Saltwater Nitrogen Cycle - Confused.

Good Morning,

I am new to saltwater and aquariums in general and I've been trying to do as much research as I can prior to getting started. As with everything else, the information out there is limitless and one gets easily confused. I've read many articles and watched countless videos about reef tank setups, cycling, etc. Everyone does something different.

So far I've seen cycling achieved in the following ways:
1. Setup tank with live sand, live rock, add in bacteria product, wait for ammonia to drop to 0, add fish, and continue to cycle.
2. Setup tank with live sand/rock, add bacteria or established media from another tank and immediately add fish (I'm not going to try this I've just seen it done)
3. Setup tank with live sand/rock, add bacteria product and ammonia and wait for the cycle to run its course.
4. Setup tank with live sand/rock, use a product like Red Sea Reef Maturation Program and wait 21 days (or longer) for the tank to cycle.

See why I'm confused?? My question is, what is the best method for a beginner who wants to do things the right way? Will a tank cycle with live/rock sand and bacteria but no ammonia source? Any and all advice welcome.

* would just like to note that I understand the cycle at a pretty high-level. I know that you're aiming for 0 nitrites, 0 ammonia, and nitrates before the cycle is "complete"

 

So calling a rock “live” means it already has the bacteria on it; adding any bacteria is not needed unless you’re concerned about how live the rock is. Instead you might add ammonia; this is to see that the bb that should be there are doing their job. Once there’s nitrates, you know you’re good, and can then add fish. Adding fish after ammonia spike doesn’t make sense because both ammonia and nitrite are toxic to fish.

I would say the best thing to start with is some live rock/sand, get yourself a test kit, and add an ammonia source. Once you have nitrates, you can then add any fish you plan to stock.

 

So calling a rock “live” means it already has the bacteria on it; adding any bacteria is not needed unless you’re concerned about how live the rock is. Instead you might add ammonia; this is to see that the bb that should be there are doing their job. Once there’s nitrates, you know you’re good, and can then add fish. Adding fish after ammonia spike doesn’t make sense because both ammonia and nitrite are toxic to fish.

I would say the best thing to start with is some live rock/sand, get yourself a test kit, and add an ammonia source. Once you have nitrates, you can then add any fish you plan to stock.

Thank you, this helps a lot and simplifies it. Yeah, I watched a video from Bulk Reef Supply where the guy added a clown to his tank after eliminating ammonia and said that nitrites weren't harmful. My mind was boggled.

Yours is the route I will take. Would you recommend adding fish first and then adding corals later?

 

Yes definitely fish first. Wait until the tank is “mature”; once the cycle is well over and things have settled down. Then you can add corals.

 

Not trying to muddy the waters here, but we also need to cover the various different types of rock you can get (ie Live Rock, Dry Rock, Caribsea Life Rock). All have their advantages and disadvantages. Dry Rock is dead live rock which can be seeded with bacteria and a source of ammonia to become live again. The advantages are that it's the cheapest option and is generally pest free. The downsides is that it generally takes the longest since it has to establish the biofilter from scratch and you also usually need to cure it first (scrub it down well to remove the dead material so you don't have phosphate issues). Caribsea Life Rock or other man influenced alternatives is dry rock that has already been cured but has the added advantage of an inert bacteria coating that becomes live in water. So the advantage is that like live rock you get some bacteria to start with. It is more expensive than dry rock but still a bit cheaper than live rock and is pest free. The downside is that it doesn't offer the biodiversity that live rock does. Live Rock has the advantage of biodiversity and usually is the fastest option for cycling as long as it has stayed wet. The downside is that it is the most expensive option and you can get a wide variety of pests with it (ie Aiptasia, Vermatid Snails, Gorilla Crabs, Fireworms, Bobbit Worms, Mantis Shrimp).