saltwater again

Question
Ok....so i don't just need the live rock, but a supplement rock as well...and is it 55 lbs all together or a different amount on each..also, when u say cycle...what is the water cycling process and can u please tell me how long it would take after the water and sand cycles before i can start adding anenomes and fish...?

Answer
Hi Teresa. I am not sure of the rock question. Do you have a 55 gallon tank? It is usually recommended that you use one pound of live rock per gallon. This helps with the biological filtering of your water. You can add as much or as little live rock as you want and use a base rock to place your live rock on since it won't be seen because it is positioned on the bottom of your tank and is primarily used as a support for your live rock. The water cycling process is a biological process that goes on in the first few weeks of a newly set up aquarium.  Of all the events to take place in the life of your tank, the initial maturation of the biological filter must rank as the most important. This filter rids the tank of metabolic waste products quickly. Failure to properly cycle your tank results in the swift build up of ammonia and nitrites, which are extremely toxic to your livestock. To avoid the build of ammonia and nitrite the tank must become home to several species of aerobic(oxygen loving) bacteria called Nitrosomonas. These bacteria convert the ammonia that builds up in your tank(from fish waste or uneaten food and decaying matter) into nitrite. This is consumed by another bacteria called Nitrobacter. These bacteria convert the nitrites that is the waste product of the first set of bacteria into nitrates. Nitrates are far less toxic to your livestock. This can then be taken one step further by another bacteria under anaerobic(oxygen free) conditions. To properly start this whole process something must be introduced that will produce ammonia. Some people use fish and others will use invertebrates. There is also  commercially available maturation fluid which is put into the tank everyday to start the cycling of your tank. Which way you go is up to you. There is no one way that works better than another. After your tank has fully cycled when you test your tank for ammonia and nitrite you should get a reading of zero for both of these. Nitrates will start to creep up and that is when your tank is fully cycled. Your first partial water change should be performed at this time. Fish can then be added slowly. You never want to add too many fish at any one time. One or two a week is good. An anemone should be added after your tank has fully cycled and has remained stable for at least a month afterwards. Anemones do not tolerate fluctuations in the water chemistry very well and you will want to be sure that your tank is stable enough to support their well being. Some tanks are fully cycled in two weeks and others can take forty day or so. Make sure you are testing your water at least every other day for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate so you will always know where you are in the cycling process. It is really not a matter of time but a series of events that marks the end of the cycling process.