Today’s Cycling Techniques: 10 Questions That Guarantee a Better Cycle and Healthier Aquarium.

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BRStv - Saltwater Aquariums & Reef Tanks

Күн бұрын

Should I cycle my rock PRIOR to aquascaping? How can I avoid ruining my saltwater aquarium's cycle? Today, Ryan and Randy are answering these and other reef tank cycling questions that you didn't think to ask!
#BRStv
00:00 - Open
00:12 - Introduction
00:25 - Is Today’s Cycle Only About Ammonia?
01:56 - How Do I Get Coralline Algae To Grow?
02:59 - What’s The Most Common Way To Ruin Your Cycle?
05:00 - Does Acclimation Mode Actually Help Prevent Pests?
05:55 - What Are These Spots I’m Seeing?
06:49 - What If I Hate The Ugly Phase?
07:33 - Should I Cycle The Rock Before I Aquascape?
08:54 - How Do I Add Biome To The Tank?
10:12 - Do Bacteria Supplements Have All The Biome I Need?
11:03 - What’s The Best Way To Cycle?
12:03 - Close
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Пікірлер: 99

@fishpony1211 2 жыл бұрын

Love all your videos. Wish i had this plethora of videos decades ago when i first started. Learning new things from you guys and its as easy as pressing play. Thank you for what you do for the reefing community.

@dusk1947 2 жыл бұрын

I think we're past using the word: "Cycle". That simply describes the mineralization of organic nitrogen. What we're trying to do today: is establish an ecological balance, starting with sterile rock. "Biome" is a descent way of describing the diversity required to achieve that. Your point of it being an artifact, was well put.

@mattb2906 2 жыл бұрын

Agreed, but the cycle is still a thing and that portion of the biome is critical to fish surviving while other biome members are critical for a thriving and beautiful reef tank.

@dobermanguy9437 2 жыл бұрын

Your tank still has to cycle no matter how you do it it's not like let's throw everything in there and we're going to be fine it don't work like that when I cycle a tank I usually will take some gravel out of it one of my established tanks that is disease-free or bio balls and throw a couple of damsels in there there's all kind of ways to do it but I'm not a big fan of bacteria in a bottle how do you know if the stuff even works or is working I think a lot of that stuff is just to take your money I'm kinda old school been in The Saltwater hobby since 1986 I wonder if any of you even remember Marine Enterprises salt it's kind of funny you don't even see that stuff around anymore

@anonanon7497 Жыл бұрын

I think we're also past saying "descent" instead of "decent", if we're going to be boringly pedantic.

@marcopalazzo9349 11 ай бұрын

@@dobermanguy9437certainly are bacteria that work instantly. Most don't tho. I only trust 1 bottle of bacteria that I could start a cycle free tank but I wouldn't do that anyway. I start up a tank very similar to you.

@magnumstrategies1311 2 жыл бұрын

Just stepped into the world of reefing. Ive bought a tank and am slowly going through this absolute wealth of information to learn as much as possible. Wanted to take a moment to say thank you for the time, effort and knowledge you guys at BRS have put into these videos. Its made it much more accessible to me and gives me confidence moving forward with each aspect. Just picked up a 5x2x2 tank and am just about to watch your series on lighting. Much respect and gratitude from Kent, UK

@gb3496 Жыл бұрын

Has the "biome in a bottle" testing concluded...? Ryan said in about 3 months we should know... It's been a year now...

@waynenergy 2 жыл бұрын

Thank You guys. I should have watch this way before I started my reef tank.

@Slip-Art_S14 11 ай бұрын

Thank you guys!

@lamshao 2 жыл бұрын

I just took 10gal from my established tank to start my kids 10gal. Worked out well!!

@markonovakovic9741 2 жыл бұрын

Green hair algae is called green hair algae because it makes you pull you hair out,... and it's also green 😅

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

😆 That makes a lot of sense!

@takimbe 2 жыл бұрын

Love your stuff and sucking up all the information before I start back into things! Would love to see an update to the ULM series based on the advancement of tech from the past few years!

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

The ULM tanks have all been taken down to make room in Ryan's office for the 360 gallon system. It would be really interesting to revisit that subject as there have been some things hitting the market recently that could make it less time consuming and easier to pull that off.

