Cycling

Should I run my sump and skimmer why cycling my tank with dry rock? I have heard from some places to not run anything, and from others to run the sump and skimmer.

 

When I started my 90gal I added some dry with live rock & seeded my sand with live sand. I ran my system as it would, sump, skimmer & with lights on as if I was running my daily timers. You can check out my 90gal thread & see how fast my system cycled.

 

+1... agree 110%!

Yes, there is an age-old myth still being preached as gospel that claims running filters, skimmers, etc will prolong the cycle, although no scientific data has ever been presented to support the notion. I followed that protocol with my first reef tank attempt a few years ago, and it took my system nearly 3 years to fully mature, as I was constantly battling "unexplainable", periodic nutrient swings and algae blooms that were not consistent with anything I was doing with my tank.

In hindsight, I realized that the myth only sounded good. My personal observation, however, is much different. Without the filters etc, you create a cesspool of ammonia which spawns an uncontrolled level of bacteria. Once your cycle is "complete", you turn on filters etc and start stocking your tank. However, you now have an already starving, grossly oversize bio-filter that isn't receiving much nutrition. That sparks massive die-off from starvation, which in turn spawns an equal amount of regrowth...

 

same here run it all it also gives you time to get the skimmer to get broke in and dialed in although settings will change a bit once you get it stocked

welcome to 3 reef