how long till dbs and live rock filter?

[jeff63]

my new 125 set up has 4inch dsb and 129 lbs of live rock. I am runing a simple trickle filter in my sump. When can I stop the trickle filter If I even need it at all? I was also wondering at what point can I add a clean-up crew.

[MsReeReee]

How long has it been set up.

[jeff63]

well actually I put the sand in yesterday and the rock should go in next week.

[MsReeReee]

Well i have a 125 and had a bio wheel in my sump and i also have about 150 pounds of LR and almost kept it to long in as the nitrates were high ............it was about 6 months and then someone told me to take it out............so now it is 0........I have heard once u go threw the cycle u can take it out. and let the LR do its work.

[MsReeReee]

Is your Rock been cured...............u need to wait on the clean up crew for a bit.

[MsReeReee]

look at this thread this is my tank
http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/sh...threadid=13457
Maria

[jeff63]

Ill have to see just how cured it is when it gets here. Caan I cure it in my tank or do I have to set up a seperate container? Thanks for the advise!

[MsReeReee]

It is up to u................I let mine cure in the tank but it takes awhile and u cant put any thing fragile in with it.
See if any one else will chime in.........

[uurt]

Jeff, you will need to let your tank cycle before putting out the $$ for your critters. It will take prolly 3 or more weeks, and the inverts won't do well with the changes that will be taking place while it matures some. You can put the rock in, and if need be let it cure in the tank, it will however make for a longer cycling.
JMHO, Good luck

Lee

[Geoff]

i let my tank cycle for 2 months before adding anything in there besides LR. i then had a LFS test the water for me and it was all 0's. so i would guess that was plenty long enough. i have since added another 45 lbs of LR. and will add another 45 at some point in the next month. i would remove the trickle about a month after initial setup with the LR.

my .02

G~

[ctel]

this is a good question for me because im at the same point, a 125g, 180lbs LR and i was trying to figure out when i can put in my clean up guys, my rock is mostly cured and its been up for about a week and even thing is at zero already so i was thinking about a 4 more weeks. What does everyone else think i should do.
Thanks Corey

[MsReeReee]

I would wait because the cleanup crew cant take any high nitrates or Ammonia it will kill them dead.

[yakmon]

as its a new tank, remove the bioballs now and let the live rock do the nitrogen cycle. you can cure the live rock in the tank, it may get a bit funky smelling. i hope you have a descent skimmer.

[paulF]

i agree with yakmon. get rid of the bio balls now cause if you wait too long on that then you have to remove them gradually instead of all at once. let the live rock do its thing and its also important to have a good skimmer. HTH

[tdwyatt]

Originally posted by yakmon
as its a new tank, remove the bioballs now and let the live rock do the nitrogen cycle. you can cure the live rock in the tank, it may get a bit funky smelling. I hope you have a descent skimmer.

Maria, Yakmon, PaulF and Geoff all bring out the highlights of your best route at this point. I am assuming you have no higher life forms (above bacteria and whatever hitch hikers show up on the rock...) in your system. Remove all the media that might act as filters or opportunities for suspended material to stop. This includes filters, filter media, bioballs, strainers, etc., with the exception of your substrate media and your rock. By placing your rock into the system un-cured in a new tank, you stand the best chance of having whatever hitch hikers that are in the rock surviving the cycle that they will have to endure anyway. The decay of creatures /sponges/misc shipment casualties will supply the nitrogen to the water column as ammonia, necessary to kick start your nitrogen cycle in both the Live Rock (LR) and a Deep Sand Bed (DSB). For details on how the nitrogen cycle works in these areas, click here for sand bed/nitrogen thread , and here for info on curing LR and the nitrogen cycle , and here on what to expect in the near future , and here for some alternatives and general nitrogen cycle info . There is a related nitrogen cycling/sand bed article that Chris (Galleon) has written here .

Essentially, for you in a new system, cycling the rock in the tank is a great advantage. It allows the benthic creatures in the rock to transfer to the sand bed, where they can begin to seed it and start its maturation process (VERY important in the long run). It also starts processing the carbon and nitrogen provided by the rock itself to fully "cure" the rock in preparation for its capacity as a mineralization media for the processing of fish "poop" and left over foods. In addition to all the advantages for the system's maturation as a biosystem, you don't have to rearrange the rock once it has finished curing in the tank. You will need to watch for the cycles and peaks of the nitrogenous substances in the aquarium just as you would in the curing vat, waiting for the addition of creatures until you see the nitrates appear and start a slow increase to around 20 PPM or so. At this point, the sandbed will begin to process these nitrATES to nitrogen gas, completing the nitrogen cycle in your tank (as the gas bubbles out of the sandbed to the surface and is dissipated in the air above the tank).

I know this is a lot to absorb in one sitting, but this is the quick and dirty short version...

Hope this helps