Cycling Live Rock with Live Sand??

[Kelley]

Hello to all you sal****er experts,

I have a question about cycling live rock. As usual, all the research
I have done is a little different so I am just looking for a few more
opinions. I am setting up a 10 gal tank. I am going to use about 12
to 13 lbs of live rock to cycle the tank. It is a new tank, right now
it is up and running with just sal****er. It has been that way for
about a week. The ph is a little high, 8.6 and the sg is 1.021. The
temp is about 75 degrees. The water is distilled, water filter just
came last night. I am using a heater and two AquaClear mini filters,
each rated for 20 gallon tank. I am also using a 10,000K CoralLife
florescent bulb. Note that I do not plan on using a protein skimmer.

I am planning on purchasing the live rock from my lfs Saturday morning
so that I can start cycling. My question is what is the best way of
approaching this? Should I just cycle the live rock by itself,
without live sand in the tank? Will live sand speed the cycling
process? Should I raise the live rock off the bottom of the tank?
How often should I do water changes during the cycling process, if any
water changes?

Thanks for the advice in advance.

Kelley

[Dragon Slayer]

your research was correct and that there are many opinions on how/what works
best and everyone seams to have a different opinion on it so here is mine,
and I'll just answer your questions and not comment on your setup, I'll keep
those opinions to myself :)

I'd put the sand and rock in at the same time. no need to wait if your
planning the sand in the first place. depending on what you plan to keep in
the tank, you might want to bump up the sg to 1.026 before hand.

live sand (as well as anything live) will help speed up the cycle. and if
you want to raise your rock off the bottom that is another of those personal
choices. I myself do not, I have it directly on the bottom glass and the
sand is around it that way nothing can dig out from under it and cause a
fall.

as for the water changes during a cycle its my opinion (and you'll find a
lot who disagree here) that you should do enough water change to keep levels
in a half way 'safe' range. doing so will preserve life in your rock/sand
and it does not prolong the cycle IME. having an over abundance of
Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate doesn't cause bacteria to grow any faster. any
detectable at all is more then what the current bacteria can handle and
having more isn't making them reproduce any faster.

hth
kc



"Kelley" > wrote in message
m...
> Hello to all you sal****er experts,
>
> I have a question about cycling live rock. As usual, all the research
> I have done is a little different so I am just looking for a few more
> opinions. I am setting up a 10 gal tank. I am going to use about 12
> to 13 lbs of live rock to cycle the tank. It is a new tank, right now
> it is up and running with just sal****er. It has been that way for
> about a week. The ph is a little high, 8.6 and the sg is 1.021. The
> temp is about 75 degrees. The water is distilled, water filter just
> came last night. I am using a heater and two AquaClear mini filters,
> each rated for 20 gallon tank. I am also using a 10,000K CoralLife
> florescent bulb. Note that I do not plan on using a protein skimmer.
>
> I am planning on purchasing the live rock from my lfs Saturday morning
> so that I can start cycling. My question is what is the best way of
> approaching this? Should I just cycle the live rock by itself,
> without live sand in the tank? Will live sand speed the cycling
> process? Should I raise the live rock off the bottom of the tank?
> How often should I do water changes during the cycling process, if any
> water changes?
>
> Thanks for the advice in advance.
>
> Kelley

[Marc Levenson]

Adding to KC's comments, bump your heater up to 78F. I try to keep my tanks
between 78 - 82F.

Marc


Kelley wrote:

> Hello to all you sal****er experts,
>
> I have a question about cycling live rock. As usual, all the research
> I have done is a little different so I am just looking for a few more
> opinions. I am setting up a 10 gal tank. I am going to use about 12
> to 13 lbs of live rock to cycle the tank. It is a new tank, right now
> it is up and running with just sal****er. It has been that way for
> about a week. The ph is a little high, 8.6 and the sg is 1.021. The
> temp is about 75 degrees. The water is distilled, water filter just
> came last night. I am using a heater and two AquaClear mini filters,
> each rated for 20 gallon tank. I am also using a 10,000K CoralLife
> florescent bulb. Note that I do not plan on using a protein skimmer.
>
> I am planning on purchasing the live rock from my lfs Saturday morning
> so that I can start cycling. My question is what is the best way of
> approaching this? Should I just cycle the live rock by itself,
> without live sand in the tank? Will live sand speed the cycling
> process? Should I raise the live rock off the bottom of the tank?
> How often should I do water changes during the cycling process, if any
> water changes?
>
> Thanks for the advice in advance.
>
> Kelley

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[Kelley]

Any comments about my current setup are welcome. I love to hear
everyone's opinion. It is the best way to learn what people are doing
or have done and what worked and did not work!