@jasonluther3567 2 жыл бұрын

I've been waiting on this. I just re plenished my sanded with 5lbs of oceans direct. Shit is crazy. My tank clouded for 48 hours now clear. I see all kinds of bacteria webs everywhere. I seen it more prevalent in this than bacteria in a bottle. I think this and coraline In a bottle will be how I cycle from now on. Algae is just smothering out rn. I haven't checked my nutrients in ab a week. But gauging how algae looks rn I'd say it's on point. Not to mention my sand bed usually greened up fast. It's still pretty clean with a little diatom on it. I expected that though

@georgeduncan8946 2 ай бұрын

Cycles 5 -9 days...🤗🤗 .always washed sand ,rocks in Dechlorinated water & then seeded them in Seachem bacteria product &. Ceramics,sponge in my filter!!!!

@joseguadalupeguillenrostro7673 Жыл бұрын

Hi, guys! Love your videos. Hi, from Mexico. I’ve got a question. Do I need to do water changes during the cycle process? If so, is it a weekly 10 percent? And, do I need to add fish food if I’m using Dr.Tim’s or any type of bacteria? Thank you.

@renedejong6386 2 жыл бұрын

Just started a 15 gallon nano tank . took some water (10 gallon ) and a bio-block from my 80 gallon tank and some new fresh made water . after 3 weeks running 0 nitrite and 0 nitrate and some coral-alagea growt on the purple dry (arka )rock and the lether coral witch i ad from the begining do fine (with a les bit of flow) . my 80 gallon (lo tech) tank runs now on 0,0 nitrate and zero phosphate, even my sump grows coralline alagea( i stopt using T5 and run a tunze fuge(refugium light) now because i took way to long cleaning the skimmer from coralline algea (playing crazy scientist with adding NO3 and PO4) for that result try bio-rein from aqua-light , with no fancy colors or stickers but does the job (german) and im trying a new gadged a VCA radom flow nozzle , didt expect it to work , but does ! Thank u for that amerika

@xanderjones2747 2 жыл бұрын

Question: 1) should I add copapods to my tank, and if so when? Do I need to restock them periodically? What are they good for? 2) what is the best way to seed coralline algae?

@Cookiebit21 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome video guys. Would love it if after you do all your testing you actually set up a tank and cycle it based on everything you’ve learnt. Would be great to get a step by step guide where we watch you so we can follow exactly when to start adding bacteria, fish, cuc, running uv, light cycles etc. I’d like to see a Ryan vs Randy approach to see who can do it the quickest with the least problems right up to adding the first SPS.

@jasonluther3567 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe not the fastest. But definitely using a little more affordable stuff. So we can expand our knowledge on how things work and don't work. Like instead of tropic Marin using other salts like red sea and brightwell. Instead of Neptune's and Radeon using kessil and ai. Dosing using brightwell, red sea, etc instead of all for reef. Just something fun. Showing everyone how promoted products actually perform instead of the same tried and true every time.

@sinatra617 Жыл бұрын

So if im cycling a biocube would it be better to use no light or just use the bkue night lights?

@TimothyBrungs Жыл бұрын

Have you collected data on the Biome diversity of commercially available bacteria products?

@louierockefeller9371 Жыл бұрын

What kind of glue do we use

@talk2yous6 Жыл бұрын

I just finished with Dr. Tim’s cycling and ammonium.I did a big water change but the next day I still have high Nitrates… Will they come down on their own or do I add something in the filter?

@Amethyst. 7 ай бұрын

What is lps and sps light?

@YoshEeve 2 жыл бұрын

I was hoping you guys would have talked about seeding coraline algea in the "how to grow coraline algea" section. I don't have another tank to scrape from as mentioned in past videos. I'm considering ARC reef's coraline algea from the BRS website. Idk if pink would work alone, or if I'll end up needing purple too

@jamesbroderick3660 2 жыл бұрын

See I had the same question. What bottle is better to use or should you use both bottles

@anonanon7497 Жыл бұрын

It's just another algae to be scraping off your glass and a difficult one too.

@kevin8360 5 ай бұрын

You probably don't need the answer at this point, but yes... the bottle stuff will work. Pink, purple, or both. However, it really depends on your water parameters and lighting. The bottled stuff is designed with multiple strains of algae, so that hopefully at least one will like the conditions in your tank. If your tank conditions are crap, then you might not get any. Clearly you would only get pink from the pink bottle and purple from the purple bottle.

