Starting my tank build

[DWhatley]

No, once you reach 0 nitrite, add more ammonia creating substance to continue to grow the bacteria. If you do not add ammonia, the bacteria will die back and you need enough to process left over food from a messy eater in addition to urine and solid waste.

 

[josephw]

No, once you reach 0 nitrite, add more ammonia creating substance to continue to grow the bacteria. If you do not add ammonia, the bacteria will die back and you need enough to process left over food from a messy eater in addition to urine and solid waste.

So get the cycle going and continue to add that ammonia source until the livestock enters the tank, otherwise the system will crash because your not giving the bacteria a food source

 

[Squiderp 12]

Something else I was curious about, in an effort to prevent pests like bristle worms can I start this tank with dry rock and allow time to mature or will live rock be an absolute necessity to get it going?

Technically, bristleworms aren't what you should be worried about. You should be worried about fireworms.
Bristleworms are just detrivores. Fireworms, meanwhile, sting and are predatory to invertebrates.

 

[josephw]

Technically, bristleworms aren't what you should be worried about. You should be worried about fireworms.
Bristleworms are just detrivores. Fireworms, meanwhile, sting and are predatory to invertebrates.

I just don't want do deal with stinging worms. Those guys are nasty

 

[josephw]

Another update. I filed my taxes yesterday and should be getting around $1,300 back. Once I do ill be ordering the rest of my equipment and supplies and then getting things in motion. Decided to try diy rock so while I do that and begin the curing processes for it I figure ill start cycling my tank too. Started looking at skimmers again I'm kinda stuck between a reef octopus or a skimz model I saw. Also I was wanting to ask would it be a good investment to get a DC return pump so I can set the flow rate? I plan on just running with an hob siphon overflow.

 

[DWhatley]

Why hob siphon? I definitely recommend drilling for two bulkheads and using a weir configuration over a siphon setup. I know some of the commercially available hob siphon setups are supposed to be fool proof but that still leaves issues with octoproofing.

 

[josephw]

I'd rather just buy the box and seal it up somehow than worry about breaking the $250 fish tank I just bought or paying some guy I dont know to break it for me. Besides that I might end up doing other things with the tank down the road that won't require an overflow if I ever tire out on octos or saltwater stuff so I'd rather not drill it. I'm pretty fairly handy with tools and plastic work.