If your taking over an older tank that has "crashed", would you add a micro bacteria before trying to bring the tank back to life? Tank was never shut down and dried out, it was just neglected for some time (2-3 months?).
@@jetskiwillywilly7970 no that would not be ideal. To deep clean the tank, a rip clean, is ideal and directly exports waste. to dose a digesting product merely relocates waste elsewhere in the tank. If you want to see fifty pages of tanks being instantly deep cleaned, no recycles, here is the work: www.reef2reef.com/threads/official-sand-rinse-and-tank-transfer-thread.230281/ we accomplish those tank turnarounds by removing material, not dosing any
Semi-correction: According to Dr. Tim it's actually the level of nitrite (not ammonia) that you have to closely monitor/test. To be more specific, I believe he said don't dose more than 2ppm ammonia (easy to do, follow dosage instructions for his Fish-less Cycling Ammonia bottles) because once it converts to nitrite we don't ever want it to go over ~5ppm (nitrite) or it'll stall the process. 2ppm ammonia converts to just under 5ppm nitrite and/or nitrate. And don't add more ammonia until nitrites drop (keep testing to find out when), then add ammonia judiciously to never have nitrites go over ~5ppm.
During my most recent build; I had purchased 1 gallon of Pond Matrix and placed that in a dozen or so media bags. This was placed in a heated, saltwater bin. I added circulation, bacteria and a food source. I did this for about 3 months. Once my reef was setup, I added all of this seeded biomedia into the sump. I had no issues with algae.
If you don't want to shell out $200 for an electronic ammonium alarm, you could also go with the paper based ones. You put them inside the tank on the glass and they change color if there's trouble. Not as fancy but way cheaper!
This video came at a good time I'm starting the process of upgrading my my tank tomorrow New sand, dry rock etc Will be adding old media from my previous tank and adding ATM Colony
Not my first tank, but my first dry rock tank. So glad I came across this video. I always come back to you guys when starting a tank. So awesome, the game has changed!
I cycled my dry rock for 4 months in a plastic tub with a shrimp in with the rock. My cycle, was just about done.I placed in aquarium and I had no alge at all.But I still felt that it still took about a year to mature the aquarium.You are right it does take a lot longer than live rock
I wish there was a video on this. I'm a rookie and wanting to start my love rock while I save up for a tank. I'm sure you had flow but Did you use any filtration? Do any water changes?
@@JayDisawesome I just put in a power head to circulate the water no water changes until the end.But I did put in a lot of bacteria to get as much life into the rock as possible.At about 3 months into it I did a 50% water change.I always check for amonia.I added the bacteria about every two weeks .I found that at the end I still had high amonia but when I put it in my tank with all new water the amonia was gone and there wasn't any nitrites at all.There was some nitrates.You must remember that this hobby is go very slow so you don't upset the water quality.I added two some perks first and as I monitor the water added a fish every couple of weeks .At the end of a the first year I started adding corals always checking the water.The coraline alge didn't start to grow until about the six month period.You must use a good R O system to be successful.I also run calcium reactor I know they are exspensive but I never regretted it.Hope this helps good luck happy reefing
Took me 6 weeks to fully cycle my tank with dry rock, I have 8 fish in it now and it’s been 3 months, my water perimeters haven’t changed since, I don’t have any nitrate build up yet. I test weekly though and feed twice a day,All I have is live rock and some alfagrog in the sump.
I have a freshwater African cichlid tank I recently purchased from someone. The tank was already cycled, and we made sure to keep media wet during move. It's been set up now for about a month, water tests show cycled, 0 nitrite/20 nitrate. But my pH is a little low for African cichlids, testing shows around 7.4-7.6. My KH has been hovering between 80-120 & Gh around 180 which is also low for them. I read adding dead dry coral/reef rock can help raise/maintain the higher pH AC need. It also said it helps raise KH/GH. So here's my question, I got some dead rocks/coral from Ft Lauderdale, Florida about 4 yrs ago. Some has been in a box in my garage since then, other pieces I put in my landscaping outside. Is this s safe to put in my AC tank? Do I need to clean it? Will it truly help raise/maintain my test levels? Thanks 😊
I wish we had a solid answer for you. We're very focused on the saltwater side of the hobby, so our answer would be speculation. That said, aragonite based substrates typically do have a buffering effect, so everything that you've described does make logical sense.
That using ammonia tip could also include....If you dose straight ammonia dont use store brand ammonia not made for that job, some ammonia has surfactants in it as a cleaner.
Hello brs team. Your info keep updating. So can you please make a step by step guide from intial setup to finish build adding corals after example 6 months.( also what gear and when). Like day 1 cycle rock... Example day 24 add fish.... Day xxx add lights... Thanks
Just had a tank sit for 1.5 months totally cloudy after dosing with bacteria, system did have a light on it yet. Soon as a light was added the next day it was half gone, 2 days later it was crystal clear.
Nitrite monitoring - or at least checking when you suspect a problem - is vital in fresh water tanks. It alerts you to problems with the "nitrogen cycle" (which really isn't a cycle in a hobby aquarium, but that's another rant topic...) and the ammonia degrading flora (not just bacteria anymore) grow faster than those degrading nitrite. That may not be of much concern in many practical applications, especially for starting a tank, but testing nitrite is generally a parameter to check for the health of the fish. Also, the filter bacteria don't like nitrite and a nitrite concentration too high indicates a stalling cycle.
I've had my tank for over a year now and could never figure out why my rock still looks "new" finally found a food video. Gonna start dosing with bacteria soon!
Awesome video live always, currently trying to avoid in "Ugly stage" in my nano reef aquarium competition. So far so good, I've been trying to avoid couple mistake from the past and it's really close to your recommendation. However, one thing I don't fully understand. Adding more bacteria in the aquarium after the tank is cycled. On one hand, we say bacteria grow over time, another hand you (and others) say bacteria doesn't grow so we need to add more bacteria since they don't reproduce. Now it's obviously contradictive but I assume you/we/I meant depending on the type of bacteria. Now the question is, which type of bacteria doesn't reproduce well once the tank is running since many months? Is this because of saltwater, is this because of some elements are depleting, is this because of the temperature, etc...? Also another thing: Bacteria diversity might be strong at the beginning but most of them one of them will become dominant, that is something new I learn couple months ago. (which is logic when you think about it (It's also maybe a part of the answer to my question)
Based on my experience dosing transitory bacteria like prodibio that needs to be dosed all the time, some strains in the vial die off but some of them stay.. plus the transitory microbes creates a hospitable environment for the bacteria that will replicate
So I've been thinking about the tub idea and put live sand, dry rock and a piece of live rock to seed to the dry rock in a tub. With maybe a chromi or two. To start cycling and getting ready for when I get my tank setup? What all equipment would you use? Just a power head and maybe a air stone? Would you still do water changes while it's cycling in the tub? This will be my 2nd tank and the first time I was impatient ill be honest. Haha thanks for all the help guys!
Skip the fish in this case, but really all you need is temperature control and water flow. If the live rock has coralline algae on it that you wish to maintain, then you'll also need a light.
I would absolutely love to see you guys do an experiment of setting up two different systems. One can be the way you guys preach and show in your videos, and the other system being as organic as possible with zero bottled chemicals, glues, or anything that doesn't come from a beach/ mother nature. I live in Miami and I am cycling a natural tank, easy for me since I live less than 30 min from the beach. Soon I want to add a red mangrove to my 3 inch sand, 1/2 inch soil substrate. The mangroves pods typically fall off in October-November!
A crazy Idea would be the brine shrimp cycle... hatch a bunch of artemia (preferably outside the tank to avoid getting the shells in), raise them in the tank while the filtration is off (or at least brine-shrimp-safe). Not sure how well that works but they would produce ammonia AF for a few weeks, then die off or get eaten by new fish.
I don't think they would survive the filtration very long, id imagine they would get sucked into the socks or other mechanical filtration but just thinking out loud l, I've never tried it myself
very good video guys! IMO live rock is the best if you want a great tank fast. I am now cycling dry rock though and believe you need to get some good snails (not with pests on them), they have all the bacteria an algaes you ll ever need.
Amanda Steinhour I lost about halve, because they didnt eat food i gave them(algae wavers and nori) then I turned on a little ligt, and they where fine.
I did everything wrong and had multiple disasters, partly due to my impatience and not realizing my hob skimmer had not initiated siphon. I treated my live rock like dead rock. I removed 1 live oyster but didnt see the 4 others...
Here’s a great tip...go to your local salt water fish store. Ask for the filter sponge in the aquarium. Squeeze the content into a bag. Bring home and pour it into you tank. Cycling done!
Or ask for a rock out of their sump. Have them bag it up with the water to keep the bacteria alive and put it all in your tank. I did that and it worked for me
I just started but I kinda cheated and bought a second hand tank and the guy threw in some live rock with it and the tank was already established with water one fish and a few pieces of coral. I’ve added dry real reef rock to get the look I like, and I swapped out the sand with some bio sand.
My tank is one week old and I have one live rock with other non live rock I had my light on during the day and off at night I have brown stuff on my live rock how do I get rid of it love your input thank you for sharing I have a 32.5 gal tank
diatoms in a new tank are normal. This is what we typically refer to as the "ugly phase." Just keep up with your regular tank maintenance and it will run it's course.
To save money on salt, I always cycle in a small container or a smaller tank and then transfer all things that should be cycled (LR and substrate and others) to the larger tank.
@@mrbackhand2873 Live rock and sand are not good medium for QT for fish. Expensive and inappropriate. Better is crushed coral or even crushed oyster shell (washed well) placed into sacks of inert material, such as nylon panty hose. Aquarists who entered the hobby after the popularity of reef tanks and LR tend not to realize that fish have been kept quite well without LR for decades. I have been in the salt water hobby since the early 80's, so I completely understand the use of crushed coral for fish, especially for QT.
So I had a well established 14 gallon but recently had a leak and just got nuvo 20 to replace the 14... now I decided I wanted to make a nice scape all glued together but probably won't have room to use the established live rock I have a boat load of coral but no fish... so I'll have to keep the lights up any tips to "guarentee" a fast cycle Actually just realized I bought the tank and rock from you guys. You guys are awesome
Try pre-cycling the new rock in a separate container. This could be a spare aquarium or even a Brute trash can. It won't help you avoid every single issue, but will make the transition a little more seamless.
@@BRStvawesome advice I can cycle the dry rock in bucket and add my old rock into the new tank and replace it when it's more established thank you so much for your quick response... I'm moving the tank today so perfect timing💕
I started with the "rock in a bin method" 4 months ahead, skipping the rock (took me 4 months to be satisfied with a final scape:), but using new bio media (siporax+maxpect bricks) + sand. Worked just fine.
I'm learning rock from land from the ground or river and northern Wisconsin and and lime stone plus dead coral . I'm finding is I don't have any problem s. But I used live sand aquascape.My 90 gallons aquarium is doing well. I'm doing a 150 to see if I can repeat the same thing. Rock reef aquarium is pretty cool. And good foundation to grow coral reefs slow start is better. I'm learning lime stone is key fitter s . I'm taking what u teaching me and change it
This is an eyeopener for me. I started my first dryrock cycle last year. The tank is still stagnant and corals don't grow. I also have no consumption of alkalinity or calcium. I have 8 fish and some corals and nutrients are close to none. This might be tha answer to my problem. I also have no coraline yet. Any tips on what I do best to boost this 1 year old tank? I started adding live bacteria more frequent lately, about twice a week.
Check out our Reef FAQ videos on acid curing, bleach curing, and natural curing rock. Natural curing takes the longest amount of time, but is the most safe, so that's what I'll recommend most often to reefers. That said, if you're willing to do some research into the proper safety protocols, Acid or bleach curing can be very effective.
I’ve always just bought 10lbs of live and the rest of my requirements for my tank would be dry rock it will cultivate onto the new dry rock faster than just using only dry and eventually come with the live nitrifying bacteria to use in other aquariums
We've not used that before, but would assume it's a bacteria based product like others on the market. I wouldn't necessarily change any of our cycling advice.
Hey there guys. Thanks for the job you are doing! It really helps us all. There is a question, I’d like to hear a professional opinion on. I’m setting up a 60 gallons tank , with live rocks. How many fish is ok for 60 gallons? And when shall I start putting them? Thanks in advance!
Check out our 5 Minute Saltwater Aquarium Guide series. It's the perfect series if you're just starting your saltwater journey. Unfortunately, with so many different species and sizes of fish, there isn't a set number of fish that you can keep in any given tank size. th-cam.com/play/PLBaMLrfToJyxJ1PuJZwhkxvvdFP14eV_t.html
So I have a 8 gallon bio cube and it has quite a few pieces of live rock with corals on them I am switching over to a 20 gallon long and want to know what is the best way to cycle the 20 gallon without losing much should I use some of the live rock in the old tank to help do the cycle. The only fish I have in the tank is a white Wyoming clown fish and a skunk shrimp with a Mexican turbo snail and blue legged crabs. any advice will be much appreciated I love your videos watch them all the time.
If you can move over all of your biological filtration (like rock), then you're going to have a much easier time. Since you have a pretty low bio load and are upgrading to a larger water volume, I don't anticipate that you'll have any issues.
On following the instructions I would have liked you guys to touch on why microbactor7 and clean have you add it to tank water in a seperate container and wait before you add to the tank.
Hi I am starting a new tank for the first time and want to do it right so thank you for the very informative video. I have a question in regards to soaking pieces of dry rock prior to getting a tank etc...what would be the exact process for preparing it
If your rock was from the ocean or previously used in an aquarium (and is now dry), you'll need to cure the rock. The natural curing method is not the quickest, but is certainly the safest and easiest to implement without chemicals like acid or bleach. This video explains that process, if you wanted to check it out 🙂 th-cam.com/video/v-1uMoCocBI/w-d-xo.html
thanks for this explanation. I do have a question about when to use the lights. you say I better leave the lights off during the cycle. is it recommended to build up the brightness slowly after the cycle? does the dirty phase come then not or less? Thanks in advance
Don't know if you'll look back on this, but, if I cycled the original way would it still be beneficial to go back and add the microbacter 7 type stuff to introduce that type of bacteria that you say doesn't come in naturally
If you have livestock in the tank and don't have any issues with the nitrification cycle (i.e. no ammonia), then it won't be necessary to add a bacteria like Microbacter 7 to your system.
no when u dose the bacteria...bottles empty... check if u need more....u do need more theres still gunk, detritus, and algae issues and u didnt finish cycle yet.....then u need to buy more :)
I’m just honestly surprised that no body is seeding bio bricks or media on a massive scale and selling them for ppl to instant start their tanks. I’m I the only one thinking about this idea??
You could only do this locally...live bacteria starts dying very rapidly when out of water. It wouldn't survive shipping unless you shipped it in water.
@@david7384 Not really. A cultured and well-developed media brick would have established bacteria going already, so would provide some denitrification immediately, while the dry rock is still building up its own community. So, while the rock gets going, the media is already helping your water, so you could nearly immediately start adding fish.
I am just starting my first saltwater tank and just learning about it all. If i have an 80 gallon tank and have 100 lbs of dry rock for it, how much sand should I use with it then?
There are some sand calculators out there to help you with how many lbs to order based on the depth that you're shooting for and footprint of your tank. Assuming a 48" x 18" footprint, you're probably going to need about 50-60 lbs for a ~1.5" sand bed.
I wouldn't suspect there to be much difference. A large majority of bacteria live and populate on surfaces rather than free floating in the water, so I would approach it just the same.
