New tank, not sure how to cycle.

I have always used a cup of two of loaner sand to start up my tanks. It creates a bioload without the bulk of problems in live sand. If you already have it, I would use it. Is it live sand from the bag or is it someone elses sand?

 

Tangster. Dude. Man.....I am confused now. I have heard soooooo many ways of doing this. So put in base rock and dead sand. One cup of established aquarium water and a damsel to kickstart?

 

I would add a cup of starter sand as well.

 

Imo set up your tank the (Tangster) no algea way. Fill with base rock, add your substrate, don't forget the h2o and salt, add a little snd from an established tank and let the cycling begin. You can add a yellow tail damsel once the water clears to help the tank along. And no light while cycling. Check water params weekly to chart progress of the cycle. Be patient and things will come together eventually.

 

I have posted this on some many site and so many time here is the fast version Plumb tank test all plumbing with fresh tap water then drain then using Dead dry un-rinsed aragonite sand and base rock once this is finished then fill with R/O D.I water throw in salt cut pumps one let run a few days to get salt adjusted and water warmed up , Then go get a single Just one not 2 or 3 or 4 just one yellow tailed blue Damsel the smallest and healthiest one you can find then take him home and dump him in If you have access to some sand ? a cup or two is all you need then put that in the tank and allow to settle set back with no lighting or skimmer for 8 weeks spend the time dialing in the Calcium DKH and Magnesium levels get then rock steady .
Then at 8 weeks kick on the actinic blue lights only keep the little fish fed and only slightly so do not over feed the tank. Then add a snail package at about 8 to 9 weeks and keep setting back no need to test for ammonia and or nitrites and nitrates the first will come and go and be totally gone and the nitrates they just tell you that the others are gone and we can deal with them later .. now at 13 to 14 weeks bring on the big lights always keeping the water parameters correct and then at 14 weeks or so go find you a nicer fish wait 3 weeks add another then wait and so on by now you should be seeing coralline if you seeded with good sand and scrapings ?
Its low tech old school and until I ever have a problem I'll never change I have all the bio diversity as anyone who uses l/r ever did and none of the disease and or killer pest like crabs and shrimps .. alga's and the list goes on.. I used a hunk of rock from a old system hat had L/R as its starting and I have had nothing but problems with algae about have them under control now but I'll never do that again and I don't care what coral is on it.. in the trash it goes

 

you already have the live sand ? is it in the system now ? if not how are you keeping it live It is got to be getting ripe ): and so your other question about expense ? L/Sand is not cheap most LFS get 2.99 a pound for a pound of L/S and 100 pounds would get expensive and L/R cost more then the sand and why you can grow your own bacteria and get none of the pest . My Rocks now at 1.5 yrs are so covered with several types of coralline algae and they where all old base rock not 7.00 to 10.00 a pound L/R .. I got no killer crabs and or killer shrimps not to mention other pest that come in on rock and sand.

 

The live sand is already in the tank. How would you suggest proceeding?