Need some beginner info I can’t seem to find anywhere else… Help please.

[ReeferinTX]

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 with separate tanks for inverts and fish).

After we start the cycle on the DT and complete it with undetectable Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrite levels, how long does this condition last before we need to reintroduce bacteria and start over? Can we complete a nitrogen cycle and then wait 90 days or so to add livestock, or more directly, how long can a cycled tank be left “dormant?” I guess the same can apply to the quarantine tank(s).

Second question, I can’t seem to find any definitive guidance on a bean animal overflow. We are planning 1” drains, but the configuration with length/height, etc. of the 3 drain pipes seems almost like a mythical creature that is as illusive as the holy grail for some reason.

Any guidance would be a great help, looking forward to the advice.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

As far as the cycle goes, once it is cycled, it will be fine. You can feed a little food once a week if you want, but it isn't necessary. You could just put the rock in the water and do nothing until about a week or two before you add fish and then add a little food. If you have a sump, just put a sponge or something porous in and then when you need a QT, just use that sponge for the biofilter. Don't put that sponge back in your DT after though because it will probably have Cu or other bad things in it.

 

[Just John]

As far as cycling goes, I would recommend adding bottled bacteria to get it done in one day and save your chromis. There are multiple products, but here is one:
Instant Ocean Bio-Spira

 

[RocketEngineer]

Yeah
Second question, I can’t seem to find any definitive guidance on a bean animal overflow. We are planning 1” drains, but the configuration with length/height, etc. of the 3 drain pipes seems almost like a mythical creature that is as illusive as the holy grail for some reason.

Any guidance would be a great help, looking forward to the advice.

Yeah, I hear ya on the missing info. My IM100G has a bean, my last tank had a DIY one. The easiest way I’ve found to set the pipes is the siphon needs to be totally submerged before the secondary kicks in. The emergency should do the same again above the secondary. In my case, the tank shipped with a 3” long pipe and a 4.5” pipe.

The main siphon has no pipe, the secondary has about 2” inside the box, and the emergency is about 3.5” off the bottom.

 

[ReeferinTX]

As far as the cycle goes, once it is cycled, it will be fine. You can feed a little food once a week if you want, but it isn't necessary. You could just put the rock in the water and do nothing until about a week or two before you add fish and then add a little food. If you have a sump, just put a sponge or something porous in and then when you need a QT, just use that sponge for the biofilter. Don't put that sponge back in your DT after though because it will probably have Cu or other bad things in it.

Thank you for the input, I really appreciate it. So, if I understand correctly, cycle it once with the initial addition of live sand and monitor until zeros on Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate and when ready add some food for decay and it will cycle again in a day or 2 so we are ready for some livestock.
I plan an leaving the QT up as well, with a basic sponge/bio filter run on an air pump, the cost is minimal at its worst and the benefit of having an instant hospital tank, its worth it in my book. I will order some extra sponges for the quick cycles. Thanks again.
A.

 

[ReeferinTX]

As far as cycling goes, I would recommend adding bottled bacteria to get it done in one day and save your chromis. There are multiple products, but here is one:
Instant Ocean Bio-Spira

Thanks. Red Sea makes a starter kit that has great reviews that we will probably use as well.

 

[ReeferinTX]

Yeah, I hear ya on the missing info. My IM100G has a bean, my last tank had a DIY one. The easiest way I’ve found to set the pipes is the siphon needs to be totally submerged before the secondary kicks in. The emergency should do the same again above the secondary. In my case, the tank shipped with a 3” long pipe and a 4.5” pipe.

The main siphon has no pipe, the secondary has about 2” inside the box, and the emergency is about 3.5” off the bottom.

