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Originally Posted by Ryan
Do i still need to go through the whole cycle thing even though i have no fish or other inverts, do i still need to go through a cycle. I know i will have a amonia spike when i add the LR but do i need to add mollies to get the cycle going and what not or will the LR do this for me. All LR will be purchased cured.
Question 2:
" How long do you think it will take for my tank to cure? A rough estimate will be fine.
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Do you need to go through a cycle? Yes, 'fraid you don't have much say in the matter.
Bear in mind that 100% of aquarists misuse the term "cycle" in common usage. A tank isn't "cycled" or "uncycled" - that would imply that there is a specific amount of nitrifying bacteria required in the tank and any number above or beneath that count makes the tank "uncycled". When we talk about a tank being cycled we basically mean the tank has reached a level of bacterial stability that we subjectively consider acceptable. You have millions of bacteria living in your tank, be it brand spanking new or 30 years old. The populations are constantly in flux, so really all we're interested in is the stability.
What's the point of my tirade? (I'm beginning to forget..) Your LR, cured or no, constantly has things being born and dying in and on it. Add it to your tank and it *will* "cycle" the tank without the use of a guppy of ammonium chloride or a rotting shrimp. The bacteria will take some time to spread throughout your substrate and pipes, but that rock is already loaded with enough to do the job for you.
Considering what you're trying to do, I would just let the rock sit in the tank for a week max (give it the sniff test before it goes in, too) and do an ammonia test. If the test reads absolutely zero, no problems. If there's something showing up, just wait until it drops to zero and you're good to go. Or, for that matter, just wait until it stops rising, then do a huge water change and you're ready to go (if ammonia has levelled off or is on the decline, clearly the bacteria now have the upper hand on the bio load and it won't go up anymore unless something big dies).
It's a bit of a risky venture doing everything that quickly, so if you can wait a couple weeks or more, do so. Patience is really the only thing needed to succeed in reefkeeping, it's free, and not enough people are willing to get some.