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The Soft Cycle thread


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chicagoreef

"goes and looks to see if I have any from the guy who sold me this used tank"..."YES!!" Ok, so do I dose the recommended amount along with the uncured rock?

 

 

it was yes.

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Kat, can you explain a little about this? Asking because I did excatly this yesterday. I started to cycle my 1gal with les then 1lbs of LR and some dead rock + dead sand. Added RODI, scaped and added Prime, just to be safe... Planning on doing 10% daily water changes till I see pods all over the place.

 

" I added a lot of prime when I cycled the tank. You will still read the ammonia but it binds it for removal via water changes. "

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I added a lot of prime when I cycled the tank. You will still read the ammonia but it binds it for removal via water changes.

 

I did this as well. I let my 40 go 5 months before adding fish, then like a complete idiot added 3 larger fish at once. The green haze on the glass the next day was the alarm that ammonia was rising, so I dosed Prime for an entire week just to be sure.

 

^^^ Seachem Prime neutralizes Ammonia, making it harmless but still available for the biofilter to process, so the nitrogen cycle is not harmed. It's really miracle elixir when you have an ammonia spike. I always have a bottle, and if something bad happens I dose Prime, then start finding out what's wrong.

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Seachem Prime neutralizes Ammonia, I like how this sounds :) So the biofilter will still start to build up and any hitch hikers wont die from ammonia at least.

my tank is too small for almost any fish so that wont be a issue.. Hopeful to find some macro before the cycle ends. maybe I should feed the tank a little photo to help start the pods...

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Seachem Prime neutralizes Ammonia, I like how this sounds :) So the biofilter will still start to build up and any hitch hikers wont die from ammonia at least.

 

It all depends. Everything has side effects. Prime is a reducer, it reduces O2 levels in the tank and can stress many organisms, a big unknown. It can also kill O2 sensitive fish if used too liberally. It's something best used for accidents and not as a primary tool for cycling a tank. My goal at the time was to keep fish alive, and it worked. I used it in my 20 when I had a mini cycle to keep fish alive, and that worked, but it did not save any of my SPS corals.

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Bummer about the SPS but awsome for saving the fish... I dont use prime daily or anything, just once when it was first filled up.

 

It all depends. Everything has side effects. Prime is a reducer, it reduces O2 levels in the tank and can stress many organisms, a big unknown. It can also kill O2 sensitive fish if used too liberally. It's something best used for accidents and not as a primary tool for cycling a tank. My goal at the time was to keep fish alive, and it worked. I used it in my 20 when I had a mini cycle to keep fish alive, and that worked, but it did not save any of my SPS corals.

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Kat, can you explain a little about this? Asking because I did excatly this yesterday. I started to cycle my 1gal with les then 1lbs of LR and some dead rock + dead sand. Added RODI, scaped and added Prime, just to be safe... Planning on doing 10% daily water changes till I see pods all over the place.

 

" I added a lot of prime when I cycled the tank. You will still read the ammonia but it binds it for removal via water changes. "

Prime does not remove ammonia, it detoxifies it. What that means is that with water changes it is easier to get the ammonia levels to drop after Prime has been added. Point to note is that in cases of very high ammonia, nothing but water changes will work. I used a combination of prime, ammo lock rocks, water changes and prayers to get a soft cycle. It did not work very well because I was unprepared. Remember I used uncured rock and it was already smelling of massive die off before I added it to the tank.

 

"goes and looks to see if I have any from the guy who sold me this used tank"..."YES!!" Ok, so do I dose the recommended amount along with the uncured rock?

I'm sorry for not checking this thread too often. Have you already started the tank and added the uncured rock? Prime can be used i the suggested dose without problems.

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chicagoreef

Yes - I even have a thread on my experiences so far. Check it out!

 

The weather has been unseasonably cool in Chicago where I live, so I ordered the rocks and they arrived earlier today. The rocks were all damp and there was no smell of death. I rinsed each rock with some tank water and got rid of some debris and one unlucky worm - he would have enjoyed my tank - and then put the rocks into the tank. I dosed about half a cap of Prime. I was thinking of checking the parameters later tonight or tomorrow morning and doing a 10% water change. So far the existing tank denizens seem ok - the corals I had in there remain fully extended, etc.

 

I'm sorry for not checking this thread too often. Have you already started the tank and added the uncured rock? Prime can be used i the suggested dose without problems.

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Yes - I even have a thread on my experiences so far. Check it out!