Wait until the cycle is done and only nitrates remain, then you can do at least 50% water change if not more to bring them down checking with test. After that you can start a normal schedule at around 20% or so. Test along the way to make sure your not seeing ammonia and nitrite, they should remain 0 with nitrates being the only 1 of the 3 numbers showing up depending on everything but as long as your tank is maintaining 0 ammonia and nitrites you have your "cycled" system with the bacteria you want
I’ve got some live rock already in my tank but was looking to add some dry rock what way should I go for this ? Tanks was preowned so filters etc should already have it in it
I'd suggest the Marco Rock Reef Saver Rock as it doesn't require an extensive curing process like some other rock types. www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-reef-saver-dry-aquarium-live-rock.html
I have got a cycled tank, I have bought dry rock as I want to create some hnsa like your recent video. Can I add the new rock, leave the old rock in there and slowly take the old rock out over 8 weeks?
Did I miss any mention of the true risks with using live rock? Not just pets, but dieseases? I had a fish that I quarantined for 6 months (was stalling and building a new tank) and it was PERFECTLY healthy.. I bought some live rock from my LFS, added it his qt (no medication at this time) and within a week, he had full blown velvet. This is not an exaggeration at all, full blown velvet from live rock bought from a reputable lfs. Now, the rock is in another tank, fallow + increased temp + hypo salinity and will stay for months.. my fish is in a hospital tank being treated with copper. I will never buy "live rock" again and will just cycle my own in a garbage can with ammonia chloride and bottled bacteria. Only safe way to go. sure, it's not as pretty, but I will never risk that again. Had this happened in my 220 display with bigger fish, it would have been an absolute nightmare to treat.
We don't recommend boiling or baking dry rock as it can be very dangerous. The fumes and potential pockets of water could cause the rocks to explode in the oven.
But dry rock is artificial or dead and allready free of pests right. And live rock is bought for the bacteria. Boiling or baking it destroys those bacteria. And thus the sole reason for live rock is gone. So im confused why you would want to do that ?
i am prob going to go with the marco rock so i can actually build my own scape with negative space method... how long will the tank take to cycle with the dry marco rock with the dr tims one and only which i will be using !
Cycling shouldn't take any longer than normal as you don't have to run the macro rock through a rigorous curing process. I would suggest following Dr. Tim's 14 day cycling guide. s3.amazonaws.com/brsinstructions/brsDrTims/DrTims_Fishless_Cycling_Recipe_BRS.pdf
What should you do with dried live rock that has been sitting for about 2 yrs I scrubbed (brushed with a medium brush then soft dust pan brush) and vacuumed them just to get the little excess off. I bought live fiji sand so can I just build my aqua scape or do I bleach the rock or sun bleach it?
Since the rock was previously used, now dry, you'll need to cure the rock to remove any organics. A bleach cure is certainly an option and relatively commonly done in our hobby. We actually did a video on this process if you're not familiar with how to do it. Link to that video below th-cam.com/video/X7HbhBUyGh4/w-d-xo.html
Great video, lots of awesome info. I'm starting a 90 saltwater tank. using reef saver rock and arag-alive special grade substrate. also will use live bacteria in a bottle. starting out with r/o water and coral life salt then as water changes occur i will be purchasing pre mixed saltwater from my LFS. I have an RS 100 eshopps sump with a 700 gph pump and an SCA 302 protein skimmer, jup-01 sun sun UV sterilizer, sun sun jvp 201 wave maker. I bought this all as a package, used. I added the 700 gph eco+ mag pump, and will also be adding your carbon GFO reactor media filter. and an ATO from your store. My questions are. #1 At what point would you recommend to start the protein skimmer and the GFO? #2 will the Eco plus 700 GPH pump be too much for the sump and tank? I am planning on creating a return bar 30" bar across the back of the tank about 2.5 " below water level with 10 -15 1/8" holes, (yes i will have a siphon break) in place of the dual nozzle that was there when I bought the tank. By adding the 90s and the 30 extra inches of return pipe, Along with the 60 " head height I hope to slow the flow down to around 500 - 600 GHP.
I like to start my protein skimmer right away as there is usually a week or two break in period. Just make sure to turn it off for a few hours after adding any sort of liquid bacterial supplement so that the skimmer doesn't remove it from the water before the bacteria can colonize on the rocks and substrate. Don't run the GFO during the cycle as phosphate is needed during this process. After the tank is cycled, we suggest using GFO as a tool to manage phosphate, not necessarily a requirement. It's possible that you might not need to run your GFO at all. A 700 GPH return pump for a 90 gallon tank should be just fine. Keep in mind that after head loss, you're not going to actually be pumping 700 GPH. Don't be surprised if you get about half that.
@@BRStv thank you very much for your reply. That is very helpful information I appreciate it. I can still use the media reactor for carbon. One more thing please, can I start running carbon right off the bat or should I wait till after cycle
To redo my sump, I took the live rock that was in it out and put it in a bucket with water and a circulating pump. Other than top off water, have done nothing to it. And, turns out it's been like that for over a year, lol. What condition can i expect? Can it go right back in the tank or sump?
If you've been maintaining salinity and circulation, there shouldn't be an issue. I might drop a heater in the bucket with the rock and slowly get the temp up to match your tank's temp, but then add the rock to the tank/sump. I would just avoid adding any of the water from the bucket to your tank.
@@BRStv Awesome! Just took a closer look and it looks like clean fresh rock now. You guys are the best. Any idea when the Tunze 9004 DC may be back in stock?
Hmm. never tested phosphate during cycling! I never had an ugly stage EVER taking your advise and leaving lights off for about 3 months but his time I am in a hurry to get my frag tank cycled because I just bought to many! LOL I also waited out the cycle for 6 weeks b4! i am using rubble and matrix and marine pure balls. I suppose I could still have an ugly stage with that right? What is some good advise to combat it. Mb clean or something like that? The tank is all softies like shrooms and zoas so I definitely will run acclimation mode. I am also starting with some live rubble and balls ect form my other tank. Can that harm my other tank removing it? I am soaking some in mb7 and water so my plan is to replace with that so hope that helps and trying to add back little by little and remove little by little! Should I add some water from water change or is the bacteria only in rocks? I have a 20 l sumpless frag tank with hob fill of media. Should I add a fish to a frag tank?
Those specialised treaments are powerful. Waste away can drop your oxygen levels if you overdose 1st time.. Def a good idea to take the warnings seriously.
Question.... what about live rock that has been left to dry out. I had a tank that I tore down and put all my rock into totes a year ago... Now I am ready to restart in the hobby and am not sure how or if I can re-use my old rock. Can you advise??
You'll have to cure the rock before using it in a new system. This video covers some great information that will help you get this process started: th-cam.com/video/v-1uMoCocBI/w-d-xo.html
My nitrites and nitrate are through the roof on a fishless cycle ammonia is at zero does mean that now nitrites have nothing to feed on and will start dropping
If your nitrites are sky high (above 5 ppm), a water change is in order. High nitrites will slow down the bacteria's reproduction and slow the cycle. In many cases, this is what reefers call a "stalled cycle."
Hey guys! So my tank is 4 months old. I started with "Dead" rock and sand and Iv'e just added a light and brown algae has started. Should I add Microbacter 7 now or just wait it out and keep cleaning and doing water changes?
Sounds like part of the "ugly brown phase" that we all go through once the lights come on. Just keep powering through it and doing routine maintenance and you'll eventually find the other side! ;)
Different companies, but certainly an interesting product for those wanting to add coralline without the risk of pests. Ryan is actually trying this out on his 360 gallon system at home right now 🙂
@@BRStv man yauls team is awesome with the feed back ... really makes ya feel apart of the team Public relations for your online stuff is better than the factory I work at . I recently took brstv's advise and got on reef2reef forum thanks a million
@@BRStv yea I tried that on my 75 gallon but no matter when I turned the lights on it still went through a little phase. I feel like it’s impossible to avoid it totally so I was wondering which bottle of microbacter or Dr Tim’s would be best for that point in time after the cycle
Another great video. No mention here of Caribsea Life Rock and Caribsea Live sand. What would a cycle look like for these products? I have done some searching and not had much luck. Can I still use the dry rock cycle products?
