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1. RO/DI water (0 TDS)
2. Salt mix
3. Tank
4. HOB filter with carbon (polishes water...not essential)
5. Live rock (biofiltration)
6. Sand (aesthetics and some biofiltration... also keeps the clean up crew happy)
7. After cycle is done, do a 10-20% water change weekly. Crucial if running no skimmer and not dosing additives (for reef)...
Throw a raw shrimp in there (from the supermarket) to get the cycle going. When it starts to get funky, you're cycle has started (bacteria is starting to eat the shrimp... beneficial to these types of tanks). You can either wait for the shrimp to totally dissolve, or fish it out of there, later. I fish them out, cuz they get phunky-foul! A regular HOB filter would be fine, with just carbon to polish the water and de-scent it (so to speak).
After the cycle starts, you need to add a couple of fish to feed that bacteria you just made. They poop... bacteria eats.
Live rock adds more to the mix because it houses a lot of little critters and filter feeders that also eat poop... (this is all kind of nasty when you think about it).
You may want to invest in a refractometer and some test kits to monitor your phosphates and nitrates, but they aren't essential. A regular swing arm hydrometer works just fine (like $6) on checking specific gravity, and you're good to go. If you throw a fish in there after about 6 weeks of cycle time, it should live. It's always best to throw a cheap one in there first, just to make sure "it lives." I'll typically add more fish after that one lives for a couple of weeks (and eats well), then fish him out and take him back to the LFS, or put him in the sump. I have one you can have if you want it (yellow tail damsel). Pretty little guys, but mean as hell!
I'll be honest with you... I test my water, like once a quarter. I watch my corals to see if anything's off in my tank. The only thing I check consistently is temperature, SG, and TDS on my RO/DI unit. That's it and it's all pretty easy with the right tools in place.
Some guys don't use the dead shrimp method at all. They just get everything in there (sand and rock) and wait a couple of days... then, they throw a fish in there to start the cycle. They will, but they have to be tough fish! Like the one's that'll kick around in the toilet for several hours! LOL! Their "fishy poo" is what kicks off the cycle, but it's really a toss up when you do this way. It works though.. I've done it with my current tank, but I had live rock from an established tank.
2. Salt mix
3. Tank
4. HOB filter with carbon (polishes water...not essential)
5. Live rock (biofiltration)
6. Sand (aesthetics and some biofiltration... also keeps the clean up crew happy)
7. After cycle is done, do a 10-20% water change weekly. Crucial if running no skimmer and not dosing additives (for reef)...
Throw a raw shrimp in there (from the supermarket) to get the cycle going. When it starts to get funky, you're cycle has started (bacteria is starting to eat the shrimp... beneficial to these types of tanks). You can either wait for the shrimp to totally dissolve, or fish it out of there, later. I fish them out, cuz they get phunky-foul! A regular HOB filter would be fine, with just carbon to polish the water and de-scent it (so to speak).
After the cycle starts, you need to add a couple of fish to feed that bacteria you just made. They poop... bacteria eats.
Live rock adds more to the mix because it houses a lot of little critters and filter feeders that also eat poop... (this is all kind of nasty when you think about it).
You may want to invest in a refractometer and some test kits to monitor your phosphates and nitrates, but they aren't essential. A regular swing arm hydrometer works just fine (like $6) on checking specific gravity, and you're good to go. If you throw a fish in there after about 6 weeks of cycle time, it should live. It's always best to throw a cheap one in there first, just to make sure "it lives." I'll typically add more fish after that one lives for a couple of weeks (and eats well), then fish him out and take him back to the LFS, or put him in the sump. I have one you can have if you want it (yellow tail damsel). Pretty little guys, but mean as hell!
I'll be honest with you... I test my water, like once a quarter. I watch my corals to see if anything's off in my tank. The only thing I check consistently is temperature, SG, and TDS on my RO/DI unit. That's it and it's all pretty easy with the right tools in place.
Some guys don't use the dead shrimp method at all. They just get everything in there (sand and rock) and wait a couple of days... then, they throw a fish in there to start the cycle. They will, but they have to be tough fish! Like the one's that'll kick around in the toilet for several hours! LOL! Their "fishy poo" is what kicks off the cycle, but it's really a toss up when you do this way. It works though.. I've done it with my current tank, but I had live rock from an established tank.
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