Cycling a tank

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I have been wondering about this for a while and it may be a stupid question.
If I start a NEW tank with synthetic salt, new aragonite and artificial rock and do not add any live rock or sand will the tank still cycle properly. Is it imperitive to add a small amount of live rock/sand to get the bacteria
population started ? Or could I use something like Cycle or an equivalent to boost the bacterial population.
 
Hi Smithers,

The tank wont cycle properly? Wont cycle at all more like it.
You'll definitely need some live rock in there, to get the nitrogen cycle going.
If you add no live rock(Thus adding no bacteria), then when you add a fish you will have no nitrifying bacteria to break down the ammonia(Fish poop) to nitrite and no denitrifying bacteria to break the nitritate further down to nitrate.
Conclusion: Add some live Rock.:)
 
you can do that or the "slow" approach is to cycle the tank with just food, pop a prawn in. I've also heard ppl cycle with molly's. Then add the LR and wait for another mini cycle
 
The prawn (dead not an alive one) approach would work best in that situation...
 
The tank wont cycle properly? Wont cycle at all more like it.

Sorry to disagree with you. The setup will cycle with almost nothin in it. It is just bound to take much longer and only be able to support a very light bioload. Bacteria will grow on almost anything and they will be in almost any water including tap water. Maybe even in R.O. water.
 
well in essence they do grow in some form of RO, we just add salt to the RO and most salts "claim" no PO4, NO2, NO3
 
Sorry to disagree with you. The setup will cycle with almost nothin in it. It is just bound to take much longer and only be able to support a very light bioload. Bacteria will grow on almost anything and they will be in almost any water including tap water. Maybe even in R.O. water.

Interesting...
Sure bacteria will grow, but not to the standards us reefnuts want!!:lol:
 
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