# Cycling a Saltwater tank



## NursePlaty (Feb 5, 2010)

*My friend is cycling a marine tank. Can live rock and live sand be used to cycle a tank? Even if there are no fish or no cleaner animals in the tank? He says he has nitrate readings and its very high.

How can it cycle with no source of ammonia...*


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## csingh07 (Sep 20, 2010)

When you put live rock/live sand in the tank, naturally, organisms that were on that rock/sand will die which creates ammonia. This ammonia created by the death of these organisms is way lower than that in the waste of a fish, so it takes longer to cycle without fish. High nitrates are normal in the cycling stage and go away during water changes. It all depends on where you are in the cycle and how long you have had the tank.
I hope that helped (I'm not very good at helping, but I am working on it!)


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## trouble93 (Nov 8, 2008)

csingh07 said:


> When you put live rock/live sand in the tank, naturally, organisms that were on that rock/sand will die which creates ammonia. This ammonia created by the death of these organisms is way lower than that in the waste of a fish, so it takes longer to cycle without fish. High nitrates are normal in the cycling stage and go away during water changes. It all depends on where you are in the cycle and how long you have had the tank.
> I hope that helped (I'm not very good at helping, but I am working on it!)


+1 that was well said my friend...Just to add if your friend used cured live rock he may not see much ammonia if any. If his rock was not cured and no ammonia source was added like table shrimp his cycle may not have started. There are two types of cycles a hard cycle and a soft cycle. A hard cycle is letting all your levels spike and come down on there own or a soft is when you do water changes as the tank is cycling. Jmo but a hard cycle takes longer but give you a stronger bacteria base.


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