Buongiorno penso che per accelerare la maturazione del sistema senza schifezze chimiche l'ideale sarebbe usare acqua marina naturale carica naturalmente di batteri.inoltre penso che comunque una piccola quota di rocce vive sia necessaria ( un 5,10%).Grazie
I just picked up CaribSea Original Life Rock from PetCo. Would this be the same as dry rock you can get at the LFS? Or wet rock as they have it wrapped in thick cellophane. Either way will what I bought take on a life of it's own in time? Thanks!
This dry rock is like the other dry rock options that we sell. Since it's man made, there shouldn't be any organics on the rock, so a curing process shouldn't be necessary.
You can definitely seed your dry rock with live rock. It will take a bit longer, but it's a great way to start up a new system. Provided that you can find quality, pest-free live rock, of course.
Bacteria don't necessarily need water to survive. That said, it's safe to assume dry rock will have no bacteria on it. At least, not the type of bacteria we care about for our aquariums. For that reason, we usually add a bacterial booster to the tank after it's set up to seed the dry rock.
Since Caribsea rock is man made and not from the ocean, you don't have to worry about organics on the rock that would decay in your aquarium. For that reason, you can just rinse and add to an established aquarium. Just note that you may see some diatoms form on the new surface as the micro fauna fights over the new and clean real estate.
Great video you two....thank you. I am setting up a nano, 29 x 9 x 9 and it's been three years since my last reef (30 gal) and this video cemented what my experience and intuition of this hobby told me....don't worry about the lights and skimmer, add them later...being broke helps...hahaha. Ain't Funky Algae a James Brown tune?....hahahaha
Depending on the medication that you're using to QT your fish and how long it is going to take, you could get the tank cycling while you QT in a separate tank and do the two steps simultaneously.
hi. you are saying not to turn the lights on because they will grow the algae. but, if you are not going to have coral, rather a fowler tank with non reef supporting lights, then does this rule still apply?
@@BRStv lights required for reef/coral tanks. pardon if I called them the wrong name. the important point is do I need to have lights off for a fowler tank too or is that only for coral tanks?
That tank has two of the Hydra 26's over it. The Hydra 32 is the current version of that light. www.bulkreefsupply.com/hydra-32-hd-led-reef-light-black-aqua-illumination.html
It's hard to say since most of the bacterial supplements are proprietary blends that most manufacturers don't openly share. That said, there are right tools for right jobs and it's best to make your decisions based on what tool works best for what you are trying to achieve.
I just added Easy-life Easystart to a new dryrock-tank, bacteria in a bottle. There is nothing on the bottle about feeding the bacteria. They only mention to add Easystart on day 1 and day 7, nothing more. I'm thinking about adding a tiny piece of catfood tomorrow, to feed the bacteria i added today. What do you think? Anyone an opinion on this? Thanks.
You can add some food, but catfood probably isn't the best option. If you have some fish food laying around or even a single uncooked shrimp from the grocery store, that's what most of us will use.
@@BRStv Already added a piece of dry catfood in the sump yesterday. According the ingredients on the bag it's mostly fish so i think that's a good thing. It's still floating in the sump by the way, it doesn't solve quickly. And what about also adding a tiny piece of cat turd? :-) For the ammonium.
Thoughts on increasing oxygen during the cycle? Most bacteria from the biofilm to the nitrifying bacteria need oxygen. This is also an element that algae like diatoms and dinos cannot make use of. I have used microbubbling to eliminate dinos in the past. Would bubbles help a young system cycle, too?
Something interesting and cool that would be fun to test! I am left asking myself what the goal would be and if the effort would be worth the gain. For example, is the goal to decrease the length of the cycle process? Is the goal to avoid or completely eradicate diatoms/dinos? If someone could develop a way to accurately test the effect of bubbles or increased oxygen on the second question, it certainly would pique my interest in trying it out!
@@BRStv that does sound interesting Also what would be more affective way to add oxygen Air stone or skimmer with the cup removed and letting it overflow
@@BRStv So I mostly hear about it for dino and algae control. The basic idea is to make the tank super dirty and super bubbly. So no skimmer cup and you would slowly begin dosing things like waste away, vibrant, vodka, and whatever else. The idea is that these bacteria will out compete the algae in a high oxygen environment. It may be a way to avoid the uglies in new tanks.
@@wildwelshpete I have done both. So letting the skimmer overflow in conjunction with a wooden airstone with fresh air. You don't want to run the skimmer too much, anyway, as it will skim out the bacteria you are trying to culture.
Great video! 😁 what if I threw half a shrimp in a 5 gallon nano and now 4 days later I have HIGH levels of all ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?! Is that bad?
In that case, it's best to do a big water change to knock those levels back. With too high of ammonia or nitrites, it's possible to stall out your cycle.
I can't say that we've used that one. Looking at the information on PolypLab's website, this seems to be a beter additive to use in an already established system rather than in a new cycling tank. Over the last few years, we've typically used Dr. Tim's One and Only to help cycle a new system. www.bulkreefsupply.com/one-only-saltwater-live-nitrifying-bacteria-dr-tims.html
Cycling a new tank with dry rock? There's a kit for that!
www.bulkreefsupply.com/microbacter-dry-rock-bacteria-starter-kit-brightwell-aquatics.html
If your taking over an older tank that has "crashed", would you add a micro bacteria before trying to bring the tank back to life? Tank was never shut down and dried out, it was just neglected for some time (2-3 months?).
Is there a video of you guys testing this?
@@jetskiwillywilly7970 no that would not be ideal. To deep clean the tank, a rip clean, is ideal and directly exports waste. to dose a digesting product merely relocates waste elsewhere in the tank. If you want to see fifty pages of tanks being instantly deep cleaned, no recycles, here is the work: www.reef2reef.com/threads/official-sand-rinse-and-tank-transfer-thread.230281/ we accomplish those tank turnarounds by removing material, not dosing any
😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😢😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮
Honestly, your channel has taught me pretty much everything I know!
Your definitely not alone on that!
Semi-correction: According to Dr. Tim it's actually the level of nitrite (not ammonia) that you have to closely monitor/test. To be more specific, I believe he said don't dose more than 2ppm ammonia (easy to do, follow dosage instructions for his Fish-less Cycling Ammonia bottles) because once it converts to nitrite we don't ever want it to go over ~5ppm (nitrite) or it'll stall the process. 2ppm ammonia converts to just under 5ppm nitrite and/or nitrate. And don't add more ammonia until nitrites drop (keep testing to find out when), then add ammonia judiciously to never have nitrites go over ~5ppm.
During my most recent build; I had purchased 1 gallon of Pond Matrix and placed that in a dozen or so media bags. This was placed in a heated, saltwater bin. I added circulation, bacteria and a food source. I did this for about 3 months. Once my reef was setup, I added all of this seeded biomedia into the sump. I had no issues with algae.
Yeah man. Simple like that
If you don't want to shell out $200 for an electronic ammonium alarm, you could also go with the paper based ones. You put them inside the tank on the glass and they change color if there's trouble. Not as fancy but way cheaper!
This video came at a good time
I'm starting the process of upgrading my my tank tomorrow
New sand, dry rock etc
Will be adding old media from my previous tank and adding ATM Colony
Not my first tank, but my first dry rock tank. So glad I came across this video. I always come back to you guys when starting a tank. So awesome, the game has changed!
I cycled my dry rock for 4 months in a plastic tub with a shrimp in with the rock. My cycle, was just about done.I placed in aquarium and I had no alge at all.But I still felt that it still took about a year to mature the aquarium.You are right it does take a lot longer than live rock
I wish there was a video on this. I'm a rookie and wanting to start my love rock while I save up for a tank. I'm sure you had flow but Did you use any filtration? Do any water changes?