Thanks for the input.
I guess there are no real hard and fast rules, but here is the way I see it to proceed.
The main drain can have, but doesn't need, a tube/pipe/downturned elbow (180 degree turn-down); the Durso needs to be above the main and within 1/2" to 2" of the waterline in the overflow and should (but not necessary) have a vent hole with or without tubing and an air valve; and the emergency should be 1/2" above the waterline in the overflow.
I don't see the valve as necessary as it would be with just a Durso drain alone.
Seems like there are dzens of different ways to do it, but tuning is key. Still a bit fuzzy, but gaining clarity in my mind anyway, again, thanks for the info.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Just to try and head off confusion, the initial cycle is considered complete typically when ammonia levels drop to undetectable levels, and nitrates are detected. Nitrites typically don’t show much. This lets us know enough bacteria have populated the tank to handle our early fish. The cycle never actually stops, it just finds an ever shifting balance.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Thanks for the input.
I guess there are no real hard and fast rules, but here is the way I see it to proceed.
The main drain can have, but doesn't need, a tube/pipe/downturned elbow (180 degree turn-down); the Durso needs to be above the main and within 1/2" to 2" of the waterline in the overflow and should (but not necessary) have a vent hole with or without tubing and an air valve; and the emergency should be 1/2" above the waterline in the overflow.
I don't see the valve as necessary as it would be with just a Durso drain alone.
Seems like there are dzens of different ways to do it, but tuning is key. Still a bit fuzzy, but gaining clarity in my mind anyway, again, thanks for the info.

While I respect Bean Animal for his amazing design, there are a few aspects that I don’t agree with. First, you need a single gate valve, not three ball valves. A gate valve is much easier to adjust. Second, it doesn’t need to be a Durso. Durso designed his standpipe because of the noise at full flow. In a Bean setup, we want the barest of trickles in the secondary pipe, the less the better actually. A vertical pipe serves this purpose just fine. The last note is you want the outlets submerged no more than 1” when water is flowing. Otherwise the siphon gets air locked and doesn’t work as well, causing issues. Being just barely submerged let’s the air get pushed out until you have a smooth flow from the siphon. HTH

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Thanks. Red Sea makes a starter kit that has great reviews that we will probably use as well.

If you have about 90 days to wait, instead of using a starter kit from anyone, I would get some actual live rock. While it will be a little more expensive than a starter kit, it will give you so much more in biodiversity than any starter kit could. If you are worried about hitchhiker, just put a couple piece in the sump. No need to add anything else. Over the next 10+ weeks, you will get a well cycled tank with organisms that will allow for a much higher chance of success than any bottle can provide. Tbsaltwater.com has some nice stuff.

 

[ReefGeezer]

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 with separate tanks for inverts and fish).

After we start the cycle on the DT and complete it with undetectable Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrite levels, how long does this condition last before we need to reintroduce bacteria and start over? Can we complete a nitrogen cycle and then wait 90 days or so to add livestock, or more directly, how long can a cycled tank be left “dormant?” I guess the same can apply to the quarantine tank(s).

Second question, I can’t seem to find any definitive guidance on a bean animal overflow. We are planning 1” drains, but the configuration with length/height, etc. of the 3 drain pipes seems almost like a mythical creature that is as illusive as the holy grail for some reason.

Any guidance would be a great help, looking forward to the advice.

Can't help with the Beanimal but if I you are contemplating starting a tank, you might check out the article linked in my signature section. Also, check out @Lasse for his "12 steps" listed as a link in his signature section. These documents speak to starting a tank without ever driving nutrients up and encouraging the extended ugly phase so often associated with old school cycling procedures.

 

[ReeferinTX]

Just to try and head off confusion, the initial cycle is considered complete typically when ammonia levels drop to undetectable levels, and nitrates are detected. Nitrites typically don’t show much. This lets us know enough bacteria have populated the tank to handle our early fish. The cycle never actually stops, it just finds an ever shifting balance.

Gotcha, so essentially, before we add livestock, we need zero ammonia with nitrates.
Regardless of when you first complete the cycle, month, weeks, days as long as no ammonia with detectable nitrates you're good to go.