@chrisriker8186 2 жыл бұрын

Is a sand like the Arag Alive Fiji Pink sand do something similar to the ocean direct sand you guys discussed today? Same question for the CaribSea dry live rock?

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

The biggest difference between Ocean Direct and Caribsea's other offerings is how the sand is processed. The Ocean Direct sand is kept moist from the time it is collected and when it is bagged. The standard "live sand" is dried, sifted, and then packaged with water and bacteria. For that reason, you'll notice a wider variety of sand grain sizes in the Ocean Direct sand and a more consistent size in the standard live version. The dry rock is man-made rock and is not collected from the ocean like traditional live rock often is/was.

@thetallreeferandson.2312 2 жыл бұрын

thanks. One other thing if I change one side of my aquascape and then did the other side a month later would that be better for the tank . Thank you

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

If you're going to be swapping out the entire aquascape, then best to do it in sections. This will disrupt the biological filtration of the tank, but not nearly as much as swapping all of the rock out at once.

@tomg5405 9 ай бұрын

Where are the bacteria tests?

@mattb2906 2 жыл бұрын

My DT was cycled a month ago from ghost feeding and then I decided to QT my first fish so my DT is now 2.5 months cycled and I’m moving my gramma to it tomorrow! Super excited and planning just an hour or two of light a day and otherwise just ambient sunlight from windows (nothing direct). My QT is now all cycled as well for my next batch of fish, pair of clowns. Now things start to get fun! Regarding the pods, those don’t magically appear right? I need to actually add them or buy some coral on a rock and hope some tag along?

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

They don't magically appear, but sometimes it feels that way. They can be introduced by intentionally adding them, otherwise, they'll usually end up making their way into your tank via a coral frag or other things you might add to the system over time. If you do want to add copepods, Alage Barn stocks a couple great options. www.bulkreefsupply.com/live-goods/pods-phyto.html

@A96RangerPrerunner 2 жыл бұрын

What light would you guys recommend for a 75g aqueon tank

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

There are a lot of variables there depending on the types of coral (if any) that you want to keep. Feel free to give us a call and we'd be happy to hear about your goals for the tank before recommending a light 😃 Phone: 763-432-9691

@StubbyAcro 2 жыл бұрын

It’s better to turn your light on at your intended intensity day one. IIRC Ryan did a 7-month no light cycle on his dream tank and he still got massive algae outbreaks.

@mattb2906 2 жыл бұрын

Were fish added as a part of that “7 month cycle”?

@StubbyAcro 2 жыл бұрын

@@mattb2906 Yup

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

A lot of debate about this still as we try to find the magic key to avoiding the ugly phase of a new tank. We still recommend keeping the lights off for the first few months if you can as we've seen a reduction of how severe the ugly phase gets. Still more to explore on this topic!

@dsanford12 2 жыл бұрын

How do you explain those guys on TV that build acrylic tanks dump in prime , And then put fish in almost immediately thereafter ?

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

The magic of Hollywood. There is a reason they don't come back and show you what that same tank looks like a couple months later 😬

@balter5247 2 жыл бұрын

Hey guys, I am planning a new tank and I have a pretty basic question to ask. I have some dried rock from an old tank of mine 10 years ago. I bought it as live rock and ended up with alot of pest problems (not much algae, but I had tangs). Would you consider these rocks to be "clean" if I was to used it again?

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

You'll have to "cure" the rock before using it again. Curing rock is just the process of removing all of those dead organics from the rock's surface. Here is a video that we did a while back that dug into the best methods for curing rock. While the video may be a couple years old, all of the info is still solid. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qqh5iqSK09Gdm6c.html

@balter5247 2 жыл бұрын

@@BRStv thanks alot, I'll take a look.

@pickle_soup160 11 ай бұрын

I like the look of Coralline, but I have an acrylic. I do not want to see any of it in my tank.

@kiogh5295 Жыл бұрын

Hi can i turn on lights when adding beneficial bacteria when the startup new tank?

@BRStv Жыл бұрын

We usually recommend leaving the tank lights off for a few months when you are first starting your tank. Beneficial bacteria isn't photosynthetic, so adding without your lights on isn't an issue.