@@JayDisawesome I just put in a power head to circulate the water no water changes until the end.But I did put in a lot of bacteria to get as much life into the rock as possible.At about 3 months into it I did a 50% water change.I always check for amonia.I added the bacteria about every two weeks .I found that at the end I still had high amonia but when I put it in my tank with all new water the amonia was gone and there wasn't any nitrites at all.There was some nitrates.You must remember that this hobby is go very slow so you don't upset the water quality.I added two some perks first and as I monitor the water added a fish every couple of weeks .At the end of a the first year I started adding corals always checking the water.The coraline alge didn't start to grow until about the six month period.You must use a good R O system to be successful.I also run calcium reactor I know they are exspensive but I never regretted it.Hope this helps good luck happy reefing
Took me 6 weeks to fully cycle my tank with dry rock, I have 8 fish in it now and it’s been 3 months, my water perimeters haven’t changed since, I don’t have any nitrate build up yet. I test weekly though and feed twice a day,All I have is live rock and some alfagrog in the sump.
I have a freshwater African cichlid tank I recently purchased from someone. The tank was already cycled, and we made sure to keep media wet during move. It's been set up now for about a month, water tests show cycled, 0 nitrite/20 nitrate. But my pH is a little low for African cichlids, testing shows around 7.4-7.6. My KH has been hovering between 80-120 & Gh around 180 which is also low for them. I read adding dead dry coral/reef rock can help raise/maintain the higher pH AC need. It also said it helps raise KH/GH. So here's my question, I got some dead rocks/coral from Ft Lauderdale, Florida about 4 yrs ago. Some has been in a box in my garage since then, other pieces I put in my landscaping outside. Is this s safe to put in my AC tank? Do I need to clean it? Will it truly help raise/maintain my test levels? Thanks 😊
I wish we had a solid answer for you. We're very focused on the saltwater side of the hobby, so our answer would be speculation. That said, aragonite based substrates typically do have a buffering effect, so everything that you've described does make logical sense.
That using ammonia tip could also include....If you dose straight ammonia dont use store brand ammonia not made for that job, some ammonia has surfactants in it as a cleaner.
Hello brs team. Your info keep updating. So can you please make a step by step guide from intial setup to finish build adding corals after example 6 months.( also what gear and when).
Like day 1 cycle rock... Example day 24 add fish.... Day xxx add lights...
Thanks
Just had a tank sit for 1.5 months totally cloudy after dosing with bacteria, system did have a light on it yet. Soon as a light was added the next day it was half gone, 2 days later it was crystal clear.
Nitrite monitoring - or at least checking when you suspect a problem - is vital in fresh water tanks. It alerts you to problems with the "nitrogen cycle" (which really isn't a cycle in a hobby aquarium, but that's another rant topic...) and the ammonia degrading flora (not just bacteria anymore) grow faster than those degrading nitrite. That may not be of much concern in many practical applications, especially for starting a tank, but testing nitrite is generally a parameter to check for the health of the fish. Also, the filter bacteria don't like nitrite and a nitrite concentration too high indicates a stalling cycle.
Nice advice! The rocks are very important in our tanks!
- Isabel
My Minireef 120 was setup with Stability and live rock and bio media. Added 3 Chromis at week 2, 2 Ocellaris week 4.
should you add copepods after cycling if you have a refugium in the plan?
I've had my tank for over a year now and could never figure out why my rock still looks "new" finally found a food video. Gonna start dosing with bacteria soon!
Awesome video live always, currently trying to avoid in "Ugly stage" in my nano reef aquarium competition. So far so good, I've been trying to avoid couple mistake from the past and it's really close to your recommendation.
However, one thing I don't fully understand.
Adding more bacteria in the aquarium after the tank is cycled. On one hand, we say bacteria grow over time, another hand you (and others) say bacteria doesn't grow so we need to add more bacteria since they don't reproduce. Now it's obviously contradictive but I assume you/we/I meant depending on the type of bacteria.
Now the question is, which type of bacteria doesn't reproduce well once the tank is running since many months?
Is this because of saltwater, is this because of some elements are depleting, is this because of the temperature, etc...?
Also another thing: Bacteria diversity might be strong at the beginning but most of them one of them will become dominant, that is something new I learn couple months ago. (which is logic when you think about it (It's also maybe a part of the answer to my question)
Based on my experience dosing transitory bacteria like prodibio that needs to be dosed all the time, some strains in the vial die off but some of them stay.. plus the transitory microbes creates a hospitable environment for the bacteria that will replicate
FritzZyme TurboStart 900 is probably the best in the class... difficult to purchase as it's "refrig-only"
So I've been thinking about the tub idea and put live sand, dry rock and a piece of live rock to seed to the dry rock in a tub. With maybe a chromi or two. To start cycling and getting ready for when I get my tank setup? What all equipment would you use? Just a power head and maybe a air stone? Would you still do water changes while it's cycling in the tub? This will be my 2nd tank and the first time I was impatient ill be honest. Haha thanks for all the help guys!
Skip the fish in this case, but really all you need is temperature control and water flow. If the live rock has coralline algae on it that you wish to maintain, then you'll also need a light.
I would absolutely love to see you guys do an experiment of setting up two different systems. One can be the way you guys preach and show in your videos, and the other system being as organic as possible with zero bottled chemicals, glues, or anything that doesn't come from a beach/ mother nature. I live in Miami and I am cycling a natural tank, easy for me since I live less than 30 min from the beach. Soon I want to add a red mangrove to my 3 inch sand, 1/2 inch soil substrate. The mangroves pods typically fall off in October-November!
Amazing video as always ❤ I have a question. What's up with your drop checker? You mentioned high co2 dosing but it's blue.
The rock before tank method is genius
Would I add ammonia and live bacteria to this? And should I put a filter on bin?
A crazy Idea would be the brine shrimp cycle... hatch a bunch of artemia (preferably outside the tank to avoid getting the shells in), raise them in the tank while the filtration is off (or at least brine-shrimp-safe). Not sure how well that works but they would produce ammonia AF for a few weeks, then die off or get eaten by new fish.
I don't think they would survive the filtration very long, id imagine they would get sucked into the socks or other mechanical filtration but just thinking out loud l, I've never tried it myself
I'm going through this process right now, first 🐟 and abanbed shrimp. In a 48 gallon tote WOW
very good video guys! IMO live rock is the best if you want a great tank fast. I am now cycling dry rock though and believe you need to get some good snails (not with pests on them), they have all the bacteria an algaes you ll ever need.
But they could die because they’ll have nothing to eat.
Amanda Steinhour I lost about halve, because they didnt eat food i gave them(algae wavers and nori) then I turned on a little ligt, and they where fine.
I did everything wrong and had multiple disasters, partly due to my impatience and not realizing my hob skimmer had not initiated siphon.
I treated my live rock like dead rock. I removed 1 live oyster but didnt see the 4 others...
Dag nabbit
So i re-bleached my bleached corals and live rock in the end to kill the mould and smell..
I really fancy some caribsea rock
Im lucky to have a good collection of bleached corals. I still prefer a limestone base.
Carib sea 4 me
Here’s a great tip...go to your local salt water fish store. Ask for the filter sponge in the aquarium. Squeeze the content into a bag. Bring home and pour it into you tank. Cycling done!
Bacteria attaches to solid substances only, it isn’t in the water
@@nicholaslund7405 so the water is free of bacteria?
Or ask for a rock out of their sump. Have them bag it up with the water to keep the bacteria alive and put it all in your tank. I did that and it worked for me
Nitrifying Bacteria doesn't really live in the water column but im sure theyres some Bacteria to get from it
@@Black_sand_reef_manI am going to try this next weekend
right now I am cycling my dry rock while waiting for my aquarium to be ready do I need to add air pump during this cycling
I just started but I kinda cheated and bought a second hand tank and the guy threw in some live rock with it and the tank was already established with water one fish and a few pieces of coral. I’ve added dry real reef rock to get the look I like, and I swapped out the sand with some bio sand.
My tank is one week old and I have one live rock with other non live rock I had my light on during the day and off at night I have brown stuff on my live rock how do I get rid of it love your input thank you for sharing I have a 32.5 gal tank
diatoms in a new tank are normal. This is what we typically refer to as the "ugly phase." Just keep up with your regular tank maintenance and it will run it's course.
