How many cups ls needed to seed 125g

[wontonflip]

How much live sand and/or live rock, do you guys suppose, I would need to seed into a 125g to make cycling go faster? If I put just some base rock, and sand fresh out of a bag, and mix in some of my live sand from my other 2 tanks and maybe a few of the live rocks, how much would be enough so I can start putting 1 or 2 fish without the tank cycling.

Plus, if I seed the tank, how long could the bacteria stay alive before they die off if I don't put in livestock immediately? Should I put a piece of shrimp in there just to ensure that it all stays alive? Ideally, how much livestock should I start off with?

I'm more used to smaller tanks, and I have only ever put 1-2 fish at a time.

 

[project5k]

yea, i wouldnt put any fish in there till after the cycle, it just seems cruel to me. It would be like telling you that you can live in this big new house, but just after you move in, we're gonna pump in a bunch of smoke, and noxious fumes for the first month, and if you survive, then you can stay.

I would say set up the tank with all the base rock you want, put in as much live rock as you can, then put 2 or 3 shrimps in there, right on the sand bottom, oh, and i would guess putting a few cups, spread thin over top of the new sand, and then gently stir the seed sand, and the new sand together, maybe only the top 1/2 inch or so...

and wait, watch your parameters, and wait for the cycle to finish before putting any fish in there. maybe some snails or small crabs, but not fish.

thats just what i would do, YMMV.

 

[yote]

To get by the cycle,you'd have to put at least 20 to 30 pounds of live rock in there.
But you wouldnt have to worry adding any fish just yet.Sometimes we forget that even the pods have to take a crap and pee ever once in while.

 

[dcantucson]

I would use your live sand. Why not! Then again I am not as patient. :D

 

[winyfrog]

I put my sand and rock in right away and let the cycle go. as yote says at least 20-30 pounds to get you started

 

[Frogman]

There is no avoiding getting the nitrogen cycle balanced. You will have an ammonia and nitrite load that will have to be balanced with enough bacteria to handle it. Even in a cycled tank, adding any fish or other load will put the tank out of balance and it takes a few days for the bacteria levels to adjust. Usually we add just a few fish so the effects on water quality are not noticed, but bacteria levels take time to adjust to changes in ammonia production.

With a seeded tank, it shouldn't take more than a few days to get in balance, but I certainly wouldn't add fish until then.