@kiogh5295 Жыл бұрын

@@BRStv thank you so much

@brickhunter9537 Жыл бұрын

I’m 6 weeks in with trying to cycle with Dr Tim’s and nothing is happening with ammonia been sitting at 2ppm and nitrites at 0.5 and Nitrate at 10 with no changes. 🙄🤷‍♂️

@BRStv Жыл бұрын

Since your ammonia and nitrites aren't off the charts high, your best bet is just to wait it out. If you notice your Nitrites start to rise and they get above 4 ppm or so, do a large water change (without disturbing the rock or sand) to knock them back. This will allow the bacteria to reproduce more quickly.

@brickhunter9537 Жыл бұрын

@@BRStv Thanks for the reply, I’m dreading that I wait another 6 weeks to find I had a dud Dr Tim bottle or something. Which means I’ll have to start over and wasted 3 months.

@Tintl3 2 жыл бұрын

Hey BRStv! I bought "used" live rock which has been in mature reef tank previously. It has been 1 week since placing it in my tank but ammonia and nitrate are reading 0mg/l. Nitrate is however reading 10 ml/l. What is going on?

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

It sounds like the mature live rock harbored enough beneficial bacteria on it to process your new tank's ammonia and nitrite into nitrate. This is one of the biggest benefits of true live rock 😀

@Tintl3 2 жыл бұрын

@@BRStv Makes sense. Thanks for answer!

@melodic_breezy 2 жыл бұрын

Hey guys I have a question regarding the Ocean Direct sand. I am planning on using Caribsea special grade live sand, is this the same as OD or does OD have more beneficial bacteria than the special grade live sand?

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

The biggest difference is that Ocean Direct sand is harvested from the ocean and kept moist. Special Grade live sand is dried, sifted, then bacteria and water added back to it.

@melodic_breezy 2 жыл бұрын

@@BRStv perfect thanks again guys 👌

@tylerneal5390 2 жыл бұрын

When it comes to picking purple rock is there a brand of rock that comes dry not wet? I really want purple rock ive been thinking about getting Real Reef Premium Live Rock it looks great just i dont know if getting a wet rock is a bad idea i have also been looking a caribsea purple life rock i dont want to rush into setting my first tank up. what would be the smartest thing to do when it comes to buying rock i want to do this the right way so any advice would help out greatly. i am a huge fan of videos like these that give great ideas for new people like me

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

If you're overwhelmed with all of the rock choices, check out this video. It's a buyers guide for rock that will give you some insights into why we like certain rock for certain goals over others. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ppagna2E25m8qKc.html

@thetallreeferandson.2312 2 жыл бұрын

Hi . Can I add new dry rock aquascape to an established tank with my original sand . But how long would you recommend for putting bk my fish back in or could I add anything so I can add fish bk straight away or Will they be ok. Thanks

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

Removing established rock and replacing with new rock is a major destabilizing event for the tank. If you're set on doing this, I would suggest that you "cycle" your new rock structure in a container before doing the swap. When you do the swap, add in some bacteria (we usually use MicroBacter7 or Dr. Tim's One and Only) to give the system a kick start in it's ability to process ammonia.

@thetallreeferandson.2312 2 жыл бұрын

@@BRStv thanks. One other thing if I change one side of my aquascape and then did the other side a month later would that be better for the tank . Thank you

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

Definitely better for the tank that way

@michaelross5674 2 жыл бұрын

I'm only having a problem of nitrite not going down ..... also I have nitrate....so I'm guessing it's just a waiting game now right.....I can dose ammonia and get a reading and 24 hours later it is gone

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

If your nitrites are high, you might be best off doing a water change to help knock them back. If your nitrites are greater than around 5 ppm, the bacteria that convert nitrites to nitrates won't reproduce as quickly and your tank could take a longer period of time to complete the nitrogen cycle.

@xanderjones2747 2 жыл бұрын

Is the cycling result video somewhere, I can’t find it.

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

We had some strange things happen and had to abort that test. Maybe we'll revisit in the future.

@Howitzer43715 Жыл бұрын

Hi guys, i just started the cycling process. Initially, i put in a piece of beef and added 60% of a bottle of Bio Pronto. But 12 hours later, i took the beef out and added a shrimp and dosed 1 capful of Bio Pronto. The shrimp has been in there for 24 hours now. Do i turn my skimmer on? How long do you think the cycle will be be as i have added denitrifying bacteria as well. For bio filtration, i have added maxspect bio spheres (3 kg). Thanks

@rollandklontz Жыл бұрын

Leave the skimmer off. When ammonia and nitites are at zero your tank is done cycling You cant rush the process

@Howitzer43715 Жыл бұрын

@@rollandklontz thanks! Approximately for how long?