To save money on salt, I always cycle in a small container or a smaller tank and then transfer all things that should be cycled (LR and substrate and others) to the larger tank.
this is the smart way to do it. i do it this way
I set up a 20 long full of sand and live rock which will be all going into my 120 dt for a faster cycle.20 gallon will be a QT tank.
@@mrbackhand2873 Live rock and sand are not good medium for QT for fish. Expensive and inappropriate. Better is crushed coral or even crushed oyster shell (washed well) placed into sacks of inert material, such as nylon panty hose.
Aquarists who entered the hobby after the popularity of reef tanks and LR tend not to realize that fish have been kept quite well without LR for decades. I have been in the salt water hobby since the early 80's, so I completely understand the use of crushed coral for fish, especially for QT.
@@woodensurfer I agree. The QT tank will only have a few things in it to give the fish a place to hide.
With cycling rocks in a big bucket/trashbin do I need to put a filter on it or just let it sit and introduce ammonia and live bacteria??
You'll want some sort of water flow. A cheap powerhead or pump will get the job done.
I started with dry rock and then I added one live rock in with them. Voila! You need lights from the start too. In my experience.
So I had a well established 14 gallon but recently had a leak and just got nuvo 20 to replace the 14... now I decided I wanted to make a nice scape all glued together but probably won't have room to use the established live rock I have a boat load of coral but no fish... so I'll have to keep the lights up any tips to "guarentee" a fast cycle
Actually just realized I bought the tank and rock from you guys. You guys are awesome
Try pre-cycling the new rock in a separate container. This could be a spare aquarium or even a Brute trash can. It won't help you avoid every single issue, but will make the transition a little more seamless.
@@BRStvawesome advice I can cycle the dry rock in bucket and add my old rock into the new tank and replace it when it's more established thank you so much for your quick response... I'm moving the tank today so perfect timing💕
Nothing to add here. Solid info.
Well except the rocks and sand. I don't use them.
I started with the "rock in a bin method" 4 months ahead, skipping the rock (took me 4 months to be satisfied with a final scape:), but using new bio media (siporax+maxpect bricks) + sand. Worked just fine.
I'm learning rock from land from the ground or river and northern Wisconsin and and lime stone plus dead coral . I'm finding is I don't have any problem s. But I used live sand aquascape.My 90 gallons aquarium is doing well. I'm doing a 150 to see if I can repeat the same thing. Rock reef aquarium is pretty cool. And good foundation to grow coral reefs slow start is better. I'm learning lime stone is key fitter s . I'm taking what u teaching me and change it
After cycling, what are the mandatory water parameter tests for fish only aquarium?
This is an eyeopener for me. I started my first dryrock cycle last year. The tank is still stagnant and corals don't grow. I also have no consumption of alkalinity or calcium. I have 8 fish and some corals and nutrients are close to none. This might be tha answer to my problem. I also have no coraline yet. Any tips on what I do best to boost this 1 year old tank? I started adding live bacteria more frequent lately, about twice a week.
How’s the tank now?
I have rock/sand that has been out of a tank for approximately 4 years. What process should I use to bring them back?
Check out our Reef FAQ videos on acid curing, bleach curing, and natural curing rock. Natural curing takes the longest amount of time, but is the most safe, so that's what I'll recommend most often to reefers. That said, if you're willing to do some research into the proper safety protocols, Acid or bleach curing can be very effective.
I’ve always just bought 10lbs of live and the rest of my requirements for my tank would be dry rock it will cultivate onto the new dry rock faster than just using only dry and eventually come with the live nitrifying bacteria to use in other aquariums
You guys are the Best shame you not in europe with your store .Here is a question how you cycle with atm colony
Keep the lights off and skimmer if you have one. and follow the instructions on the bottle.
We've not used that before, but would assume it's a bacteria based product like others on the market. I wouldn't necessarily change any of our cycling advice.
Hey there guys. Thanks for the job you are doing! It really helps us all. There is a question, I’d like to hear a professional opinion on. I’m setting up a 60 gallons tank , with live rocks. How many fish is ok for 60 gallons? And when shall I start putting them? Thanks in advance!
Check out our 5 Minute Saltwater Aquarium Guide series. It's the perfect series if you're just starting your saltwater journey. Unfortunately, with so many different species and sizes of fish, there isn't a set number of fish that you can keep in any given tank size.
th-cam.com/play/PLBaMLrfToJyxJ1PuJZwhkxvvdFP14eV_t.html
Being a complete newbie this has been a gold mine of info for me. I'll be setting up my very first nano reef tank over the next week or two...
Hi, just a question, if i understand you right you are keeping fish with the dry rock while cycling the tank?!
So I have a 8 gallon bio cube and it has quite a few pieces of live rock with corals on them I am switching over to a 20 gallon long and want to know what is the best way to cycle the 20 gallon without losing much should I use some of the live rock in the old tank to help do the cycle. The only fish I have in the tank is a white Wyoming clown fish and a skunk shrimp with a Mexican turbo snail and blue legged crabs. any advice will be much appreciated I love your videos watch them all the time.
If you can move over all of your biological filtration (like rock), then you're going to have a much easier time. Since you have a pretty low bio load and are upgrading to a larger water volume, I don't anticipate that you'll have any issues.
On following the instructions I would have liked you guys to touch on why microbactor7 and clean have you add it to tank water in a seperate container and wait before you add to the tank.
Hi I am starting a new tank for the first time and want to do it right so thank you for the very informative video. I have a question in regards to soaking pieces of dry rock prior to getting a tank etc...what would be the exact process for preparing it
If your rock was from the ocean or previously used in an aquarium (and is now dry), you'll need to cure the rock. The natural curing method is not the quickest, but is certainly the safest and easiest to implement without chemicals like acid or bleach. This video explains that process, if you wanted to check it out 🙂
th-cam.com/video/v-1uMoCocBI/w-d-xo.html
thanks for this explanation. I do have a question about when to use the lights. you say I better leave the lights off during the cycle. is it recommended to build up the brightness slowly after the cycle? does the dirty phase come then not or less? Thanks in advance
If you can, that would be preferred 🙂
Don't know if you'll look back on this, but, if I cycled the original way would it still be beneficial to go back and add the microbacter 7 type stuff to introduce that type of bacteria that you say doesn't come in naturally
If you have livestock in the tank and don't have any issues with the nitrification cycle (i.e. no ammonia), then it won't be necessary to add a bacteria like Microbacter 7 to your system.
Great videos!
Is there any bacteria that i only have to but 1 bottle for or do i need to continuously buy them
no when u dose the bacteria...bottles empty... check if u need more....u do need more theres still gunk, detritus, and algae issues and u didnt finish cycle yet.....then u need to buy more :)
Thanks for the video just got my dry rock. Where did you guys get the paintings?
The canvas prints came from Josh Pork Sandwich 🙂
I’m just honestly surprised that no body is seeding bio bricks or media on a massive scale and selling them for ppl to instant start their tanks. I’m I the only one thinking about this idea??
@@HermannTheGreat shipping across US wont be a problem just ship in a wet bag with a little water like live sand
That's basically what the bacteria in a bottle is supposed to be
You could only do this locally...live bacteria starts dying very rapidly when out of water. It wouldn't survive shipping unless you shipped it in water.
@@david7384 Not really. A cultured and well-developed media brick would have established bacteria going already, so would provide some denitrification immediately, while the dry rock is still building up its own community. So, while the rock gets going, the media is already helping your water, so you could nearly immediately start adding fish.
@@GrayEmbry that's why I said supposed to be :)
I am just starting my first saltwater tank and just learning about it all. If i have an 80 gallon tank and have 100 lbs of dry rock for it, how much sand should I use with it then?
There are some sand calculators out there to help you with how many lbs to order based on the depth that you're shooting for and footprint of your tank. Assuming a 48" x 18" footprint, you're probably going to need about 50-60 lbs for a ~1.5" sand bed.
Does the cycle change/any precautions when using a bacteria product with Natural Sea Water?
I wouldn't suspect there to be much difference. A large majority of bacteria live and populate on surfaces rather than free floating in the water, so I would approach it just the same.
Can you please elaborate more about the water changes in a brand new tank? Thanks!
