cycling a new tank

[marvinsae]

just purchased distilled water and substrate for my new tank. added the substrate a few hours earlier but here are my parameters

temp 20C (tank hasn't heated up the whole way yet...)
salinity 1.026
calcium 420-440
pH 7.5-8
Ammonia 0

i thought the live sand would start the cycle? do i need to introduce live rock?

[Bloodasp]

You just set up your tank today? Cycling a tank does not start immediately as soon as you add your rocks and sand. And yeah get some live rocks in there.

[marvinsae]

it's also really foamy...will i have to wipe that down or will it disappear...i know the cloudiness will take time

[outacontrol]

only bad things happen fast in this hobby, if you are expecting instant results you might want to go buy a dog.
leave your tank run for the next few days, and use this time to read some info on aquariums, then buy some live rock, and let it sit for a few more weeks while you continue to research the details of salt water aquariums.
please read as much as you can before you buy any livestock and kill it

[marvinsae]

oh trust me i've done a lot of research before i even started lookin for a tank. im just asking why the cycling hasn't started. do i need more then live sand is what im basically asking.

[outacontrol]

the cycle is going to take several weeks, it is not something that is noticable within hours of adding sand, salt and water.

[RIPTANK]

Your parameters will read good at start and will change as the tank cycles. Live sand might not even be alive depending on how long it's been on the shelf.

Definitely pick up some live rocks and ask someone with an established tank to give you a bucket or two of cycled water if you don't wanna wait forever.

[marvinsae]

what's a good amount of live rock to pick up for now? i have a 65 gallon tank with 40 gallon sump.

[Bloodasp]

Go for as much as you can afford without overfilling the tank of course. About 60-80 lbs depends on how light the rocks are. That would also give you a better idea on how the rocks will go together rather than buying one at a time and ending up with a few leftover that somehow don't fit, you can always cement or glue them together but still that would be a lot of cutting and drilling just to get them to stay where you want.