Cycle the tank with what ?

[comatose]

starting a new 180g tank, any sugestions on how to cycle faster?
some have said to throw a piece of raw shrimp in there and others have said to add a couple tea spoons of garden dirt.

anymore ideas from everyone here?

 

[Anonymous]

There are plenty of rotting organics on your rock to cycle the tank. You don't need to add ANYTHING, let alone dirt.


Jim

 

[Anonymous]

agreed

 

[Anonymous]

I have never used anything but live rock.

 

[comatose]

i am using live rock myself, but a friend of mine wants to start a fish only tank he will be using no live rock at all, how can he cycle faster?

 

[Anonymous]

Speaking from years of experinece, I don't recommend the old school/no live rock methods. Having said that, he can use anything from fish food to a few pieces of shrimp if you're friend is intent on going that route.
"NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS FAST" Remove the word "FASTER" from your vocabulary or you will fail miserably at this hobby.
BTW, the bottled "Cycle" type products are bunk.


Jim

 

[Anonymous]

I am not verry experienced, but I can attest to the uselessnes of cycle. It plain did not work at all.

 

[Anonymous]

"The Cycle" - culturing nitrifying bacteria, does not qualify as useless. It's exceedingly necessary.

That being said, I suggest Bio-Spira.

 

[Anonymous]

I ment the bottled product

 

[Johnsteph10]

the rock is plenty!!! or get some sand from another hobbyist. or even a pinch of food. just don't use fish, inverts, etc.

 

[Kevin1000]

Use a little pure unscented ammonia - toss a blanket over the tank and come back in a month.

 

[da colts1]

live rock is the way to go, at the shop i work for i always recommend live rock. i don't use damsels for a few reasons, 1 they almost always get mean as hell, especially dominos, 2even as mean as they are, they don't deserve to be subjected to the harsh cycle enviroment. 3 it takes twice as long to cycle a tank with damsels as opposed to rock. 4 the rock is comething you will probably keep in the tank, the damsels however, will probably have to be taken out because of their direct link to satan.

 

[Anonymous]

The bacteria lives on the rock, sand and other objects in the aquarium. If there is no rock at all, there may not be much of a matrix for the bacteria to live on, and there won't be much of a cycle. The aquarium also won't be able to do much natural processing of wastes, so I suppose he will be using filters of some type.

 

[ChrisRD]

There are plenty of rotting organics on your rock to cycle the tank. You don't need to add ANYTHING

I agree. I've seen many tanks (including my own) started by adding nothing more than live rock - never a problem...

As Jim says, the decay on the rock will provide plenty of fuel to develop sufficient bacterial populations. No need to add anything else IMO/IME.

If you need to cycle a tank that will not have live rock in it just use the table shrimp method or some such...

 

[Mouse]

Didn't Cheese wee in his tank once to get it cycling, just a thought.

 

[Anonymous]

Well ya just can't put anything past ol Cheese.

 

[jandree22]

Live rock, if anything else, a piece of shrimp. Smack whoever told you garden dirt

I agree, if you don't have patience, get out of the hobby....NOW. Otherwise your setting yourself up for certain failure at some point.

 

[cdeakle]

Live rock, if anything else, a piece of shrimp. Smack whoever told you garden dirt

:lol: :lol: :lol: