Newbie Cycling week 2

[brianw]

This site has been great but addictive. I am still in my cycle without much change since the day I set it up. I am into my 2nd week and have decided to just let the Deli Shrimp that I put in pantyhose in the tank just rot but not any huge ammonia spike yet. I was thinking... I am also using Seachem Stability every day. Is this detrimental to the buildup of ammonia and advancing my cycle. Probably a dumb question. Thanks for the help!

 

[holley123]

Get an old filter media from a mature system and put it in your filter. That's what I do and It takes less than a week to get the "brown bloom"

 

[superclown]

Anything such as live sand old filter sock or even rock rubble that's been in a old system works great.

 

[brianw]

Good idea guys! I think I might check with one of the reef shops near me.

 

[brianw]

It is as I expected. I stopped dosing with Stability and the ammonia level went up. I am very new to this but I know that ammonia must be present to start the process. 2 weeks into the cycle and all going to plan so far.

 

[seth the wine guy]

Be careful using anything from someone else's system. Socks, rocks, media, etc. Will it help jump start the things you want in the tank? Yes. Will it also risk introducing things you don't want in the tank? Definitely!
I don't know if you started with dry rock or live rock. If you started with all virgin stuff, keep it that way. Once any organism is introduced into the tank it's nearly impossible to remove it. I'm more careful about what I put in my tank than my mouth. And I'm still healthier than my tank!