cycle cheating....

well i had a 14 g bio cube in the box , waiting to find a stand,( trying to find one cheap) well now its on the floor with 10lbs of live sand, some base rock, and 2 inches of water in it, lights are on. i guess i did this to maybe speed on the bacteria growth in the live sand so once i can get it on the stand it'll just be a short cycle..... do i have my head in the right place

 

Unless the water is warm I dont think its gonna do much more than make your tank a little heavier to pick up once you do get a stand.
Lights dont have to be on for a cycle.

 

i agree. If im not mistaken you also need a source of ammonia in order for the tank to cycle.
im thinking tthe live sand will provide with enough die off and bactera to get your cycle going

 

I guess ill leave the lights on just for a little bit then to warm the water up bit, water is about 70 degrees...... woud throwing a few fish food pellets help?

 

As long as you keep the house semi warm that won't be an issue. Normally in FL that shouldn't be an issue this time of year.

Throwing a heater in with a powerhead would help. I don't think that is cheating. That is one of the nice things about a small tank.

 

I would go with a food that will decay, like a shrimp tail.

There are many ways to get ammonia in the tank. I know of a guy who said he whizzed in his tank to start it's cycle.

 

Oh the things we do for the love of our hobby

 

You definitely don't need to turn your lights on.... that could just lead to diatoms and algea. A small heater is a better idea and in order to speed up the cycling period you could throw that shrimp in there.
I myself waited for 6 weeks before adding any lifestock and my water parameters are perfect now. Keep measuring too... majorly important!!!