@rollandklontz Жыл бұрын

@Adil Mustafa I know its frustrating but you have to be patient. It could be any where from 1 week to 3 months for the cycle to complete. All you can do is test every couple of days for ammonia, and when that's at zero, then test for nitrite, and when that is at zero, your cycle is done.

@abyankabir1910 2 жыл бұрын

I was thinking of setting up my tank with real reef rock and live sand or dry sand. What bacteria do you think I should use? I was thinking of using MicroBacter Start XLM to cycle the tank. And then when I do the water changes once a month, I will just add some MicroBacter 7 or MicroBacter Clean. Do you think this will work? Also, should I use MicroBacter 7 or MicroBacter Clean when dosing the tank once a month while doing the water changes? Please reply. Thank you.

@encrustingacro 2 жыл бұрын

I would not recommend using real reef rock because it's not very porous. Most artificial rocks are not that porous.

@abyankabir1910 2 жыл бұрын

@@encrustingacro I am going to use marine pure blocks in the sump. So that should increase the surface area and balance it out right? I am mainly going to use real reef rock because I also want to add a blue tuxedo urchin in my tank and I know that they eat coralline algae. So, if I use white coloured rock, they will eat all the coralline algae and keep it white, instead of the rocks turning purple over time because there won’t be coralline growing right? So what other rock do you suggest I use?

@niral114 2 жыл бұрын

I have cycled many tanks with real reef rock that is the purple one. I used that with arag alive sand. I used fritz turbo start 900 and dropped in a hardy fish. You can't overdose nitryfying bacteria.

@abyankabir1910 2 жыл бұрын

@@niral114 yep thanks!

@encrustingacro 2 жыл бұрын

@@abyankabir1910 If you are going to have marine pure blocks in the sump, then I guess it would be fine.

@karennation3580 Жыл бұрын

so I have cycled my 20 g frag tank but my salinity got really high 1037 because I wasnt topping off the water very often . I have some nitrates and no nitrites anymore and no ammonia. I have been dosing some drops of ammonia just about everyday and by the next day its gone and my nitrites are back to zero. I am cycled right? It has been months and I also started with some live rubble for the frag tank. Did I do the right thing? How do I now get it straight with the salinity? Did I ruin the cycle? Do I just take out water and add back rodi to get it salinity to 1025 or about half the water and very low salinity rodi? I have also been adding mb clean lately as well even with the high salinty! I have been waiting to add frags mainly because I was trying to build a strong cycle and I read or heard someone say that adding amonia makes a strong cycle espially since I have been cycled for a while and had nothing in the tank like fish or corals to keep it going! Please tell me I did the right thing because I have a bunch of high end zoas and shrooms going in there! If I idnt do the right thing how do I correct it! PLEASE HELP! I want to put new frags that will be here in a few days!

@jamesbroderick3660 2 жыл бұрын

What’s the difference between the purple bottle and pink bottle and would you add this to a tank that’s about four months old

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

They are two different strains of coralline algae. While you don't NEED to use both, most reefers who go this direction will so that they have the best chance at establishing coralline in your system. That's a perfect time to add it.

@smidee1 2 жыл бұрын

Can the good bacteria grow in blackout conditions?

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

Most bacteria that we try to foster in our tanks are not photosynthetic, so not having lights isn't an issue. That said, during the cycling of our tanks, we're usually not doing a complete blackout as there will be some ambient light from the surrounding room.

@smidee1 2 жыл бұрын

@@BRStv so if I took black saran Wrap and wrapped around the tank and lid, I would be good. And only take off the Saran Wrap to clean the glass.

@michaelross5674 2 жыл бұрын

Is it good to add pods to my AIO filter....and tank

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

Copepods are a fantastic addition for any reef tank! 🙂

@GarryL277 2 жыл бұрын

My tank has been up and running for 5 months now and it is a fish only system for now and I still don't have any Coralline algae. The system has been running on a super cheap led light very low out put as BRS WILL NOT SEND THE SKY LED LIGHTS TO AUSTRALIA. 😞😞😞😞😞😞😢😢😢😢😢😢

@BRStv 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Garry, At the moment we ship to the United States and Canada. We do allow for a mail forwarding service to be used. If you're interested, the link below has details. www.bulkreefsupply.com/international-shipping