 

The weather has been unseasonably cool in Chicago where I live, so I ordered the rocks and they arrived earlier today. The rocks were all damp and there was no smell of death. I rinsed each rock with some tank water and got rid of some debris and one unlucky worm - he would have enjoyed my tank - and then put the rocks into the tank. I dosed about half a cap of Prime. I was thinking of checking the parameters later tonight or tomorrow morning and doing a 10% water change. So far the existing tank denizens seem ok - the corals I had in there remain fully extended, etc.

Link your thread I will check it out. How long was the tank running before you added the rocks today and also did you have a cycle before today, any ammonia readings?

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chicagoreef

Hi:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/330947-super-excited-ordered-nano-package-from-gulf-live-rock/

 

The tank has been up for almost 3 weeks and was at 0 ammonia, nitrates, nitrites. I just got back from dinner - about 7 hours afer I put in the rocks and ammonia is at .5 (using a not-so-high-quality API kit)

 

Link your thread I will check it out. How long was the tank running before you added the rocks today and also did you have a cycle before today, any ammonia readings?

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  • 1 year later...

OK. I have a case of the "soft cycle blues" (put that to music Blake Shelton).

 

I set up a 5 gal tank 3 days ago and have been circulating new SW in it since. My shipment of 5lbs uncured LR from Gulf Live Rock came yesterday and i added it to the tank after removing a couple clams and some obviously dead macroalgae.

 

I added a bottle of Bio Spira to supplement bacteria and have been preparing for frequent large water changes to soft cycle. I tested this morning (after the rock had been in only 16 hrs) and was disheartened by the readings.

 

Ammonia 1.0

Nitrite trace

Nitrate 80.0 Where did this come from.

 

Well, i did almost a 100% water change and will repeat test this evening. I expected a challenging cycle but not this strong, this quick. Should i add a bottle of Seachem prime and some kind of ammonia reducing resin.

 

I need guidance. i'm trying to preserve as much life as i can on and in the rocks.

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OK. I have a case of the "soft cycle blues" (put that to music Blake Shelton).

 

I set up a 5 gal tank 3 days ago and have been circulating new SW in it since. My shipment of 5lbs uncured LR from Gulf Live Rock came yesterday and i added it to the tank after removing a couple clams and some obviously dead macroalgae.

 

I added a bottle of Bio Spira to supplement bacteria and have been preparing for frequent large water changes to soft cycle. I tested this morning (after the rock had been in only 16 hrs) and was disheartened by the readings.

 

Ammonia 1.0

Nitrite trace

Nitrate 80.0 Where did this come from.

 

Well, i did almost a 100% water change and will repeat test this evening. I expected a challenging cycle but not this strong, this quick. Should i add a bottle of Seachem prime and some kind of ammonia reducing resin.

 

I need guidance. i'm trying to preserve as much life as i can on and in the rocks.

 

Nitrate because since it is quality live rock... it already has bacteria to process nitrite to nitrate.

 

I had gulf live rock myself, I did near 100% waterchanges I believe every other day, and I dosed prime after every water change. After about a week and a half, the rock was good to go and no longer producing ammonia so I moved it into the tank and added fish soon after cuz I am crazy like that.

 

I also took the rock out and shook off anything dead/dieing/debris in the old waste water and checked every day for dead/dieing clams/snails/inverts to pull out.

 

A smell test is a strong indication on what is dead and should be pulled and when the cycle completed, the rock had a nice fresh ocean smell instead of rotten fish. :D

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  • 6 months later...

dosing bacteria like Dr Tims One and Only help to have a soft cycle. in two tanks i have started, i dosed bacteria and had little to no cycle.

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  • 1 year later...

Upping this thread because I have some questions.

I got really pretty rock, but learned about soft cycling way too late. My rock was in the water for 3 days before I found out. My ammonia was, ofcourse, sky high by then. I performed a 100% water change, and later twice a 50%'water change. We are on day 5 now, and my ammonia is still at 1. 

 

Can anyone explain if its still worth doing a soft cycle? Should I just keep up the water changes (twice daily) according to the ammonia levels? How long should this take? 

 

I have a 12 g, but only filled it with about 4 g now. Just so all the rock is submerged. I am running two powerheads for flow, and some activated carbon on one of them. The water is too low to add my biofilter 4 in 1, as dennerle adds them to their nano tanks.  

Any tips are welcome! 

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post pics of the rocks if you can so we can see details. did you mean the rock was out of water for 4 days? you'd be surprised, but depending on how it was kept (say in a bag sealed, but without water) it can still have its filtration abilities in place. need pics and air exposure details.

