• Welcome back Guest!

    MARSH is a private reefing group. Comments and suggestions are encouraged, but please keep them positive and constructive. Negative threads, posts, or attacks will be removed from view and reviewed by the staff. Continually disruptive, argumentative, or flagrant rule breakers may be suspended or banned.

New setup (1 Viewer)

Users who are viewing this thread

jesusq

Supporting Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2012
Messages
34
Reaction score
8
Location
Tomball, TX
Last year, I started a setup on my 120 gal. I had about 100 lbs of dried sand and about 120 lbs of dried rocked from macro rocks.

I used dr Tim one and only and fed the aquarium a bit of Ammonia to keep the fish alive. The tank crash and the nitrate was off the scale for almost two months before I decided to take down the tank. Now after almost six months (I moved into a house) I'm setting up my tank again.

This time, I'm taking more caution on the nitrates and have increases my sand bed from 3-4" to a 5-6", have added a second BRS bio pellet canister and have had the rocks and sand on the tank through running water and the skimmer on for two months.

Two days ago, i added salt and I took a small piece of raw salmon and dumped it on the rock. I will move it to the sand soon.

I was told that I should take off the rock after I aquascapped it and rinse them off with a power washer before starting the cycle again. When I started the cycle last year I didn't have any fish on it. It was just the dr Tim one and only bacteria added.

What do you suggest?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

steveb

Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Board Member
Build Thread Contributor
Joined
Jun 24, 2009
Messages
11,953
Reaction score
2,856
Location
Spring
Are you asking if you should use salmon to cycle the tank?

Yes but I would say no don't use salmon...its an oily fish... Anything decomposing will supply ammonia (shrimp, fish , fish food) or pure ammonia (no surfactants) such as Blue Ribbon brand Clear Ammonia or Ace brand Janitorial Strength Ammonia (from Ace Hardware).

The Dr. Tim's supplies the bacteria. You can also use Frtiz turbo 900 or 9, or MB7 or Stability.

Do you have a good handle on what cycling a tank is? From a bacterial perspective this is a good diagram of a normal, natural cycle without any of the bacteria supplements.

From: Main Page - The Free Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Encyclopedia Anyone Can Edit - The Aquarium Wiki

500px-Cycling_graph.png



Why the 2nd bio pellet canister?
 

Tangs

Guest
Joined
Apr 27, 2008
Messages
2,009
Reaction score
425
Location
Sarnia, Ontario
To start off your cycle I have often heard of finding someone who has a marine tank in good standing. Ask if you can have their water from a partial water change. If there is sediment let the water stand for a few hours and do not use the bottom inch or so of water. Jim
 

flexrac

Guest
Joined
Mar 19, 2009
Messages
5,222
Reaction score
14
Location
Remington Ranch
To start off your cycle I have often heard of finding someone who has a marine tank in good standing. Ask if you can have their water from a partial water change. If there is sediment let the water stand for a few hours and do not use the bottom inch or so of water. Jim
this will only help with bacteria when using cured live rock, using dry sand and rock and you will still get a full cycle.
you do not cycle water, you cycle the rock and sand, see above.
using someones water will allow you to add fish quicker. turbo start and the likes do the same thing.
 

malira

Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
Messages
1,185
Reaction score
7
Location
290/Hwy 6
Dr. Tims should have worked, unless you didn't do your water change. It's probably the best. If you are curious "Mr. Saltwater Tank" has an interview with him that is very informative. My Son has even used Bio-spira and Damsels (I wouldn't recommend the Blue or Black Damsels - they can be very aggressive.) Green Chromus are good hardy fish to use and they get along well with other fish.

Water changes are the key.
 

Tangs

Guest
Joined
Apr 27, 2008
Messages
2,009
Reaction score
425
Location
Sarnia, Ontario
Ya I have never heard of turbo start just turbo train. I try and go natural as much as I can in everything I do. It is the way God and Mother Nature intended. I do 2 month partial water changes now and seems to be working just fine. JIm
 

Tangs

Guest
Joined
Apr 27, 2008
Messages
2,009
Reaction score
425
Location
Sarnia, Ontario
Sounds good. I have had my 125 running since summer of 1997. I have always used the damesel for a few weeks trick. I have a striped one since 04. I have found blue and yellow and blue with yellow tail plus others to all get along with my other fish. Domino's are cute when they are young but are definately too aggressive as adults. I had a possible mating pair and traveled 2 hours each way to provide a good home for him. A huge display tank at a fish store. They are so hardy they just threw him into the tank literally. I still have the female and she is tame enough to keep.... extremely barely.
 
Top