Wait until the cycle is done and only nitrates remain, then you can do at least 50% water change if not more to bring them down checking with test. After that you can start a normal schedule at around 20% or so. Test along the way to make sure your not seeing ammonia and nitrite, they should remain 0 with nitrates being the only 1 of the 3 numbers showing up depending on everything but as long as your tank is maintaining 0 ammonia and nitrites you have your "cycled" system with the bacteria you want
I’ve got some live rock already in my tank but was looking to add some dry rock what way should I go for this ? Tanks was preowned so filters etc should already have it in it
I'd suggest the Marco Rock Reef Saver Rock as it doesn't require an extensive curing process like some other rock types.
www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-reef-saver-dry-aquarium-live-rock.html
I have got a cycled tank, I have bought dry rock as I want to create some hnsa like your recent video. Can I add the new rock, leave the old rock in there and slowly take the old rock out over 8 weeks?
That sounds like a good plan!
Did I miss any mention of the true risks with using live rock? Not just pets, but dieseases? I had a fish that I quarantined for 6 months (was stalling and building a new tank) and it was PERFECTLY healthy.. I bought some live rock from my LFS, added it his qt (no medication at this time) and within a week, he had full blown velvet. This is not an exaggeration at all, full blown velvet from live rock bought from a reputable lfs. Now, the rock is in another tank, fallow + increased temp + hypo salinity and will stay for months.. my fish is in a hospital tank being treated with copper. I will never buy "live rock" again and will just cycle my own in a garbage can with ammonia chloride and bottled bacteria. Only safe way to go. sure, it's not as pretty, but I will never risk that again. Had this happened in my 220 display with bigger fish, it would have been an absolute nightmare to treat.
Is it safe to clean the rock then dry it in an oven. Thus drying it and killing all pests?
We don't recommend boiling or baking dry rock as it can be very dangerous. The fumes and potential pockets of water could cause the rocks to explode in the oven.
But dry rock is artificial or dead and allready free of pests right.
And live rock is bought for the bacteria.
Boiling or baking it destroys those bacteria.
And thus the sole reason for live rock is gone.
So im confused why you would want to do that ?
i am prob going to go with the marco rock so i can actually build my own scape with negative space method... how long will the tank take to cycle with the dry marco rock with the dr tims one and only which i will be using !
Cycling shouldn't take any longer than normal as you don't have to run the macro rock through a rigorous curing process. I would suggest following Dr. Tim's 14 day cycling guide.
s3.amazonaws.com/brsinstructions/brsDrTims/DrTims_Fishless_Cycling_Recipe_BRS.pdf
What should you do with dried live rock that has been sitting for about 2 yrs I scrubbed (brushed with a medium brush then soft dust pan brush) and vacuumed them just to get the little excess off. I bought live fiji sand so can I just build my aqua scape or do I bleach the rock or sun bleach it?
I will be cycling the tank for at least 2 months
Also I have a 150 gallon and 55 gallon sump tank with eflux 3170 gph sump pump and eflux dual 2100 gph wave pumps
Since the rock was previously used, now dry, you'll need to cure the rock to remove any organics. A bleach cure is certainly an option and relatively commonly done in our hobby. We actually did a video on this process if you're not familiar with how to do it. Link to that video below
th-cam.com/video/X7HbhBUyGh4/w-d-xo.html
Do I have to cure it or can I put it in the tank and cycle it with live sand for 2 months
And thoughts on just sun bleaching?
Great video, lots of awesome info. I'm starting a 90 saltwater tank. using reef saver rock and arag-alive special grade substrate. also will use live bacteria in a bottle. starting out with r/o water and coral life salt then as water changes occur i will be purchasing pre mixed saltwater from my LFS. I have an RS 100 eshopps sump with a 700 gph pump and an SCA 302 protein skimmer, jup-01 sun sun UV sterilizer, sun sun jvp 201 wave maker. I bought this all as a package, used. I added the 700 gph eco+ mag pump, and will also be adding your carbon GFO reactor media filter. and an ATO from your store. My questions are.
#1 At what point would you recommend to start the protein skimmer and the GFO?
#2 will the Eco plus 700 GPH pump be too much for the sump and tank?
I am planning on creating a return bar 30" bar across the back of the tank about 2.5 " below water level with 10 -15 1/8" holes, (yes i will have a siphon break) in place of the dual nozzle that was there when I bought the tank. By adding the 90s and the 30 extra inches of return pipe, Along with the 60 " head height I hope to slow the flow down to around 500 - 600 GHP.
I like to start my protein skimmer right away as there is usually a week or two break in period. Just make sure to turn it off for a few hours after adding any sort of liquid bacterial supplement so that the skimmer doesn't remove it from the water before the bacteria can colonize on the rocks and substrate. Don't run the GFO during the cycle as phosphate is needed during this process. After the tank is cycled, we suggest using GFO as a tool to manage phosphate, not necessarily a requirement. It's possible that you might not need to run your GFO at all.
A 700 GPH return pump for a 90 gallon tank should be just fine. Keep in mind that after head loss, you're not going to actually be pumping 700 GPH. Don't be surprised if you get about half that.
@@BRStv thank you very much for your reply. That is very helpful information I appreciate it. I can still use the media reactor for carbon. One more thing please, can I start running carbon right off the bat or should I wait till after cycle
Im upgrading tank, can i use the same sand?
i want one of those coral paintings!!
To redo my sump, I took the live rock that was in it out and put it in a bucket with water and a circulating pump. Other than top off water, have done nothing to it. And, turns out it's been like that for over a year, lol. What condition can i expect? Can it go right back in the tank or sump?
If you've been maintaining salinity and circulation, there shouldn't be an issue. I might drop a heater in the bucket with the rock and slowly get the temp up to match your tank's temp, but then add the rock to the tank/sump. I would just avoid adding any of the water from the bucket to your tank.
@@BRStv Awesome! Just took a closer look and it looks like clean fresh rock now. You guys are the best. Any idea when the Tunze 9004 DC may be back in stock?
Hmm. never tested phosphate during cycling! I never had an ugly stage EVER taking your advise and leaving lights off for about 3 months but his time I am in a hurry to get my frag tank cycled because I just bought to many! LOL I also waited out the cycle for 6 weeks b4! i am using rubble and matrix and marine pure balls. I suppose I could still have an ugly stage with that right? What is some good advise to combat it. Mb clean or something like that? The tank is all softies like shrooms and zoas so I definitely will run acclimation mode. I am also starting with some live rubble and balls ect form my other tank. Can that harm my other tank removing it? I am soaking some in mb7 and water so my plan is to replace with that so hope that helps and trying to add back little by little and remove little by little! Should I add some water from water change or is the bacteria only in rocks? I have a 20 l sumpless frag tank with hob fill of media. Should I add a fish to a frag tank?
Those specialised treaments are powerful. Waste away can drop your oxygen levels if you overdose 1st time.. Def a good idea to take the warnings seriously.
Question.... what about live rock that has been left to dry out. I had a tank that I tore down and put all my rock into totes a year ago... Now I am ready to restart in the hobby and am not sure how or if I can re-use my old rock. Can you advise??
You'll have to cure the rock before using it in a new system. This video covers some great information that will help you get this process started: th-cam.com/video/v-1uMoCocBI/w-d-xo.html
Is It safe to start a reef tank with Lava rock for the base. This will be my first reef tank.
We typically avoid lava rock for our saltwater aquariums because it can have higher amounts of heavy metals due to it's origin.
@@BRStv thanks
My nitrites and nitrate are through the roof on a fishless cycle ammonia is at zero does mean that now nitrites have nothing to feed on and will start dropping
If your nitrites are sky high (above 5 ppm), a water change is in order. High nitrites will slow down the bacteria's reproduction and slow the cycle. In many cases, this is what reefers call a "stalled cycle."
Merci pour cette vidéo !!!👍👍👍
Hey guys! So my tank is 4 months old. I started with "Dead" rock and sand and Iv'e just added a light and brown algae has started. Should I add Microbacter 7 now or just wait it out and keep cleaning and doing water changes?
