32g bio cube cycling

[Steemax]

Yup looks good, a bigger gap would be more aesthetic and allow more water to flow through. Lookin good so far!

[Michael78]

Thanks..will open it up a bit glue it  and hopefully fill it with water in the next couple days..

[KCinNC]

Thanks man !  👍

[Michael78]

Ok.... this lighting system on the 32g bio cube is rediculous.. You need a PhD to turn the lights on... let alone set them... is there a way to manually turn them on and off? Or do I possibly have a defective unit? Cuz I can’t even get them to turn on.. the instructions are very vague.. any info greatly appreciated.. thanks in advance!

[KCinNC]

Did you get the lights figured out ?

[Michael78]

Haha.. not yet.. been a bit busy.. but yesterday got the tank filled and it is up and running..will try to do a reset today and see if that helps... I’m a bit behind the technology curve... lol... kind of old school here....thanks for checking..

[Michael78]

I do have a question.. going to add two types of bacteria and an ammonia source today.. 

1.) should I remove the floss and sponge on the bio cube so the bb settle on the rock? Or does that not matter...As I’ve been told the bb gathers mostly on the live rock.. in fw most of the bb is in the filter from what I understand..but in sw sounds like most is on the rock..

 

2.) should I add both bacteria’s and then the ammonia at the same time? Heard different theories not to add ammonia right away.. in the past I usually added ammonia right after in fw tanks..

 

thanks for any advice.. I will be doing a build thread and also keep track of the cycle and the products used as may help others out in the future..Thanks guys and gals!

[Michael78]

3.) I have extra rock can I break up a piece and put in the bottom area of the basket?

 

thanks again...

[Steemax]

40 minutes ago, Michael78 said:

I do have a question.. going to add two types of bacteria and an ammonia source today.. 

1.) should I remove the floss and sponge on the bio cube so the bb settle on the rock? Or does that not matter...As I’ve been told the bb gathers mostly on the live rock.. in fw most of the bb is in the filter from what I understand..but in sw sounds like most is on the rock..

 

2.) should I add both bacteria’s and then the ammonia at the same time? Heard different theories not to add ammonia right away.. in the past I usually added ammonia right after in fw tanks..

 

thanks for any advice.. I will be doing a build thread and also keep track of the cycle and the products used as may help others out in the future..Thanks guys and gals!

 

21 minutes ago, Michael78 said:

3.) I have extra rock can I break up a piece and put in the bottom area of the basket?

 

thanks again...

 

Hey sorry I don't have any insight on the Coralife LED. Not familiar with them at all. 

 

1.) You could remove the floss and sponge for a couple hours to allow the BB to circulate and settle on the rock then put it back. That's correct that majority will be on your live rock. 

 

2.) I would add the Bacteria first, wait a couple hours then add the ammonia. Some do it all at once but I like to give the bacteria a chance to settle. I feel like direct contact with ammonia while everything is in suspension might kill them? Maybe I'm wrong but I like to play it safe and this method has worked for me twice so far so I can vouch for it. 

 

3.) Sure thing, just be mindful that detritus tends to build up in that area and having the rock there (if not easily removable) may make it more difficult to get to if you ever need to clean the area. If you can I would put in some sort of mesh bag where you can easily pull it up and out to rinse off the detritus. 

 

Looking forward to the build thread, will definitely follow along!

[Michael78]

Great.. thanks all

[Clown79]

2 hours ago, Michael78 said:

I do have a question.. going to add two types of bacteria and an ammonia source today.. 

1.) should I remove the floss and sponge on the bio cube so the bb settle on the rock? Or does that not matter...As I’ve been told the bb gathers mostly on the live rock.. in fw most of the bb is in the filter from what I understand..but in sw sounds like most is on the rock..

 

2.) should I add both bacteria’s and then the ammonia at the same time? Heard different theories not to add ammonia right away.. in the past I usually added ammonia right after in fw tanks..

 

thanks for any advice.. I will be doing a build thread and also keep track of the cycle and the products used as may help others out in the future..Thanks guys and gals!

Sponges aren't great to use. They are great for FW but saltwater, they become an issue with collecting detritus.

 

Floss is fine to use and may need frequent changing during cycling. It's really only for collecting particles and regularly changed(2 times a week is average)

 

If using ammonia and bacteria, don't use chemical media as it may remove them. This media can be added after the cycle.

 

As far as I know, most ppl that use ammonia dosing for cycling with dry rock, add the bacteria.

