Cycling with Ocean Water

Has anyone ever heard of cycling a new tank with ocean water/ocean sand? I figure all that is required for the cycle is an ammonia source and some bacteria, so anything dying/decaying in the ocean water would be a good start. Just wanted to see if anyone else has had success/failure with trying this.

Some notes/thoughts on my process so far:

This past weekend I started the cycle this way, and will be taking initial water measurements tonight. I used 10 gallons of ocean water collected ~ 50 yards out, and a 1/4 of a 5 gallon bucket of sand, around 10 lbs, from ~ 25 feet out. I've noticed a critter or two swimming around in the display tank already that came in with the sand, which is exciting (hey any life at this point is). The rest of the water present in the tank was created using RO/synthetic ocean. I also added some of the additive to chlorinate/neutralize metals that may have been present in the ocean water.

What I'm concerned about is the ammonia level not being re-supplied and causing the tank cycling process to move more slowly or to not be enough when livestock is added. I also haven't picked up any live rock yet which I know does need to cycle/cure.

My LFS has pre and semi-cured live rock, so I think I'm going to get some semi-cured this Thursday to bump the ammonia back up to prepare for livestock. I've read about the shrimp method and am contemplating that as well, but if I don't need to, why bother?

 

Ocean water is nasty polluted. You have to go a few miles offshore and something like 50 ft deep before you can find clean ocean water...

Same with the sand. I wouldn't use that at all. All kinds of toxins and evil critters could be in it


IMO, I'd drain it and start over...




You don't actually need anything to start your cycle. You don't need a raw shrimp, a live fish or anything. There is always die-off -you don't have to introduce it.

But if you have any ammonia levels, you don't need to add to it...

Not sure what you mean by ammonia "resupply" and also that it won't be up for livestock? The cycle has to be complete (i.e. no ammonia or nitrites) before you add any live stock at all.

If you try to rush this, it will probably crash. Nothing happens fast in this hobby.


Also, if you are cycling... I'd just use all dry base rock instead of live rock. It's a lot cheaper and equally as effective.

 

it's prettymuch unanimous that you don't use natural ocean water or sand to start your tank so naturally i went out and filled 3 5 gallon buckets with sand right from the tideline and 40 gallons of naturasl seawater(120) gallon tank to start mine,fast forward almost 2 years and everything is fine, i have some type of tiny shrimps that molt all the time and keep a healthy population but the fish wont eat them? all other visible life died in the higher temps of the tank(i was living on mass newhampshire coast= atlantic=COLD)
anyways just wanted to say that mine is an example where nothing bad came of it,actually a big bonus with the little shrimps acting as a clean up crew