how long for first cycle

[JKLUSAF]

My 65gal has been up and running for 6days now, i have placed about 70lbs of live sand and 80lbs of 1/2 and 1/2 established live rock. there are some zoa's grown on some of the liverock that hasn't died yet. the tanks clean????? what the average time frame for the first cycle?

Justin

[Texreefer]

test kits..
but if you must have a time frame with what you have could be as little as two weeks or as long as two months

[Jonthefishguy]

There is only one cyce. You should never cycle again unless you run into issues. Every setup is different so giving a cycle timeline is not so easy. On average they can be around 30 to 40 days give or take. There are products on the market that can help speed along the process however, that too sometimes isnt always as fast as it says it will be. Patience is a virtue.

[JKLUSAF]

well i've talk to some folks who were able to start in 2weeks and then some who say yes it would be a couple of months.....question most the folks i talked with said the tank would be very dirty, i just don't see that. i'm going to test everything now and get back with ya'll

Justin

[Jonthefishguy]

6 days is not nearly enough time to figure where your aquarium parameters stand. Even if you check the parameters now, they will not show you where your aquarium stands. There is no sense in wasting your time wishing it to be faster than it actually takes. Use this time to read up on different fish, corals, products, and methods and let the cycle take its course. Remember just because you dont see a significant change in your water visually, does not mean that things are not taking place biologically. All too often this is a mistake that beginner aquarists learn the hard way as they simply dont leave well enough alone and become impatient and want to add livestock right away. Again all too often they end up not allowing the natural process to take place completely and begin adding livestock which for the most part slowly perishes or becomes stressed and causes other issues to take place. Hopefully you dont fall under this catagory.

[JKLUSAF]

well i'm not in a rush, but i did test everything and started a log-book. Yes i'm a beginner aquarists with some help from my wife who's a marine biologist, but it looks like this adventure is going to be all mine. thanks for the advice

Justin

[Texreefer]

Justin, your right next to me in Schertz, you are welcome to stop by anytime and check out my system and I can go over some of the "ins and outs"

[JKLUSAF]

thanks sent me a PM will set something up.

[chapel210]

When I moved I set my 75g back up and its been cycling for about 2 months now. However my 45g was set up and I set livestock in right away. 2 months and have blackcap, clown, ebili angel, and 1 firefish. Been great parameters, used biospira though.

[JKLUSAF]

Well i've read good things about biospira and bad things, so are you saying you installed the biospira in the 75g or the 45g? Being that this is my first saltwater i'm in no hurry.

[Bill S]

Do what you want.

You want advice, pay attention to the guys with 1000s of posts, and former Tank of the Year here on Maast. You have lots of money and don't mind killing fish? Then go for it and add fish right away.

If you read some of the posts here -especially those in the Emergency Forum - you will see that bad, bad things happen to those that rush. "Patience is a virtue", has never been more true than with a marine tank. When looking for advice, don't be lured into copying folks that just might have done what you WANT to do, rather than what you should actually do.

And don't pay any attention to me - I've only been doing this for something like 35+ years...

P.S. Take Mike up on his offer...

[JKLUSAF]

Bill

being rude is not needed, i won't be paying much mind just looking for the right direction. for someone thats new to saltwater i'm reading my mind out, and taking my time reading every option possible. i'm going on this tank tour with everyone at the end of the month, so those who know what there talking about i'll know and those who are full of **** i'll know. thanks for being straight up though with your new members

Justin

[ErikH]

Bill's right, he's just showing "tough love". We have an influx of beginner aquarists here, and they do tend to crash and burn. There is alot of frustration trying to help newbies out because alot of things go in one ear and out the other. I feel that.

Giving your tank time to mature is the hardest thing to do. Don't add any mandarins, or scooter blennies because they will eat your pods, and pods eat poop. They are like free filtration. The longer you wait, the more established your microfauna, and the better off your tank will be.

What you have to do is pre-plan what kind of tank you want. I recommend looking into nano fish, since you can add many of them for tons of color. The fish will not outgrow the tank, so as long as you add them slowly, you should have an easier start. Smaller fish allow your tank time to mature without significant impact on your bioload. This buys you time to buy a skimmer. Buy right the first time on your skimmer!

Once you get to this point, you can then upgrade your lighting. I recommend T5s, since they do not add as much heat as a halide, and the bulb selection is vast. GrimReefer on Reef Central has recommendations all over for bulb selection. The easy way to search RC is to google Reef Central and follow the search link from there. Search by user, and search for him. Also, T5s last around 18 months if not overdriven. Power Compacts are often bought by newbies and IMO, it's a mistake. PCs don't last very long before their PAR ratings start to decline.

I know that's more than what you asked, but it's best to plan now. We can all help you there. www.liveaquaria.com (http://www.liveaquaria.com) has a nano fish section, you should check it out.

Oh, and don't buy a maroon clown right off the bat. For some reason it is an alarming trend with beginners. They tend to be a pain, and very mean/territorial.

GL,
Erik

[Bill S]

Justin, no problem. Everyone knows I shoot straight. And yes, I'm often rude. There are few shortcuts in this hobby. There is TONS of advice, some good, some not so much. I can be very difficult to sort thru, for folks new to the hobby. Generally, the most conservative approach is better than the most aggressive. Not always, but generally.

I would absolutely recommend the tank tour. Unfortunately, we won't be on it. I tore the tank down at Xmas, and we are SLOWLY rebuilding. Note: SLOWLY. Here's what it looked like before tearing it down:

http://www.maast.org/forums/showthread.php?t=42181&highlight=bill+streep

I keep promising to post new pix, but it's SO ugly right now!

[The Butcher]

My advice is to truly listen to what bstreep, texreefer, and ScorpiNO, have written. They, like so many others in this group, have proven that knowledge and experience is far superior than a quick fix.

[JKLUSAF]

thanks for all the help guys i plan on takin my time, i do have a T5 light with moonlights already, finally getting algae growing on the tank so i know i have more time left on first cycle. bstreep, your straight just takin u with a grain of salt.....but i'll get there.

Justin

[kkiel02]

Dont use chemicals that say they are a short cut. After learning about this cycle through my classes the cycle takes time. Mine took around 1.5 weeks but this change greatly on the type of algea that is in your tank. Sinc most of my live rock had this beneficial bacteria on it, it wuickly was able to reduce ammonia and nitrites. But like I said this GREATLY depends on what bacteria and algea survives and thrives in your tank. Every tank will be different no doubt so the longer you wait the better chance you have of harboring the better algea/bacteria. Again like others have said patience is your friend and use it to your advantage.

[JKLUSAF]

yea , i've come across some of the same info threw my readings. half my live rock came out of a tank that was established for 4yrs, the othere have i picked up down at wolfreef, still need about 20-30lbs, but searching for the right peices takes time. my plan is for a reef set up. have plenty of brown hair alge growing.

Justin

[mozartkt]

Well, you are doing the right thing about asking on the forums - there's great info from the guys who have been doing this for a long time - It's great to read their info and learn from others.