[Michael78]

Ok.. thanks for all the help.. Do you recommend I just remove the sponge that is before the pump in the bio cube? Not sure why that sponge is there if there is already floss in the media basket?  Is that sponge needed? Thanks

[Picogoby]

1 hour ago, Michael78 said:

Ok.. thanks for all the help.. Do you recommend I just remove the sponge that is before the pump in the bio cube? Not sure why that sponge is there if there is already floss in the media basket?  Is that sponge needed? Thanks

I would only use the floss and not the sponge. 
I tend to add 1/2 of the bottle of each bacteria and store in the fridge. Wait about 6hrs and add the ammonia and then in the morning 6+ hrs later I add in the remaining bacteria. Don’t ask me why I do this (no science in it)  but it always appears to work well!

like yourself I always use 2 brands and tend to use the correct amount of each brand for the tank, so in effect double dosing!

I have also always dosed a full amount (new bottle) about 1 week in to the cycle. Again no science, just appears to work well.

This method usually sees my tanks cycle in 10-14 days each time.

make sure you use an ammonia source, I tried ghost feeding with frozen recently and it really was a pun in the butt with reading all over the place!

[Michael78]

Sounds great.. thanks! Will be adding ammonia today from a bottle. I Will probably take the sponge out and see how it goes.. 10-14 days is pretty quick. Hope that happens here.

[Picogoby]

14 minutes ago, Michael78 said:

Sounds great.. thanks! Will be adding ammonia today from a bottle. I Will probably take the sponge out and see how it goes.. 10-14 days is pretty quick. Hope that happens here.

I also use live sand to get a quicker result.

[Michael78]

Got lights semi-figured out...To manually turn on and off turn on power button the hold menu button down a few seconds till 8’s flash in the digital display.. lights will come on.. will learn how to program eventually but lights aren’t needed yet anyways so I have time.. 

[Michael78]

Obviously my cycle is happening fairly quick so would like to get some opinions on live stock...still have some time...I really don’t want to overcrowd as 32g is pretty small... I definitely would like a pair of clowns.. possibly a fire fish or maybe a royal gramma basket? Any opinions? Would the 4 I listed work or should I do a pair of clowns and just one other? I’ve read lots online that contradicts each other so I prefer to learn from experience or other people’s experience.. new to this s.w. Stuff,  but I can already tell “I’m gonna need a bigger tank” eventually....lol.... thanks.. 

[Michael78]

One clown would work as well... Of course some articles I read say clowns shouldn’t be kept at all...but I see most smaller tanks contain them.. 

[Steemax]

Clowns are great for smaller tanks but could be aggressive. I have a pair of clowns with a Royal Gramma in my 20 and they do just fine. You could definitely keep 4 fish in the 32. Something like 2 Clowns, a Royal Gramma and one more small nano fish. The only issue I see is RG's are usually aggressive to other Basslet's. It's been mentioned they are also aggressive to other fish that have a similar shape, so with that in mind i'm not sure of the compatibility between a RG and Firefish. Maybe someone else can comment on that. 

[Clown79]

On 3/30/2020 at 2:56 PM, Michael78 said:

Obviously my cycle is happening fairly quick so would like to get some opinions on live stock...still have some time...I really don’t want to overcrowd as 32g is pretty small... I definitely would like a pair of clowns.. possibly a fire fish or maybe a royal gramma basket? Any opinions? Would the 4 I listed work or should I do a pair of clowns and just one other? I’ve read lots online that contradicts each other so I prefer to learn from experience or other people’s experience.. new to this s.w. Stuff,  but I can already tell “I’m gonna need a bigger tank” eventually....lol.... thanks.. 

I have 4 fish in my 25g.

2 clowns(added 7 mnths apart), then added a midas blenny, then a bangaii. No issues with aggression. 

 

I have 2 fish in my 20g. 1 clown and starkii damsel. I did have a bicolor blenny but he passed away- I suspect lack of algae(he wasn't keen on nori strips) and inability to compete for food with the others. No aggression with the blenny, my clown sometimes chases the starkii.

 

Firefish are skittish, I found purple firefish less skittish. I would definitely add the firefish first before a clown. They take longer to feel comfortable in their new homes, it may take longer with a clown. Depends on the clown. Some are fine, some are simply not.

 

 

 

 

[Michael78]

You Both have great points.. much appreciated.. So definitely don’t add the clowns till last? And add the clowns separately? Appreciate the advice.. prefer to ask you guys as the guy at the lfs would tell me that I could put a barracuda in my tank if he had one for sale.. I do like those bangaii’s as well!! Tough decisions..

[Clown79]

2 hours ago, Michael78 said:

You Both have great points.. much appreciated.. So definitely don’t add the clowns till last? And add the clowns separately? Appreciate the advice.. prefer to ask you guys as the guy at the lfs would tell me that I could put a barracuda in my tank if he had one for sale.. I do like those bangaii’s as well!! Tough decisions..

You can put the clowns in together or separate, they just can't be same size. I've added together and separate, some have gotten along, some didn't.