Biospira and Dry Rock?

[TheDeltaFlight]

So I've been out of the hobby for quite some time, so my memory is a little fuzzy, especially when it comes to cycling a tank. I just set up a 15g, and I'm about to add water, sand, and rock.

 

Now, I have some dry rock that I really like the shapes of the pieces, especially for this small tank. But I know the cycling process will take more time to cure the rock. 

 

Would it be smart to add maybe like a 50/50 split of live and dry rock, and some sort of additive like BIO-spira? Would this help aide in the length of time my tank needs before it fully cycle? About how long would it need to cycle like this? Like 2-3 weeks?

[1891Bro]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-microbiology-of-reef-tank-cycling.214618/

[seabass]

9 hours ago, 1891Bro said:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-microbiology-of-reef-tank-cycling.214618/

Yeah I get it.  I reference other sites too.  And it sure is easier to reference something that has been answered in detail versus typing up a detailed response.  So I'm not sure why it bothers me a little bit that we send people away from Nano-Reef to get answers.  Maybe we need an article on the subject.  Anyway, off my Nano-Reef soapbox.

 

9 hours ago, TheDeltaFlight said:

Would it be smart to add maybe like a 50/50 split of live and dry rock, and some sort of additive like BIO-spira? Would this help aide in the length of time my tank needs before it fully cycle? About how long would it need to cycle like this? Like 2-3 weeks?

I think that's a reasonable time frame.  However, the state of the rock (both live and dry) can significantly impact that timeline.  Dead organics on either will produce ammonia as it breaks down.

 

If it were me, I'd first build up the biofilter on the dry rock by adding the bacteria culture and dosing ammonium chloride to 2ppm (on your ammonia test kit).  Then wait for it to come back down to 0, then dose another 2ppm.  After ammonia becomes undetectable again, I'd add the live rock.

 

Don't add more ammonia once you've added the live rock or you might kill some of the beneficial (non-bacterial) life on the rock.  Now just wait a couple of days and test your tank for ammonia.  If it was fully cured live rock, it should ammonia free.  If not, just wait until ammonia becomes undetectable again before adding any livestock.

[NanoTrav]

I just cycled a tank in 10 days with Dr Tims Ammonia and bottled bacteria and all dry rock. Ammonia and Nitrites spiked at 2 ppm. When I first started the hobby I used all live rock. This is my preferred way to cycle now.

[shoonjai]

10 hours ago, seabass said:

If it were me, I'd first build up the biofilter on the dry rock by adding the bacteria culture and dosing ammonium chloride to 2ppm (on your ammonia test kit).  Then wait for it to come back down to 0, then dose another 2ppm.  After ammonia becomes undetectable again, I'd add the live rock.

Would you redose ammonia regardless what the nitrites and nitrates were at? Just as long as ammonia dropped back down to 0?

 

8 hours ago, NanoTrav said:

I just cycled a tank in 10 days with Dr Tims Ammonia and bottled bacteria and all dry rock. Ammonia and Nitrites spiked at 2 ppm. When I first started the hobby I used all live rock. This is my preferred way to cycle now.

I just hit the 1 week mark of my cycle with all dry rock using Dr. Tim's ammonia and Bio-Spira and am preferring this method as well. Added bacteria, dosed ammonia to 2ppm, and it was back down to 0 in about 4-5 days then nitrites have been around 2ppm since.

 

Didn't mean to hijack your thread TheDeltaFlight! Figured my questions may aid in your cycle as well since they're relevant!

[seabass]

In theory, you'd let ammonia AND nitrite drop below 0.25ppm before adding another dose of ammonium chloride.  But IMO, it's more important to monitor ammonia than nitrite.  However, when dosing ammonia chloride with dry rock, it's possible that nitrite could accumulate past 5ppm.  If that should happen, the process will slow down (and a water change is warranted to bring the level down below 5ppm).

Note: nitrite isn't typically an issue when cycling live rock cure.

 

The nitrate level has no effect on this process.  However, the fact that you see nitrate, means that the process is working.  The actual level is only important after the process is over, as you want to bring nitrate down below 10ppm before adding livestock.  Also, ammonia should be undetectable before adding livestock.  And while not critical, nitrite should also be undetectable before adding livestock (that way you know everything is working as it should).

 

You could repeat this process a couple more times, or as many times as it takes for ammonia to go from 2ppm to below 0.25ppm in 24 hours.  While this last step isn't absolutely critical (if you add livestock slowly enough), it's a good measure to help ensure that you have a good working biofilter.

[1891Bro]

13 hours ago, seabass said:

Yeah I get it.  I reference other sites too.  And it sure is easier to reference something that has been answered in detail versus typing up a detailed response.  So I'm not sure why it bothers me a little bit that we send people away from Nano-Reef to get answers.  Maybe we need an article on the subject.  Anyway, off my Nano-Reef soapbox.

 

I think that's a reasonable time frame.  However, the state of the rock (both live and dry) can significantly impact that timeline.  Dead organics on either will produce ammonia as it breaks down.

 

If it were me, I'd first build up the biofilter on the dry rock by adding the bacteria culture and dosing ammonium chloride to 2ppm (on your ammonia test kit).  Then wait for it to come back down to 0, then dose another 2ppm.  After ammonia becomes undetectable again, I'd add the live rock.

 

Don't add more ammonia once you've added the live rock or you might kill some of the beneficial (non-bacterial) life on the rock.  Now just wait a couple of days and test your tank for ammonia.  If it was fully cured live rock, it should ammonia free.  If not, just wait until ammonia becomes undetectable again before adding any livestock.

I hear ya and, wouldn’t usually direct away from the site. It’s just all there already and I’m not gonna write anything out so I’m probably just gonna keep linking there. Kinda blows my mind that no matter what, with everything already out there, that it just keeps getting asked. 

[xthunt]

I’ve used dry rock in new tank, put biospira at recommended dosage and one  (small) fish in at the same time. No ammonia or nitrite whatsoever. Done this a few times. 

[Lula_Mae]

I used dry rock, Dr.  Tim's ammonia, Biospira, and Microbacter7, and also seeded with a small piece of live rock. Took about 3 weeks.  

[banasophia]

6 hours ago, 1891Bro said:

I hear ya and, wouldn’t usually direct away from the site. It’s just all there already and I’m not gonna write anything out so I’m probably just gonna keep linking there. Kinda blows my mind that no matter what, with everything already out there, that it just keeps getting asked. 

Right... there’s a lot of info out there already and it’s all been asked and answered before, but it’s nice asking questions and getting answers from people directly, becoming part of the community. Linking a good resource is great too though.