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

bean animal is basically one slightly undersized main drain line which pulls majority of the water thru it, with a bleeder line, and a second bleeder line is how it works. it has 3 drains, main drain is lowest, middle is backup that actually gets used, and the 3rd is a safety hopefully never used.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Gotcha, so essentially, before we add livestock, we need zero ammonia with nitrates.
Regardless of when you first complete the cycle, month, weeks, days as long as no ammonia with detectable nitrates you're good to go.

Yup, I’m a nutshell. In my case I’m going bottle bacteria. The instructions are basically, add ammonia to 1-2ppm, add bacteria, monitor ammonia levels. Around 5-7 days later ammonia levels should be down to zero/trace and something should register on nitrates.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Gotcha, so essentially, before we add livestock, we need zero ammonia with nitrates.
Regardless of when you first complete the cycle, month, weeks, days as long as no ammonia with detectable nitrates you're good to go.

This is correct, although I would caution against adding very many fish at once regardless of how long a new tank has been cycled... You want to allow the biofilter (bacterial population) time to grow to handle the increased bioload.
Welcome back to reefing!

 

[Lasse]

Can't help with the Beanimal but if I you are contemplating starting a tank, you might check out the article linked in my signature section. Also, check out @Lasse for his "12 steps" listed as a link in his signature section. These documents speak to starting a tank without ever driving nutrients up and encouraging the extended ugly phase so often associated with old school cycling procedures.

Actually - It is 15 steps and you can find it here

The type of Beananimal solution I use is two drains. One siphon and one for overflow/emergency, With the three drain you have the siphon, the overflow and a separate emergency pipe. I have done the siphon like an upside down U and have a strainer attached to the inlet The hole in the upside of the inverted u is a siphon breaker that will stop the siphon if the return pump stop. The whole overflow-box will therefore not be emptied. Start the return pump and use the gate valve adjust the level in the overflow-box exactly that it just spill over in the overflow/ emergency tube, With three pipes - place the extra emergency pipe´s upper en a little bit higher than the overflow - noy much - but a little.

​

Sincerely Lasse

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

my tank has 2 2 inch drains and 1 11/2inch drain line is the lowest , the 1/ 1/2 drain does full speed ahead the lower of the 2 2 inches gurgles a little bit. the second taller 2 inch drain is a backup, no valves of any kind needed i just have to flow enough gph to max out the 1 1/2 inch drain so it keeps siphon and then it runs very quiet.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Actually - It is 15 steps and you can find it here

Oops... Ha... 12 Steps... Hi I'm ReefGeezer and I and a Reefaholic.

 

[Just John]

If you have about 90 days to wait, instead of using a starter kit from anyone, I would get some actual live rock. While it will be a little more expensive than a starter kit, it will give you so much more in biodiversity than any starter kit could. If you are worried about hitchhiker, just put a couple piece in the sump. No need to add anything else. Over the next 10+ weeks, you will get a well cycled tank with organisms that will allow for a much higher chance of success than any bottle can provide. Tbsaltwater.com has some nice stuff.

The way I look at bottled bacteria is that when someone gets a tank they naturally want to put in a couple of fish as soon as they can. Use the bottled bacteria, add a couple fish and with the help of live rock the absolutely important biodiversity that isn't supplied by the bacteria will develop within a couple of months.

 

[SlugSnorter]

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 with separate tanks for inverts and fish).

After we start the cycle on the DT and complete it with undetectable Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrite levels, how long does this condition last before we need to reintroduce bacteria and start over? Can we complete a nitrogen cycle and then wait 90 days or so to add livestock, or more directly, how long can a cycled tank be left “dormant?” I guess the same can apply to the quarantine tank(s).

Second question, I can’t seem to find any definitive guidance on a bean animal overflow. We are planning 1” drains, but the configuration with length/height, etc. of the 3 drain pipes seems almost like a mythical creature that is as illusive as the holy grail for some reason.

Any guidance would be a great help, looking forward to the advice.

once a tank is cycled, as long as it has a minor source of food (a few sprinklings of fish flakes will do) it should be fine.