cycle aquarium

Just getting back into the hobby after 25+ years… yeah, been some time from the days with the only cycling technique being the obligatory, sacrificial Blue Chromis. So, we are planning mixed reef and starting with the display tank (+/- 80 Gal custom) and a quarantine/hospital setup (possibly...

Hi! My tank just finished cycling and is ready for live stock. Should I turn on the lights and start adding a CUC? Wait and see if algae start to bloom to determine CUC? I am not sure of the direction to go here. Thanks!

Hi Guys, i started cycling my new aquarium 40 days ago. I first used dr tims one and only but it seems that bottle was dead as i saw no reduction in ammonia 17 days. Went to my LFS and they suggested adding the Red Sea reef Mature kit as they believe the bottle of dr times could have been dead...

Hi All, Vitals Below: Ph - 8.0 Ammonia - 0.1 Nitrite - 0.0 Nitrate - 2 KH - 7.0 Phosphate - 0 Calcium - 324 Mag - 1318 Since having the tests run (day 7) through a LFS machine and then testing with RedSea Reef Test Kit at home I haven’t had any movement in Ammonia, or the others… So...

Hello I need a little bit of help.. my tank is in the process of cycling and it’s actually almost done but I want to change the salt before I add my clowns. I started with dead dry rock. I am currently using the tropic Marin pro reef salt but I won’t be having corals for a while because I rather...

Hey all, I’m about to cycle my new tank for the first time using Dr Tims Aquarium Systems - Start Your Tank. Reading the instructions it says to add fish/coral on day 2… I’m sure the store will have what we’re after in time. I’d like to get a jump on the cycle. Ideally we can start...

This will be week 2 of fishless cycle here are my results will it hurt if I bring my salinity to a 1.025 1.026 ? Test kit Salinity 1.023 Hanna Calcium 421 Hanna Phosphate 0.10 Hanna DKH 7.7 Hanna Nitrate 13.7 Hanna pH 7.8 Hanna Magnesium 1300 salifert Ammonia 0 api Nitrite 0 api

When will it be a good time to add a uv light after cycle?

Day 3 of adding fish after using ATM colony for cycling my tank. The levels are AMMONIA 0.25, NITRITE 1.0 nitrate 10ppm. When should i do a water ?

Hi First time here setting up a 75 gal mixed-reef. I am getting ready to set up and cycle the aquarium and want to know if I can use a wet sand (Caribsea AragAlive) sand with my initial cycle plan using dry-rock and a Microbacter Dry Rock Bacteria Starter Kit - Brightwell Aquatics. Will this...

Hi friends, Long story short, my tank crashed on Friday (3 days ago) - unknown cause, suspect heat swing or water chemistry issue. I noticed something was amiss because a few corals were dead along with all my inverts. I was able to evacuate the survivors into a small sump I had laying around...

Hello I’ve been reefing for several months now and have completed two successful fishless cycles. One being on my 13 gallon the other being my 37 gallon. I recently purchased a new 60 gallon tank and plan to move the contents of my 40 into the 60 (live rock, livestock, etc…). Obviously, I need...

I want to start an aquarium and I need to cycle the tank. I have heard best practice after cycling the tank is to run the aquarium without the lights on to help keep the bad bacteria at bay. I want to get this started before I move to a new apartment in a couple months… I want the tank to be...

So I want to setup a small frag tank. I have cycled media from my bigger tank. Do I still need to wait the full month to cycle the tank? Or can I keep seeding the frag tank with Microbactor 7? I’m not putting any fish immediately, only soft corals for now until more bacteria grow?

Inherited a bio cube 16 about a month ago and have been cycling it for the past few weeks. Recently started growing the brown algae. What’s next and am I where I’m supposed to be?

Tested my water today with an API kit, Tank has been up and running with live rock, live sand, and pre-mixed salt water purchased at LFS for about 1 week. Water params: pH: 8.2 Ammonia: about 0.25ppm Nitrites: 0ppm Nitrates: 0ppm Noticed a bit of brown algae growth but LFS says there wouldn't...

Ok so I finally started my tank. I have a 45 gallon tank put in two bags of live sand and rodi water with salt. Have a wave maker and hob filter. I have been monitoring amonia but I have yet to see an amonia spike. The tank is hazy and cloudy. I’ve read that’s the bacteria bloom. I have 20lbs of...

Hello, I have a 100g tank with a 34g sump. I've had it going since October 2020. Recently, I've added a new dry rock and 2 media bricks. I haven't tested ammonia in a long time. The red sea kit I have, I purchased in July of 2020. I just tested ammonia because a firefish I have, I haven't...

I have a new tank cycling with a bare bottom because the Microbacter Start noted that the bacteria may compete with bacteria in live sand. Questions: 1) Is there merit to this claim or is a diverse set of bacteria actually a good thing in the long run? 2) When should one add live sand if...

I'm very new to reefing, this is my first ever salt water tank... It has been up and running for around 4 weeks now and has been dosed with microbacter quikcycle and a few doses of microbacter start xlm... My ammonia and nitrite levels have been a bit all over the place but have been holding...

Hello, I have 2 clowns currently in my new reef tank (3 days old right now). I am using the ATm coloney method for cycling the tank. I have done a water test today that shows 1.2 ammonia, no nitrites but 0.2 ntrates. Is this right? As I am concerned the amonia is going to cause harm? Any help...

So I am cycling my new tank and I have some nitrites, no ammonia and a lot of nitrates. but I need help on what to do next to make sure it is actually cycled or not. I am listing my levels for the past 10 days: I am using the Red Sea marine test kit for reference to numbers/colors. Day2 May 21...

Hello, I set up a 15g nano tank last week to hold two fish sent by my son (firefish and a neon goby). I used two pieces of live rock that I purchased plus a sponge from my established 45g. 50% water from established tank and 50% new water The LFS said I could put the two fish in right away...

So I’m on the 3rd day of cycling for my 38 gallon tank with the products Dr. Tim’s Ammonia Chloride and API QuickStart. First Day the Ammonia was on 2.0 ppm and has been for the 3 days but Nitrites have not gone up. Should I be worried or is this normal, Which day is usually when you see the...

Hi Everyone, Hope everyone’s doing great. I want to understand how can one prevent Dino’s from taking over the tank eventually? Current I battled dinos in my 10 gallon and it wiped out all my corals. I am planning to switch to a 50g lagoon tank but kinda scared to make a move cuz I think I’ll...