 

bacteria are unlikely to die even in 4 days out of water, they're that tough. if it was baking in the backyard sun that's one thing, but wet rock stored in a bucket in the house for several days still has its bacteria among the crevices, the motile/larger life like worms and pods and sponges if applicable are where the ammonia is coming from. we would keep up water changes until it stops self-producing ammonia, then you can use the rock. 4 days out of water isn't necessarily antibacterial, after all our doorknobs keep bacteria 24x7 having never been in the water at all. nitrifying bacteria are complexed among scums and other films that have insulation abilities to some degree, but agreed out of water for that long means slow build up again usually.

 

are there any life forms on the rock still alive...pods worms etc>? any life forms in the tank?

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@brandon429

it was just in my tank, with good salt water.

Ii had my biofilter running, the lights on for 6h a day, and the heater on 25degrees Celcius. I just never heard of soft cycling until @Weetabix7 told me my rock was very suitable for soft cycling, and too pretty to go to waste. 

 

So, it was in the tank, but I did not do waterchanges the first three days. As I read everywhere that it only needed to be done once a week, or even only starting after 6-7 weeks into cycling. 

 

I started soft cycling on monday. 

Pics are from how the rock is looking now. Worms are still alive, have not seen other animals on there, except for rhe fiddler crab we keep in a seperate box now because he kept escaping. IMG_20170322_152209.thumb.jpg.3f4ca335aba214242b02de3189a7f98d.jpgScreenshot_2017-03-22-15-28-51.thumb.png.6e18f87fe0c9112d73c7f983cb7c7c0f.png

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1 hour ago, Lisa166 said:

Upping this thread because I have some questions.

I got really pretty rock, but learned about soft cycling way too late. My rock was in the water for 3 days before I found out. My ammonia was, ofcourse, sky high by then. I performed a 100% water change, and later twice a 50%'water change. We are on day 5 now, and my ammonia is still at 1. 

 

Can anyone explain if its still worth doing a soft cycle? Should I just keep up the water changes (twice daily) according to the ammonia levels? How long should this take? 

 

I have a 12 g, but only filled it with about 4 g now. Just so all the rock is submerged. I am running two powerheads for flow, and some activated carbon on one of them. The water is too low to add my biofilter 4 in 1, as dennerle adds them to their nano tanks.  

Any tips are welcome! 

 

Yes, keep doing the water changes!!

I do think it is worth doing a soft cycle, it's not too late. 

You are doing the right things, with just keeping it submerged and doing frequent 50% water changes. I would personally continue doing those once a day right now. 

Have you seen any nitrite or nitrate show up yet? 

You should, by now. 

 

I am still blown away and totally jealous of how beautiful that rock is.

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@Weetabix7 would you do the 50% daily even if the ammonia is above 0.5 ppm? 

You mean 50% in total right? (Maybe divided by two times 25% a day)

 

I will start checking that tomorrow. I had to do the waterchanges now anyway, so thought it wouldnt really matter what the nitrates were atm, as the ammonia was still too high. 

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Well, if you have enough water to do it you could go ahead and do 100%, but 50% is enough. 

Yes keep doing it if the ammonia is above .5 ppm. 

I would expect it to be above that in the very beginning. 

Did I post the link for you of a tank thread from a friend of mine who did this, and that followed his results? Needreefunds?

I thought I did but I'll go look for it again. 

I asked if nitrite or nitrate were showing up because if they are it means that bacterial populations are building and processing the waste, which is what you want. 

They are an indicator of how well and quickly things are progressing. 

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additional reference material options

 

see post #8 from this soft cycle thread on r2r

http://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-tank-cycling-tank-bacteria-and-cocktail-shrimp-live-rock-no-shrimp.214618/

 

uncured ocean rock, that's likely what we have above due to benthics in tow, its why LFS cured rock is typically just coralline and not 90% plants. sitting in water for a few days is no harm at all, I thought this was all out of water. post 8 was written for the type of rock you are using Lisa

 

the entire thread is that there's three different kinds of cycling and each is different in regards to how we administer or remediate ammonia, and how that ammonia is measured and verified and cross verified without test kits.

 

1.  live rock, skip the cycle and go and try and bring home underwater where possible

 

2.  dry rock, give it the ammonia and bottle bac and in 30 days or less its ready

 

3.  uncured rock, shows up with the highest bacterial count of them all, far more diversity than our tanks will sustain long term--perform water changes literally like CPR arresting ammonia growth as possible, *including pre removing some growths before they die* if you want that kind of prep. others just cure it out a while, to see whats going to stay.  

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Just did another test: 

Ammonia: 1.0 mg/l 

N03: 4mg/l

N02: above 5 mg/l

 

So i guess the way to go from here is doing more waterchanges for a few days, and then scale them back. See what stays and what wont stay, I cannot keep up doing 50% waterchanges daily. Simply because of the costs of it. 

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