Cycle a frag tank?

[jgpico]

I am thinking about setting up a 20 gallon long as a frag/grow out tank. My question is, If I am going bare bottom no live rock or anything do I need to cycle the tank somehow before adding any livestock? This seems like a very obvious answer but I honestly don't know since I have never had a frag tank. Thanks for the help.

[najluni15]

Use water from DT and biospira.

[Nepenthe]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but every frag tank I've ever seen has had a big 'ol sump.

[TheKleinReef]

just use some of the water from your existing display, then mix your own water for the rest. that's what i did for my frag tank.

[najluni15]

Same. And didn't have a sump

[lnglostsurfer]

I don't know for sure as I've never setup a frag tank either but I've always heard that all of the bacteria was on the surfaces, not in the water. So why would it matter to use tank water?

[najluni15]

There is bacteria in the water as well. Maybe not as much as on surfaces but it is there. I also had some live rock rubble in my frag tank to help filtration along with a hob with bacteria wheel.

[jgpico]

My plan is to use a 20 long I have sitting around and my old ac70 with some clear fx pro. I can use water from my dt and mix new water for the rest. Where does everyone get their egg crate from? Home Depot? I've never been able to find it anywhere local.

[Chew_Magna]

Home Depot is where I found mine. It's the only place local to get it for me. In the lighting section around the fluorescent stuff.

 

You could also use some acrylic and make shelves.

[lnglostsurfer]

I saw that bulk reef supply carries some black eggcrate, not sure if they charge an arm and a leg for it though. I bought small acrylic sheets at lowes the other day for like $1.88. Maybe the size of notebook paper. Would work well if you wanted to drill holes in them for frags.

[mrhighline]

I used a bottle of DR Tims one and only and a sponge seeded from my sump in an aquaclear 70 ... Not alot of BIO in a frag tank BTW.

[Davies564]

I would put seachem matrix in a media bag and put it in the ac if you didn't want LR in the tank. Cycle the tank like normal, feed it flakes for a couple of days to get the cycle started. Add what ever you are going to use as a frag rack the first day so it cycles while the tank does. If u plan on using egg crate only use black stuff from BRS I find the white stuff to be hit or miss. In my old frag setup i would consistly change out the white eggcrate, some times the new peice would grow algae like crazy and some times they would be fine. Used black stuff and the problem was lessened but now i make my own acrylic racks which are ideal. Wait a couple weeks for the matrix to colonize, do a water change , run Gfo and carbon heavy for a couple days to clean up the water super good. Then pull the Gfo and carbon off you can keep some gfo and carbon going if you like, add a six line wrasse and then coral. This is what I would do.

[mrhighline]

I would put seachem matrix in a media bag and put it in the ac if you didn't want LR in the tank. Cycle the tank like normal, feed it flakes for a couple of days to get the cycle started. Add what ever you are going to use as a frag rack the first day so it cycles while the tank does. If u plan on using egg crate only use black stuff from BRS I find the white stuff to be hit or miss. In my old frag setup i would consistly change out the white eggcrate, some times the new peice would grow algae like crazy and some times they would be fine. Used black stuff and the problem was lessened but now i make my own acrylic racks which are ideal. Wait a couple weeks for the matrix to colonize, do a water change , run Gfo and carbon heavy for a couple days to clean up the water super good. Then pull the Gfo and carbon off you can keep some gfo and carbon going if you like, add a six line wrasse and then coral. This is what I would do.

 

I don't understand the need to cycle a tank when your running mechanical filtration and no live rock for the bacteria to live in/on?! Just use a sponge from the DT in the HOB and call it a day.

[najluni15]

You can spray paint cheap eggcrate from Home Depot. Works great. Use krylon fusion. Shipping on egg crate is probably a lot since its off sized.

