A Guide to Cycling A Saltwater Aquarium in 2022- Quickly & Easily
- Jan 22, 2022
- Anshika Mishra
- 348 0 0
In this article, we discuss how to cycle a saltwater aquarium quickly and properly while also minimizing the "ugly stage," At the end, we will discuss the most frequently asked questions about cycling a saltwater aquarium.
Getting Ready
Assuming you would have already added rock, sand, saltwater, and heater. Still, before you start, it is important to check your temperature is around 25-degrees Celcius or 77 Ferhenhiet, and your salinity is somewhere around 35 parts per thousand or 1.026.
Once you have done that, you are ready to start.
Starting the Cycle
In years gone by, the advice was to add frozen pawn to your tank and let it decay. As that happens, the bacteria in your tank will appear naturally and build up upon a big enough population to break down the ammonia and nitrite.
That is toxic to our fish. But, there is no good reason to do that now, as you can buy those bacteria ready to go in a bottle. So, all you need to do is add a bottle of nitrifying bacteria to your tank. You can choose any top brands, and they are more or less the same. However, be sure to select a bottle for saltwater and not freshwater, as both of these bacterias are different.
The bottles are pretty cheap, and it is much better to get a bottle too large for your tank than too small.
Adding Fish
As long as the bottle's salinity and temperature are right, you can add your first fish instantly. There is no need to wait even a day, and it is better to add your fish in the first few days as they will then produce the ammonia your new bacteria need to survive.
You want to make sure that any filters you have, like a skimmer or UV sterilizer, are turned off, so they don't remove the bacteria before they have a chance to settle.
Although, if your filter is the only thing in your tank that creates water movement, leave it on, or add a small powerhead instead to ensure your tank stays oxygenated. Your fish can breathe, and bacteria can multiply.
Ammonia is nasty. If you breathe in pure ammonia, it will make your nose bleed. So, swimming around in the stuff is torture for fish, which is why it is massively important to test ammonia and nitrite for the first week or two to make sure the bacteria is doing its job.
Other Steps
For ammonia, ammonia alerts are the best option. They are cheap and permanently monitor ammonia levels in your tank, which saves you the hassle of carrying out the test procedures. They also last a year, so you don't have to worry about expiring.
There is no equivalent for nitrite. So, buy a cheap nitrite test kit and check it a couple of times in your first week or two to ensure all is well.
Live rock is a valuable addition to a reef tank, and it will already be populated with nitrifying bacteria so that you can think of it as a belt and braces. You can also add an algae-eating fish early on. If your tank is big enough, a Fox Face is the best option, as they are much more peaceful than tanks and won't bully your future tank mates.
Urchins are also an excellent alternative if your tank is too small for an algae-eating fish.
FAQs
Q1. When can I add CUC?
It is fine to add scavengers like cleaner shrimp or hermit crab straight away, as barely any scraps of food your fish miss. But things like Urchins and snails will depend upon the algae that will grow over time. So, it is best to wait a few weeks before adding them.
After a few weeks, you will likely get brown dusting algae on your reefs and tanks. Those are di-atoms which are the bottom of the food chain. So, it is a great time to add snails and urchins, and it won't hurt to use that as your starting point for all cleanup crew.
Q2. How much should I feed?
The bottle bacteria will tell you to feed lightly for the first few days. The best way to do that is with pellet food, as it is easy to measure.
The last thing you want to do is overload a new system with un-eaten food, and a couple of clownfish will be just fine in the early days with a small meal.
Q3. Can I turn my light on straight away?
If you can turn the brights down, then start nice and low, maybe around 20%-30%, so as not to encourage algae growth too much, but if you have a fixed power light, just put it on a short-timer for 6-hours a day and build-up to full 12 hours over the course of a month or so.
Q4. Should I do water changes while cycling?
For the first few weeks, you want to avoid water changes as your tank will have pretty much no nutrients to remove anyway, and all you will do is remove some of the free-floating bacteria in the water column.
But, water that initial stage should always start with ten water changes every week. So, aim to begin weekly water charges after around a month or so and carry on forever.
Q5. Can I use distilled or tap water?
The answer to this is resounding no. You should only use RO/DI water, as you don't want to introduce any unnecessary pollutants. You will often hear people say we keep water, not fish or corals, in this hobby. So, getting water right is paramount and not an area to cut corners on.
Q6. When can I add corals or anemones?
Corals just don't do well in the new tank. So, you want to wait for at least a couple of months before adding your first coral. Adding corals at the beginning of the tank is better advised to experienced reef keepers who know how to care for corals in a new tank, who can recognize the size of coral is dying, not just sulking, and who know what to do when a coral does start to die.
However, if you really want more biodiversity, buy small pieces of live rock. But when adding coral, only choose robust soft coral ad only spend as much money as you are prepared to lose as there is every chance it will fade away and die.
As for anemones, they don't well by reputation is a new tank. They are tricky animals to keep, too, so steer clear until your tank is at least six-months-old and use that time to better research their exacting care requirements.
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