JenkinsCrew 110 Gallon Oceanic Mixed Reef Build

Going great so far! Water is all in, salt is in and at correct salinity and temperature is up to 78. Going to keep skimmer and lights off for cycle. Will probably add a shrimp tonight to get the ammonia kicked off. I have had a bag of Seachem Matrix seeding in my biocube and will add that to the center fuge area a few days later.

Is it OK to add macro algae now or should I wait till end of cycle?

Will be continuing to work on electrical wiring and APEX setup this week and should get the new main pump Tuesday.
 
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Should I leave the filter sock and foam filter in sump during cycle or take them out? If I need to leave them in, should I clean them regularly or after cycle?

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@jenkinscrew wrote:
Should I leave the filter sock and foam filter in sump during cycle or take them out? If I need to leave them in said:
I'd probably leave the filter socks out until after the cycle is done. Also if you have a skimmer either don't run it or, if it's a new skimmer, run it to break it in but let the collection cup just empty back into the sump.
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I would only leave it in if the water had lots of debris in it. I know when I first put my sand in, there was a lot of crap in the water column so I ran socks until it was clear. Better to get that crap out then to let it settle only to have it disturbed back into circulation at a later date. I agree with Grant about the skimmer. I had mine on but not skimming just to aerate the water. I also noticed that my pH stays higher then the skimmer is running.
 
Thank you David! Hopefully in a month or so I can start adding some life to it and get to look at something. :p

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@integra3g wrote:
I also noticed that my pH stays higher then the skimmer is running. said:
Good point. Aerating the water will also raise the pH. New skimmers usually take a little while to break in so I figured why not take care of both that and the cycle at the same time?
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Excellent advice Grant and Eric. I love seeing members helping each other out.... That's truly what the club is all about.
 
Yes great advice! I do have some junk an cloudyness in the water so I will leave them in till everything is clear. I started up the skimmer too and took off the collection cup so it just runs over and aerates the water.

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Looking good Jenks.

You totally stroked my reef'gene and now I have a 100G sitting in my living room too :p

But, I took a shortcut and bought another member out, and just got a new tank, stand and canopy.

Slowly moving things from totes, into the new tank as things stabilize.

I truly applaud your patience.

I have a metric crap load of GSP, Torch, hammer frags and some Zoas when you get ready let me know and I'll bro' you a couple frags to get you goin.
 
Haha nice! Thank you so much! Hope the transition goes good for you and you get everything in ok.

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Well parameters are are good. Adding a couple shrimp tonight to kick off the ammonia and get this ball rolling.

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So what is the consensus on cycling with a dead shrimp? I am asking as a new guy and hearing conflicting advice. Lately, I am hearing more folks say "don't do it--let the tank go natural." I am inclined to agree since I think the key is stability working subtle changes and not shock treatments.
Been following this build thread and thoroughly enjoying it. I purchased a DSA 65 Neo back in March and applying lots of good lessons learned from this thread in my own planning. Will start my own build thread shortly seeking similar advice.


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Great question Smo! The problem with letting a tank go "natural" when you are starting with dry rock and sand, is that there is not much there to release the ammonia needed to start a cycle. You have to add something that will decay and start the process, or it could take a long time and end up not being very stable at all. Some people feed the tank a little bit daily, or put some live sand, live or uncured rock into a new tank to help get it started. Think of that raw shrimp as a shrimp that died in your reef and sank to the bottom to decay. The main goal is to get that bacteria started. How you get there doesn't really matter.

I also started with dry rock and sand. I placed a raw shrimp in a sock (to make it easier to get out) in my sump and it was completely gone after a few day!
 
@integra3g wrote:
Great question Smo! The problem with letting a tank go "natural" when you are starting with dry rock and sand said:
Exactly. If you're using live rock with a lot of organic material on it you could probably get by with the "natural" way since some of the material on the rock would have died off during the shipping time. I used a shrimp both times I started a new tank and had no problems. Just buy a bag of them from the seafood counter at the grocery store then you have dinner, too. [smilie=smile.gif]
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