"Dragon Slayer" > wrote in message >...
> your research was correct and that there are many opinions on how/what works
> best and everyone seams to have a different opinion on it so here is mine,
> and I'll just answer your questions and not comment on your setup, I'll keep
> those opinions to myself :)
>
> I'd put the sand and rock in at the same time. no need to wait if your
> planning the sand in the first place. depending on what you plan to keep in
> the tank, you might want to bump up the sg to 1.026 before hand.
>
> live sand (as well as anything live) will help speed up the cycle. and if
> you want to raise your rock off the bottom that is another of those personal
> choices. I myself do not, I have it directly on the bottom glass and the
> sand is around it that way nothing can dig out from under it and cause a
> fall.
>
> as for the water changes during a cycle its my opinion (and you'll find a
> lot who disagree here) that you should do enough water change to keep levels
> in a half way 'safe' range. doing so will preserve life in your rock/sand
> and it does not prolong the cycle IME. having an over abundance of
> Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate doesn't cause bacteria to grow any faster. any
> detectable at all is more then what the current bacteria can handle and
> having more isn't making them reproduce any faster.
>
> hth
> kc
>
>
>
> "Kelley" > wrote in message
> m...
> > Hello to all you sal****er experts,
> >
> > I have a question about cycling live rock. As usual, all the research
> > I have done is a little different so I am just looking for a few more
> > opinions. I am setting up a 10 gal tank. I am going to use about 12
> > to 13 lbs of live rock to cycle the tank. It is a new tank, right now
> > it is up and running with just sal****er. It has been that way for
> > about a week. The ph is a little high, 8.6 and the sg is 1.021. The
> > temp is about 75 degrees. The water is distilled, water filter just
> > came last night. I am using a heater and two AquaClear mini filters,
> > each rated for 20 gallon tank. I am also using a 10,000K CoralLife
> > florescent bulb. Note that I do not plan on using a protein skimmer.
> >
> > I am planning on purchasing the live rock from my lfs Saturday morning
> > so that I can start cycling. My question is what is the best way of
> > approaching this? Should I just cycle the live rock by itself,
> > without live sand in the tank? Will live sand speed the cycling
> > process? Should I raise the live rock off the bottom of the tank?
> > How often should I do water changes during the cycling process, if any
> > water changes?
> >
> > Thanks for the advice in advance.
> >
> > Kelley

[Kelley]

If I add more salt (Instant Ocean) to increase salinity, will I
continue to increase my ph??? Obviously my ph is too high and I want
to try and kill as little as possible on the rock and sand. Any ideas
to get the ph down? Also, should the live rock be slowly acclimated
to my tank, or should it just be dropped in?? I know how to get fish
in, whenever that time may be. Finally, do I drain the water out of
the bag of live sand or do I add it to my tank? It seems no matter
how much I research, there are always more questions. And sometimes
more research leads to more questions.

Thanks again!


"Dragon Slayer" > wrote in message >...
> your research was correct and that there are many opinions on how/what works
> best and everyone seams to have a different opinion on it so here is mine,
> and I'll just answer your questions and not comment on your setup, I'll keep
> those opinions to myself :)
>
> I'd put the sand and rock in at the same time. no need to wait if your
> planning the sand in the first place. depending on what you plan to keep in
> the tank, you might want to bump up the sg to 1.026 before hand.
>
> live sand (as well as anything live) will help speed up the cycle. and if
> you want to raise your rock off the bottom that is another of those personal
> choices. I myself do not, I have it directly on the bottom glass and the
> sand is around it that way nothing can dig out from under it and cause a
> fall.
>
> as for the water changes during a cycle its my opinion (and you'll find a
> lot who disagree here) that you should do enough water change to keep levels
> in a half way 'safe' range. doing so will preserve life in your rock/sand
> and it does not prolong the cycle IME. having an over abundance of
> Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate doesn't cause bacteria to grow any faster. any
> detectable at all is more then what the current bacteria can handle and
> having more isn't making them reproduce any faster.
>
> hth
> kc
>
>
>
> "Kelley" > wrote in message
> m...
> > Hello to all you sal****er experts,
> >
> > I have a question about cycling live rock. As usual, all the research
> > I have done is a little different so I am just looking for a few more
> > opinions. I am setting up a 10 gal tank. I am going to use about 12
> > to 13 lbs of live rock to cycle the tank. It is a new tank, right now
> > it is up and running with just sal****er. It has been that way for
> > about a week. The ph is a little high, 8.6 and the sg is 1.021. The
> > temp is about 75 degrees. The water is distilled, water filter just
> > came last night. I am using a heater and two AquaClear mini filters,
> > each rated for 20 gallon tank. I am also using a 10,000K CoralLife
> > florescent bulb. Note that I do not plan on using a protein skimmer.
> >
> > I am planning on purchasing the live rock from my lfs Saturday morning
> > so that I can start cycling. My question is what is the best way of
> > approaching this? Should I just cycle the live rock by itself,
> > without live sand in the tank? Will live sand speed the cycling
> > process? Should I raise the live rock off the bottom of the tank?
> > How often should I do water changes during the cycling process, if any
> > water changes?
> >
> > Thanks for the advice in advance.
> >
> > Kelley

[Steve Sells]

One thing to be warned about if first time with sand, turn off ALL water
pumps when placing the sand in the tank, it wont stop the cloud , but will
keep it less than if water currents stirring it up, this cloud will settle
in a few days.

