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Using Bio-Spira with dry rock? (Cycle)


Hunter Lang

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I have had 7 reef tanks now. Each experience has been different.

 

There is contrary info out there because each system is different but the one common denominator is how the nitrogen cycle works, why qt is a benefit, and going slow is best.

 

 

I recently redid my 5.5g and added good liverock. It was cured. Had coralline, feather dusters, etc. No dead matter that I could see

 

I normally test all rock for a week in a bucket before they are added to established tanks.

 

I didn't want to wait and figured it was liverock so I'd be safe...I had an ammonia spike of 2ppm.

 

My not being patient cost me $, time, and stress. Could have cost me a full tank of livestock.

 

I have encountered numerous different situations over the years, cycled in various different ways.

 

I've added dry Rock and had ammonia spike, I've added caribsea liferock and it was smooth sailing. Added liverock with no spikes and vice versa.

 

I've not qt'd and had to go through fallow periods which suck and cost you money in replacing fish.

 

I now qt.

 

 

Out of all of it, I've learned that going slow,, taking the necessary steps is the safest and most reliable way.

 

 

I highly recommend getting the ammonia badge because if you need to use Prime, the ammonia badge will read the correct ammonia level whereas other kits cannot during prime use.

 

 

 

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6 hours ago, Ramzman89 said:

So what if you start with fish and do frequent small water changes say every other day? Would that be ok? Would that level things out while still accomplishing the cycle process while keeping ammonia levels at minimum? I'm a noob myself and curious. Not to get off topic from op.

 
In my opinion, I think when you use an effective product such as BioSpira or Nutri-Seawater, they contain tons of beneficial bacteria which are then in the water column immediately and process the fish waste as the fish produce it, while simultaneously seeding your rock. If you use those products you will not need to or want to do frequent water changes because you would be removing the water that still contains the beneficial bacteria in it... but you would want to check your parameters regularly and then do a water change if your nitrates start building up, which would likely be standard weekly water changes once you have fish.
 
Even though both products say you can add the fish right away, I still would wait 1-2 weeks as I mentioned above to be sure everything is in order in the new setup. I would also be sure to use an ammonia badge as I mentioned before. 

 

The important thing is that not all those bacteria in a bottle types of products are effective, so you need to be sure you are using one that is known to work. You have to do your research and don’t just buy whatever product they have on the shelf at your LFS. (BioSpira is recommended by BRS, and available through Amazon.) 

 

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/instant-ocean-bio-spira.html

Instant Ocean BIO-Spira Water Treatment for Aquariums https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ODDS5E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_VSpmCbKP16XHB

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On 1/4/2019 at 10:28 PM, Silver City Reef said:

I'm curious on how this is going so far. I assume you didn't take the time to quarentine the new fish either?

So an update for you! I used cured live rock, ocean water, and live sand, the cycle took about a week and a half for everything except nitrate to drop to 0. So at that point I did a water change and added 3 corals and the store said o could even add two clownfish, so I did. The corals and clowns seem to be very happy so far and eat every day and I still check ammonia and nitrite daily and have had no spikes except a little after adding the clowns but they are both back to 0, so yesterday I bought a few more corals and so far so good! Thanks for checking up!

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On 1/3/2019 at 5:31 AM, Lula_Mae said:

In under 4 days?  Better keep testing those ammonia and nitrite levels.  It's best to wait several weeks after getting the rock before adding live stock to ensure the cycle has completed.  I know it's exciting to get fish and corals and all but it really is best not to rush things.  There's a reason why "Nothing good happens fast in this hobby" is a common saying around here.

 

Best order some Seachem Prime and a bacteria supplement like Microbacter7, Biospira, or Dr. Tim's because you may now be cycling with fish which is always a bad idea.  Prime will help neutralize the ammonia until you can change the water and the bacteria supplement will help your biofiltration get up to speed more quickly.  Also stock up on RODI or distilled water so you can perform large water changes for your fish's sake.

Just an update, I have been testing my levels daily for ammonia and nitrite spikes and nothing except a slight rise after adding the clowns but went away very quickly. The clowns have been doing really well and seem very happy! I considering getting a shrimp this week but I’m not sure, I also have two hermit crabs but they seem to have disappeared 😂 must just be hiding in the sand beds when I look for them or behind the rock on back of tank!

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On 1/4/2019 at 3:16 AM, banasophia said:

At this point since you’ve already added your clowns, I would test your parameters and add an ammonia badge to the tank so you can monitor for rising ammonia in the event the tank isn’t fully cycled yet. I would also add BioSpira and/or Nutri-Seawater to ensure nutrients are processed quickly, to reduce potential stress to your fish, and to strengthen the biofilter. 

 

I am still very new to the hobby, but you can see my two tanks in my link in my signature. I cycled both my tanks quickly using both of those products (BioSpira and Nutri-Seawater) along with live Caribsea Liferock from my LFS. I would do it exactly the same way if I was doing it all over.

 

I wouldn’t advocate adding fish in under a week if you hadn’t already done it, even if you use live rock and other things to speed up the cycle, because there’s so much to figure out in the beginning and I think it’s important to make sure your equipment (lights, pump, powerhead, heater) is functioning, you can maintain your temp/salinity/top offs, have figured out how you will do water changes, and you are comfortable doing water tests before adding fish and/or corals. My tanks both developed diatoms after approximately one week and I added my snail only cleanup crew, I checked my parameters and added fish after 2 weeks.

 

There’s a lot of contradictory advice out there, so it’s really hard to sort out in the beginning... just keep reading and researching so you can make well educated decisions about your tank.

 

And welcome to Nano Reef and the hobby!!! Both things have changed my life for the better!  :welcome:

Thanks so much! The clowns have been doing great and I didn’t get a badge but I have tested ammonia daily and levels have been 0! (Minus a slight rise after adding my fish but went away quick) the clowns seem to be happy and I have added a few corals as well and they have been doing great! They all stay open while the lights are on and sometimes I even get to see them eat the micros I feed them!

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45 minutes ago, Hunter Lang said:

Thanks so much! The clowns have been doing great and I didn’t get a badge but I have tested ammonia daily and levels have been 0! (Minus a slight rise after adding my fish but went away quick) the clowns seem to be happy and I have added a few corals as well and they have been doing great! They all stay open while the lights are on and sometimes I even get to see them eat the micros I feed them!

Glad things are going well so far, thanks for the update! 

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Silver City Reef
7 hours ago, Hunter Lang said:

So an update for you! I used cured live rock, ocean water, and live sand, the cycle took about a week and a half for everything except nitrate to drop to 0. So at that point I did a water change and added 3 corals and the store said o could even add two clownfish, so I did. The corals and clowns seem to be very happy so far and eat every day and I still check ammonia and nitrite daily and have had no spikes except a little after adding the clowns but they are both back to 0, so yesterday I bought a few more corals and so far so good! Thanks for checking up!

Well, I'm glad to hear it's working out for you. I would still consider starting a QT if possible though, just my opinion. Keep us posted over the next month or two.

 

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8 hours ago, Hunter Lang said:

So an update for you! I used cured live rock, ocean water, and live sand, the cycle took about a week and a half for everything except nitrate to drop to 0. So at that point I did a water change and added 3 corals and the store said o could even add two clownfish, so I did. The corals and clowns seem to be very happy so far and eat every day and I still check ammonia and nitrite daily and have had no spikes except a little after adding the clowns but they are both back to 0, so yesterday I bought a few more corals and so far so good! Thanks for checking up!

Nitrates don't convert to 0. Nitrates have to be manually reduced(waterchanges)

 

 

You also don't want nitrates at 0, corals need nutrients.

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