 

Also use old water change water for a portion of your frag tank and biospira. Or throw a sponge into your dt sump for a few days then put that into frag tank. No cycle needed. You need to introduce a bacteria colony. I've used microbacter and biospira both multiple times with no problems

[Davies564]

I don't understand the need to cycle a tank when your running mechanical filtration and no live rock for the bacteria to live in/on?! Just use a sponge from the DT in the HOB and call it a day.

Why skimp on filtration? Bio filtration should be a tanks main source of filtration all others are there to help lessen the load on the bio filter or pull out nutrients that bio cant consume. A frag tank still needs heavy filtration. That way you can actually feed the coral with out fouling the water up. If you think you are going to have a successfully frag tank with a seeded sponge only u might be a little disappointed not saying it isn't possible though. The matrix I was taking about is this stuff which would act exactly the same as a sponge but would be much more permanent and more effiecientit would still need to be cycled tho, You could cycle this stuff in your sump and switch it over like a sponge which is a good idea. But the rest of the tank is still going to mini cycle , the glass, the frag rack, and any pumps. There is soo many ways to go about it.

http://www.marinedepot.com/Seachem_Laboratories_Matrix_Bio_Ceramic_Resin_Filter_Media-Seachem-SC3171-FIFMBOCR-vi.html

 

By the time you drive to home depot, buy eggcrate 13$ then drive some where else to buy the krylon fusion that is 10 $ because HD doesn't sell it, it might be the same as ordering it online. Plus then your not putting spray painted plastic in your tank. Yes I know it is safe to do so and I have done it many times yet I still would prefer brs eggcrate.

[mrhighline]

Why skimp on filtration? Bio filtration should be a tanks main source of filtration all others are there to help lessen the load on the bio filter or pull out nutrients that bio cant consume. A frag tank still needs heavy filtration. That way you can actually feed the coral with out fouling the water up. If you think you are going to have a successfully frag tank with a seeded sponge only u might be a little disappointed not saying it isn't possible though. The matrix I was taking about is this stuff which would act exactly the same as a sponge but would be much more permanent and more effiecientit would still need to be cycled tho, You could cycle this stuff in your sump and switch it over like a sponge which is a good idea. But the rest of the tank is still going to mini cycle , the glass, the frag rack, and any pumps. There is soo many ways to go about it.

http://www.marinedepot.com/Seachem_Laboratories_Matrix_Bio_Ceramic_Resin_Filter_Media-Seachem-SC3171-FIFMBOCR-vi.html'>http://www.marinedepot.com/Seachem_Laboratories_Matrix_Bio_Ceramic_Resin_Filter_Media-Seachem-SC3171-FIFMBOCR-vi.html

 

By the time you drive to home depot, buy eggcrate 13$ then drive some where else to buy the krylon fusion that is 10 $ because HD doesn't sell it, it might be the same as ordering it online. Plus then your not putting spray painted plastic in your tank. Yes I know it is safe to do so and I have done it many times yet I still would prefer brs eggcrate.

 

Agreed with every thing you said. A sponge from the DT works great. The OP said he has no plans for live rock. A hob filter will provide plenty of filtration both mechanical and biological.

[cocojakes]

not to restart an old thread or anything, but I'm starting a new acrylic frag tank, I've got a TON of matrix in the back compartment (probably 2L, with a total tank volume of 11gal) but only have it in there because it feels like I should have some form of bio media. I used all clean new water, because I don't want to introduce any problems that my DT has into my new frag tank. I plan on running fishless, (we'll see how long that lasts haha) but assuming no fish, and I don't really feed any of my corals, is there any reason I can't just dip and move all my frags over right now? Why would I feed the tank to start a cycle, if I'm not going to feed the tank after the cycle. Any bacteria that grow for the food, will then die for lack of food when I stop feeding the tank.

 

Eventually I'm sure I'll end up with a blenny and or wrasse in there, (something useful) or maybe just a really cool designer clown, depends on how I'm feeling when I break down and add a fish, but for now, I just want to get my ugly frag rack out of my DT and into my frag system. Whats stopping me?