PH will normally become stable as the water ages.

Since you have No fish for any pathogens to live on from, I would add the
water from the sand, partly because it will be loaded with the good
bacteria, and most like better to add it and take the chance, than to dump
it, and lose that needed start of Bio-goodies. either way you decide,
remember, do NOT RINSE the live sand or it wont be live anymore!!!!!

Steve


"Kelley" > wrote in message

> If I add more salt (Instant Ocean) to increase salinity, will I
> continue to increase my ph??? Obviously my ph is too high and I want
> to try and kill as little as possible on the rock and sand. Any ideas
> to get the ph down? Also, should the live rock be slowly acclimated
> to my tank, or should it just be dropped in?? I know how to get fish
> in, whenever that time may be. Finally, do I drain the water out of
> the bag of live sand or do I add it to my tank? It seems no matter
> how much I research, there are always more questions. And sometimes
> more research leads to more questions.
>
> Thanks again!

[Dragon Slayer]

thanks for catching the slack there Marc. with my tanks keeping a constant
82* heaters are the farthest thing from my mind. I have them in a few of my
tanks, but the 100g tropical tank is the only one I ever see come on.

kc

"Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
...
> Adding to KC's comments, bump your heater up to 78F. I try to keep my
tanks
> between 78 - 82F.
>
> Marc
>
>
> Kelley wrote:
>
> > Hello to all you sal****er experts,
> >
> > I have a question about cycling live rock. As usual, all the research
> > I have done is a little different so I am just looking for a few more
> > opinions. I am setting up a 10 gal tank. I am going to use about 12
> > to 13 lbs of live rock to cycle the tank. It is a new tank, right now
> > it is up and running with just sal****er. It has been that way for
> > about a week. The ph is a little high, 8.6 and the sg is 1.021. The
> > temp is about 75 degrees. The water is distilled, water filter just
> > came last night. I am using a heater and two AquaClear mini filters,
> > each rated for 20 gallon tank. I am also using a 10,000K CoralLife
> > florescent bulb. Note that I do not plan on using a protein skimmer.
> >
> > I am planning on purchasing the live rock from my lfs Saturday morning
> > so that I can start cycling. My question is what is the best way of
> > approaching this? Should I just cycle the live rock by itself,
> > without live sand in the tank? Will live sand speed the cycling
> > process? Should I raise the live rock off the bottom of the tank?
> > How often should I do water changes during the cycling process, if any
> > water changes?
> >
> > Thanks for the advice in advance.
> >
> > Kelley
>
> --
> Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
> Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
> Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com
>
>

[Kelley]

Thanks everyone.

"Dragon Slayer" > wrote in message >...
> thanks for catching the slack there Marc. with my tanks keeping a constant
> 82* heaters are the farthest thing from my mind. I have them in a few of my
> tanks, but the 100g tropical tank is the only one I ever see come on.
>
> kc
>
> "Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Adding to KC's comments, bump your heater up to 78F. I try to keep my
> tanks
> > between 78 - 82F.
> >
> > Marc
> >
> >
> > Kelley wrote:
> >
> > > Hello to all you sal****er experts,
> > >
> > > I have a question about cycling live rock. As usual, all the research
> > > I have done is a little different so I am just looking for a few more
> > > opinions. I am setting up a 10 gal tank. I am going to use about 12
> > > to 13 lbs of live rock to cycle the tank. It is a new tank, right now
> > > it is up and running with just sal****er. It has been that way for
> > > about a week. The ph is a little high, 8.6 and the sg is 1.021. The
> > > temp is about 75 degrees. The water is distilled, water filter just
> > > came last night. I am using a heater and two AquaClear mini filters,
> > > each rated for 20 gallon tank. I am also using a 10,000K CoralLife
> > > florescent bulb. Note that I do not plan on using a protein skimmer.
> > >
> > > I am planning on purchasing the live rock from my lfs Saturday morning
> > > so that I can start cycling. My question is what is the best way of
> > > approaching this? Should I just cycle the live rock by itself,
> > > without live sand in the tank? Will live sand speed the cycling
> > > process? Should I raise the live rock off the bottom of the tank?
> > > How often should I do water changes during the cycling process, if any
> > > water changes?
> > >
> > > Thanks for the advice in advance.
> > >
> > > Kelley
> >
> > --
> > Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
> > Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
> > Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com
> >
> >