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Non traditional cycle


JBM

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That is the question....

 

Current set up:

5.5g mixed softie, lps. Bare bottomed with a hob filter housing chaeto. Tuna blue Par38 bulb. That's it. Nothing else, really a no frills tank. 

 

The reasoning:

 

We redid the living room (that's where the tank is). So the tank looks out of place on a mismatched end table. So I've been mulling this over in my head. 

 

 After I lost my house a year and a half ago to a house fire I was given a 60 gallon Cube. It's the reef ready variety.   My wife allowed me to set up the 5 gallon and now she has grown to love it so much that she wants more space more coral more fish. 

 

Space is that a huge premium in my house.  There is literally no place to move the current 5 gallon or set up the cube in a Nother location that is not on the same floor. 

 

What is stopping me from filling up a 55 gallon trash can with water and base rock and performing my cycle that way? I could literally leave it in my garage for 8 weeks.   Once it cycles.  Transfer everything into the cube. 

 

 

 

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squamptonbc

You can cycle rock in any container. Lots of folks cycle rock in trash cans or rubbermaid containers.

 

Just make sure the container is clean.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Whatever you have around will work. Tonga in with the marinepure brick plus my rock. Seeded with a bit of live rock from the existing tank (lower left hand corner). Ammonia was added in to hit 2 ppm consistently. It took 13 days to cycle. 

 

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Thisll sound obvious and I'm sure you already know but just instinctively letting you know since I used to work in a LFS...

 

Have an airstone or some kinda pump in the container for oxygen :)

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1 hour ago, bofo said:

Thisll sound obvious and I'm sure you already know but just instinctively letting you know since I used to work in a LFS...

 

Have an airstone or some kinda pump in the container for oxygen :)

and a heater! Warm water = faster bacteria growth.

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2 hours ago, Clown79 said:

You can easily cycle the rocks in a bucket as long as there is water movement and heat, it works

 

Im gonna end up running two tanks side by side until the larger 60 cube is cycled. 

 

I had had initially wanted to do a instant upgrade. Meaning transfer the contents of the 5g to a fresh 60 cube. Then slowly over the course of 6 or 8 months add in the base rock. But that didn't jive with my mind to well. Figured it would take way to long to grow and the risk of a cycle isn't something I want to do. 

 

So im just going to build a abnormal stand that's 40" long. Run the 60 cube separate till it's cycled. Then transfer everything over and take down the 5g. It's a win win in the long run, because the other half has been asking for a place to put picture frames.  I get a 60 cube with a 40 breeder sump. 

 

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A Little Blue

If time is no issue, I would start by curing  your rock in 1to10 bleach solution for few weeks. Than clean it with soft brush, rinse it with clean water, reset that same “garbage” bucket by rinsing it and filling it with fresh water. Then you can add any bacteria promoting product. This one is my favorite: 

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With circulating pump and moderate temperature, your rock should be ready in few weeks. There is no need to add any nutrient to promote bacteria growth as there is plenty of in on the rock and surface of your bucket for it to survive. 

Thats basically what we have done with help of local fish store owner who had some cured live rock set on the side for future use but kindly enough helped me out during certain emergency (tank swap due to demage). Added the rock, Special Blend and freshly mixed seawater and moved my corals, fish 24hrs later. Had no issues, no algae blooms, cristal clear water and happy occupants of the new tank. Others may have other solutions but this one is based only on my own experience (suggested by owner of my LFS) . I guess there are many ways to skin the cat. Good luck. 

 

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