New to Saltwater - Cycling Questions

I am a fairly experienced freshwater aquarist who is finally ready to jump into the saltwater side of the hobby. I am going to buy a large tank (probably RSM 250) in about a month. I have some extra tanks, lights, filters, etc and I was wondering if I should set up a few pounds of live rock and some live sand in a 10 gallon aquarium now to let it cycle. I can get cured live rock at my LFS and I have the lighting and filtration that it needs already from previous tanks. Would I be able to add the filter media and live rock from the 10 gallon tank into my larger aquarium to shorten the nitrogen cycle? Should I add fish food and or raw fish or shrimp to create some waste in the tank? If nothing else, I figure it will allow me to get used to the water testing and maintenance required for a saltwater set up.

 

The small tank would be a good way to practice but when it comes to the larger Display tank, you will still go through a cycle. Even cured LR will still have some die off and cause a cycle. So IMO you can do the small just for the fun and practice of it, but it wont change that fact you have to go slow and allow the cycle to happen in the main Display tank. What other equipment do you plan on using with the new tank you are getting?

 

Good idea for cycling the live rock. Live sand is more of a waste of your money just buy dry sand, more sand for your bucks. Live rock will be your filtration system along with a skimmer. No need for lights while cycling. You can move cycled rock between tanks to shorten cycles. Just use the filters empty to create circulation in the 10 gallon tank.

Welcome to 3reef

 

Hello and Welcome BigJim.

No need to add anything to the tank to initiate the cycle, it will start on it's own. I have never, not once added any fish, shrimp, anything at all, my cycles may take a little longer but they seem more stable in the end.

When you begin to add livestock to the system do so slowly. Only one or two fish at a time and a couple of weeks in between to allow the system adjust to the new bio-load.

I think the Red Seamax systems are really sharp looking tanks.

 

Thanks for the advice. I always go slow because I have terrible feelings of guilt if a fish dies because of my mistake. I always wait at least a week after I'm sure the tank has cycled and re-test to be even more sure before adding anything new. I am looking at the Red Sea Max because I was honestly overwhelmed by all of the options available. I planned out 3 or 4 different set ups before I decided to make it easier on myself by going with an all in one set up. I am fortunate to be in a position where I can afford it, so that is the plan at the moment (always subject to change of course). I don't usually tinker with my equipment too much unless I am upgrading to a larger tank, so the lack of customization options with the Red Sea Max shouldn't be an issue.

 

I went to 3 pet stores and my options were either live sand, crushed coral or gravel. Would sand from a home improvement store work? I’m getting ahead of myself with this next question, but is there a rule of thumb about what percentage of rock should be live rock in a tank?

 

I have never used sand from a home improvement store but I know others do. But I do not know the specific brands they use, sorry.

Petsmart, petco have bags of aggronite, they call it live, but I think most claims of live sand are a gimmic. Anyway aragonite is a good choice IMO.

Anywhere from 1 - 2 lbs per gal is the ball park range.

Happy shopping.

 

Thanks for the advice so far. I purchased a 6 lb piece of live rock at my LFS two days ago. It is aquacultured rock and has a lot of halimeda on it. It also has what I am almost certain is aiptasia on it. There is only one and I want to keep if that way. Any suggestions on the best approach to get rid of it. He is on a pretty tight crevice so I don't think sucking him out is an option. I thought about trying some needle nose pliers but I am afraid I would not get all of it. I have attached a picture. The aiptasia is a little left and above the center of the picture. There is also some green mossy looking stuff in the middle and some sort of plant life at the top of the picture that I do not recognize from any pics I have seen. Please let me know any thoughts you might have.

Thanks,
Jim

 

the easiest way to get it gone IMO is to inject it with boiling water or vinegar. worked well for me. I wouldn't try to pull it out with needle nose cause you wont get all of it.

 

You never want to pull aiptasia out, because you will end up leaving some behind and spreading it. People use Aiptasia-X, Joe's Juice, Kalk paste, and a variety of things to inject them that should kill them.