not as fast as Pulp's though.  To be sure your tank can handle a good bioload of fish and is fully cycled, it should be able to clear 2 ppm of ammonia in 8-12 hours with no ammonia or nitrites showing after this time.  If you want to know more about the Ammonia cycling with no fish, let me know and I can send you the full method I use.  It works very well and you don't introduce anything into the tank that you don't want to. 

 

[Camps23]

Whats everyones take on running your skimmer and lights during the cycle ?

 

[paoul]

why pay for unneeded hydro

 

[hazey]

I have always run a skimmer but no lights.

 

[reefin]

I ran the skimmer but didn't turn on the lights nothing in the tank but rock so I didn't see the need

 

[yveterinarian]

Skimmer not needed during this kind of cycle.  There is no protein in the water to skim out.  Best to keep lights off so that algae doesn't grow before you can put a cleanup crew in there.