Hi, i'll be setting up a new tank. Am wondering will there be any ammonia spike during cycling stage if i were to use seasoned LRs and live sand with newly mixed salt water to kick start the cycling process?

Congrats on the new tank. What kind of tank will it be?

Even when using cured (seasoned) LR, you'll still experience a fluctuation in ammonia (however big or small). When you add it to 100% new salt water, there's usually some die-off... sponges, algaes, & other things will add some ammonia to your tank. Even if there's no die-off to create ammonia in the tank for the bacteria to feed on, a portion of the bacteria from your rock itself will die until ammonia builds up to a detectable level. Then your cycle begins and the ammonia is converted to nitrite, then nitrate.

So yes you will experience an ammonia spike, however, the size of the spike will most likely be very small and not last for long. The important thing to remember is that there's more to establishing a proper cycle than just testing 0 ammonia.

Read up on the nitrogen cycle and your tank will benefit! There's a good article on it in the N-R.com library in the beginners section.

Good luck.

thank you for ur reply kay, i'm setting up a pico. I'll introduce ammonia(market prawn) if it fails to kick start. Thanks!

why not ask for some of the tank water as well since its only a pico. 2-3 gals shouldnt be a problem...hell just bring a 5gal bucket and submerge the rocks in the tank water and you should be good to go

probably not. it's like a big water change.

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yea it is fellow shoe collector.

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