Don't Cycle Your Aquarium...

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Sometimes you get bad advice. And an experienced reefer telling a beginner they don't need to cycle their tank is bad advice. Why? We take a look at the importance of cycling your saltwater aquarium, and a method to speed it up. It doesn't need to take 2 months. With Dr. Tim's bacteria you can safely add your first clownfish in about 8 days. That's why we've included Dr. Time's One & Only in every HelloReef kit. Be well and happy reefing everybody!
#helloreef #drtim #beneficialbacteria #bulkreefsupply #clownfish #saltwateraquarium #anemone

[@john-xo9mg]

Was always told if you have no patience this is not the hobby for you. So I'll take it slow and steady.

[@HelloReef]

yeah that's definitely true! This hobby has certainly taught me to be more patient. Instead of days, I think weeks and months now! -Matthew

[@trey4484]

Clownfish, live sand, and Dr. Tim’s combo has never failed me. Patience is always the key in this hobby!

[@HelloReef]

:-)

[@RogueAquariums]

Cycling your tank is one of the most critical errors, some newer hobbyists overlook. Taking your time, making sure that the nitrogen cycle is complete Will definitely have an impact on the animals that you introduce. One cycling my systems I personally used Brightwell Aquatics start XLM with very good results. Well done Matthew. 👏

[@HelloReef]

Hi Darren!! Agreed in full!! -Matthew

[@anamariabechara]

I am glad you put this info out there! Adding livestock without cycling the tank is just mean and irresponsible to the animals.

[@HelloReef]

Yeah, I agree. I mean, yes, there are some advanced hobbyists who know how to do this safely and humanely, but us beginners just aren't there yet! :-)

[@IndoorEcosystem]

I'll continue to take the slow route to be honest. No point risking all that money and hardwork not to mention animal lives.

[@HelloReef]

Agreed!

[@eamonkelly3256]

Most complete beginners won’t have access to seeded media but that can be a way to overcome the patience barrier that we all suffer from. Yes you advanced hobbiest. You were impatient too. Live rock can introduce pests, but it’s easier to learn while doing opposed to dealing with tank crashes, new tank syndrome and expensive dead livestock.

[@HelloReef]

these are definitely good points all around!

[@TurulHEMA]

I agree telling a new hobbyist not to cycle is a mistake. However, I found great success is buying caribsea live sand, then adding a small amount livestock 2 days later. If you keep an eye on your water and know how to prevent an ammonia spike, you shouldn't have any issues.

[@HelloReef]

Totally agree with you. It’s not that you can’t, but that a beginner shouldn’t. 😀

[@zakarymcleod1850]

I added some cured live rock from my LFS and a damselfish on day one along with some quickstart. A lot went wrong, but the issues were with the ugly state and not the ammonia or nitrites stage of the nitrogen cycle. I would not recommend it to a newby because I'm still dealing with things like green hair algae and cyano months later, but it sort of worked and everything is healthy.

[@HelloReef]

That’s an interesting take. I’ve also had great luck with QuickStart!

[@mena7770]

I’m currently cycling my tank and I would like to add copepods along with dosing phytoplankton to supplement the pods my question is, should this be done before or after fish?

[@HelloReef]

It doesn't matter. Since you will be feeding them with phyto, any time after the cycle is great!

[@mickrobinson8150]

Why not just swap reef media into your new tank?

[@HelloReef]

Great question. There are a couple reasons. First is that almost all beginners don't have access to cycled media, whether ceramic or otherwise. Second, the discussion of adding media from another system is a much bigger conversation. We would need to talk about nuisance algae, micro-organisms both good and bad, how to source it correctly, what not to do, etc. We find it best for beginners to start simply, and then gain knowledge as they go. Hope that helps!

[@kevin8360]

My newest tank was started about mid-December. I used live sand, dry rock, and added a pair of clowns. I dosed Stability daily and had a bottle of Prime on standby. My ammonia “spike” had a peak of 0.25 (API test, so maybe not even that high). It never even registered on the SeaChem Ammonia alert disk. Long story short, everything in the tank doesn’t have to be “cycled” to start going for it. The sand was already cycled good enough for the ammonia stage, and I’m sure was the reason there was no real ammonia spike. So many people who say you MUST do it this way, is ridiculous. Use common sense! I will never watch a grocery store shrimp rot away in a bare bones, zero bacteria tank… period. And contrary to popular belief… you can most certainly add fish while nitrite is spiking a bit. Saltwater fish don’t care.