Sounds like part of the "ugly brown phase" that we all go through once the lights come on. Just keep powering through it and doing routine maintenance and you'll eventually find the other side! ;)
What about the purple helix and pink fusion two part doses ? I think it's made by the same people as vibrant
Different companies, but certainly an interesting product for those wanting to add coralline without the risk of pests. Ryan is actually trying this out on his 360 gallon system at home right now 🙂
@@BRStv man yauls team is awesome with the feed back ... really makes ya feel apart of the team
Public relations for your online stuff is better than the factory I work at .
I recently took brstv's advise and got on reef2reef forum thanks a million
If i am going with dr tims one and only to cycle my tank with the dry rock... what product will help me get through the ugly brown phase ?
Keeping your lights off during the cycling process is going to be better than any product you could buy. And less expensive 🙂
@@BRStv yea I tried that on my 75 gallon but no matter when I turned the lights on it still went through a little phase. I feel like it’s impossible to avoid it totally so I was wondering which bottle of microbacter or Dr Tim’s would be best for that point in time after the cycle
Another great video.
No mention here of Caribsea Life Rock and Caribsea Live sand. What would a cycle look like for these products? I have done some searching and not had much luck. Can I still use the dry rock cycle products?
You can use the same process for that rock as you would the Reef Saver rock.
Buongiorno penso che per accelerare la maturazione del sistema senza schifezze chimiche l'ideale sarebbe usare acqua marina naturale carica naturalmente di batteri.inoltre penso che comunque una piccola quota di rocce vive sia necessaria ( un 5,10%).Grazie
So what about the sun light that the tank gets? Will that cause the “ugly stage” to happen regardless?
I believe so.
I just picked up CaribSea Original Life Rock from PetCo. Would this be the same as dry rock you can get at the LFS? Or wet rock as they have it wrapped in thick cellophane. Either way will what I bought take on a life of it's own in time? Thanks!
This dry rock is like the other dry rock options that we sell. Since it's man made, there shouldn't be any organics on the rock, so a curing process shouldn't be necessary.
can you ad like 1kg of live rock and 9kg of dry rock?? will it cycle like a normal live rock just for longer time??
You can definitely seed your dry rock with live rock. It will take a bit longer, but it's a great way to start up a new system. Provided that you can find quality, pest-free live rock, of course.
What about dry into a established tank? I have fake coral that just grows yucky brown algae when my lights on on ,this would be easier .
If the dry rock was previously used in an aquarium, but now dry, you'll want to cure the rock before adding to an established system.
is it a RedSea Mas S 500? looks very nice... is it still alive?
If I start cycling my dry rock in a trash can whilst I’m sorting my tank out, does the trash can need a heater as well as a pump/power head?
Circulation is definitely recommended. A heater will help the bacteria populate the rock more quickly.
@@BRStv thank you!!!!
How does the bacteria survive during shipment if it’s dry and their is no water
Bacteria don't necessarily need water to survive. That said, it's safe to assume dry rock will have no bacteria on it. At least, not the type of bacteria we care about for our aquariums. For that reason, we usually add a bacterial booster to the tank after it's set up to seed the dry rock.
Bulk Reef Supply ok then thanks
Can I add brand new Carib sea rock to my already established tank? Just give it a rinse and put it in?
Since Caribsea rock is man made and not from the ocean, you don't have to worry about organics on the rock that would decay in your aquarium. For that reason, you can just rinse and add to an established aquarium. Just note that you may see some diatoms form on the new surface as the micro fauna fights over the new and clean real estate.
@@BRStv thanks so much! 🐠🪸🐟🪸🐠
Great video you two....thank you. I am setting up a nano, 29 x 9 x 9 and it's been three years since my last reef (30 gal) and this video cemented what my experience and intuition of this hobby told me....don't worry about the lights and skimmer, add them later...being broke helps...hahaha.
Ain't Funky Algae a James Brown tune?....hahahaha
how do you guys feel on seachem matrix in reef tanks
Seems to work well. Similar idea to how zeolite media works.
Brs, should I quarantine my fish before starting the cycling? Thanks for the awesome info
Depending on the medication that you're using to QT your fish and how long it is going to take, you could get the tank cycling while you QT in a separate tank and do the two steps simultaneously.
hi. you are saying not to turn the lights on because they will grow the algae. but, if you are not going to have coral, rather a fowler tank with non reef supporting lights, then does this rule still apply?
I'm not sure what you mean by non photosynthesis lights
@@BRStv lights required for reef/coral tanks. pardon if I called them the wrong name. the important point is do I need to have lights off for a fowler tank too or is that only for coral tanks?
What is the salinity range to grow CCA?
What light is on the tank behind you?
That tank has two of the Hydra 26's over it. The Hydra 32 is the current version of that light.
www.bulkreefsupply.com/hydra-32-hd-led-reef-light-black-aqua-illumination.html
is zeozym basically the same as microbacter clean or vibrant?
It's hard to say since most of the bacterial supplements are proprietary blends that most manufacturers don't openly share. That said, there are right tools for right jobs and it's best to make your decisions based on what tool works best for what you are trying to achieve.
I just added Easy-life Easystart to a new dryrock-tank, bacteria in a bottle. There is nothing on the bottle about feeding the bacteria. They only mention to add Easystart on day 1 and day 7, nothing more.
I'm thinking about adding a tiny piece of catfood tomorrow, to feed the bacteria i added today.
What do you think? Anyone an opinion on this? Thanks.
You can add some food, but catfood probably isn't the best option. If you have some fish food laying around or even a single uncooked shrimp from the grocery store, that's what most of us will use.
@@BRStv Already added a piece of dry catfood in the sump yesterday. According the ingredients on the bag it's mostly fish so i think that's a good thing.
It's still floating in the sump by the way, it doesn't solve quickly.
And what about also adding a tiny piece of cat turd? :-) For the ammonium.
Thoughts on increasing oxygen during the cycle? Most bacteria from the biofilm to the nitrifying bacteria need oxygen. This is also an element that algae like diatoms and dinos cannot make use of. I have used microbubbling to eliminate dinos in the past. Would bubbles help a young system cycle, too?
Something interesting and cool that would be fun to test! I am left asking myself what the goal would be and if the effort would be worth the gain. For example, is the goal to decrease the length of the cycle process? Is the goal to avoid or completely eradicate diatoms/dinos? If someone could develop a way to accurately test the effect of bubbles or increased oxygen on the second question, it certainly would pique my interest in trying it out!
@@BRStv that does sound interesting
Also what would be more affective way to add oxygen
Air stone or skimmer with the cup removed and letting it overflow
@@BRStv So I mostly hear about it for dino and algae control. The basic idea is to make the tank super dirty and super bubbly. So no skimmer cup and you would slowly begin dosing things like waste away, vibrant, vodka, and whatever else. The idea is that these bacteria will out compete the algae in a high oxygen environment. It may be a way to avoid the uglies in new tanks.
@@wildwelshpete I have done both. So letting the skimmer overflow in conjunction with a wooden airstone with fresh air. You don't want to run the skimmer too much, anyway, as it will skim out the bacteria you are trying to culture.
@@Cavegeckosol that's why I said about removing the cup 😉
Great video! 😁 what if I threw half a shrimp in a 5 gallon nano and now 4 days later I have HIGH levels of all ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?! Is that bad?
In that case, it's best to do a big water change to knock those levels back. With too high of ammonia or nitrites, it's possible to stall out your cycle.
Anyone else watch the whole add so BRS can get a little extra? I figure if they are willing to put out great material we owe them as much.
what do you think of the polyplab genesis when cycling a tank
I can't say that we've used that one. Looking at the information on PolypLab's website, this seems to be a beter additive to use in an already established system rather than in a new cycling tank. Over the last few years, we've typically used Dr. Tim's One and Only to help cycle a new system.
www.bulkreefsupply.com/one-only-saltwater-live-nitrifying-bacteria-dr-tims.html
ok thats great thank you for the reply