[@PhotographyInFlight4183]

So I can dump a dozen or so fish and corals has long as I use live sand? Sounds good to me, especially since the fish don't care. As someone new to the hobby and lacking common sense, this is useful information, thank you fellow reefer.

[@kevin8360]

@@PhotographyInFlight4183 If the plethora of information available doesn't tell you that starting out with a dozen fish in a new tank is a dumb idea... then you're clearly not bright enough to be in this hobby. Stick with a beta in a bowl. However, if it's a 250 gallon tank and you're putting in 500 lbs of live sand with 12 damsels... You'll be fine. Trust me. And apparently you aren't that educated on the subject with your "fish don't care" comment, because.... No, saltwater fish could care less about nitrite. Nitrite would have to be extremely high to bother a saltwater fish. You can instantly cycle a tank... And add 12 fish if you wanted. You just need all the substrate, live rock, pumps, etc from an established tank to do so. That's the concept behind using live sand... which already has the bacteria all in it, and can handle a light ammonia load with no problem.

[@PhotographyInFlight4183]

​@@kevin8360The fish not caring are your words, not mine, which is great, good stuff. I'm guessing this video is geared towards newer saltwater hobbyists, and is probably erring to the side of caution . The fact is, tanks can be set to varying degrees of success, and with so many variables it can be extremely difficult to say your way his way her way is better or worse etc. so while there are no absolutes, there are general guidelines that have worked pretty good. Remember, your mileage may vary. Now, where did I put that gold fish bowl.......

[@HelloReef]

Thanks for the reply Kevin. What kind of live rock did you use? I've heard great things about using tampa bay rock and sand to immediately cycle a tank. I'm glad you had great success and going with truly live rock is the way to do it. Don't think it's necessarily for this tank or for beginners. Sounds like you have more experience in this hobby that a lot of beginners? Thanks again for the comment!

[@kevin8360]

@@PhotographyInFlight4183 Your comment was my entire point! People need to stop the nonsense about it takes months to cycle, because you have to wait for a shrimp to rot before adding your first fish… or similar nonsense. You want to deter a newbie? Let them stare at a rotting shrimp for 2 months only to find out their cycle stalled because of the huge spikes. And yes, I did say saltwater fish don’t care… about nitrite. Which is a fact. It’ll kill a freshwater fish quickly, but it takes a ton to bother a saltwater fish. So when you quote me, quote me in context.

[@claudekim7876]

i havent been in the aquarium hobby in a long time. and even i know u have to cycle your tank. i wanna get in to saltwater but with the new dumb rules in canada about fish drugs incase of outbreaks drives me away

[@HelloReef]

Oh I didn't know Canada had new rules. Does that basically mean you can't use antibiotics anymore for fish?

[@claudekim7876]

@@HelloReef nope you need a vet to prescribe it. canada is the laughing stock of the world for a reason.

[@shipmate3577]

Just keep adding fish until one stays alive more than a month. That's how I cycle, using the "Darwin Technique".

[@HelloReef]

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[@sovereignviper90]

I stand behind my former mentor and friend Jake Adam's. For coral only, they don't require a cycled tank, but if any fish or invert is involved, then do the nitrogen cycle.

[@HelloReef]

That's good advice from a true reefing pro!

[@sovereignviper90]

@HelloReef congrats on the Pico line also man! I remember when you first hit KZbin and social media, keep up the good work!!!!

[@sovereignviper90]

@thomasturbato7021 If you're referring to uv diodes in led lighting, then those aren't true UV spectrum. They are getting closet, but really, a true actinic t5 or Phoenix halid are the closest to true UV spectrum but still resulting in the 405-408nm. Newer fixtures such as ai or ecotech use a 408nm "uv" diode. Anything greater than 400nm isn't UV. When looking at Spectrum charts, you look at the peaks in that nanometer range, not the curves. If your referring to UV sterilization then those run at a 385-390nm.