Cycling and Oceanic trickle filter 250 series

How big is that? I think we had a 150 series. If I were you I would ge t the biggest tank you have room for to use as a sump. You can use the trickle filter as a sump, just take out the bio-balls. As far as cyclying, if you buy cured live rock you wont have a cycle./DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif

 

Bio balls and other filtration along those lines are great for freshwater tanks. SW and especially reef tank are a totally different animal. Please do some additional research in regards to whatever system you want before you make any decisions./DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif

 

bioballs have been bastardized by the sw community mainly because of their lack of denitrification power. In live rock and deep sand beds, marine bacteria have the capacity to convert nitrate (NO3) to nitrogen gas (which evaporates into the atmosphere), essentially aiding you by reducing nitrogenous build up. Bio balls have been called "nitrate" factories in this regard, simply because they lack further processing capacity because of their focus on aerobic filtration (converting ammonia to nitrite, and nitrite to nitrate (NH3--->NO2--->NO3)). This aerobic process is equally efficient with live rock, with the added benefits of denitrification.


Fresh water aquarists have lacked focus on denitrification techniques simply because water is cheap for them, they don't need salt, they don't usually need to purify, and thus added cost and emphasis on denitrification is useless. However I would argue that because corals utilize the various ionic salts (Ca, Mg, St, etc esp trace elements) and due to chemotaxis, and other forms of chemical warfare between corals in the reef aquarium we would be equally well suited to reduce our emphasis on reducing the frequency of water changes and just do some damn water changes!


In terms of cycling, you probably will have a some small cycle despite the use of live healthy rock. Especially if you don't know a great deal about the condition of that rock. If you're getting it from a retailer, it has likely spent a lot of time wrapped in wet newspaper recently and has many dead and dying organisims on it still. Make sure you visit a reputable retailer for your live rock needs, I've seen some nasty stuff being slung, and most people (especially upon first entering the trade (hell even after a LONG time in the trade, who buys live rock often?)) most people don't know the first thing about choosing live rock. Best to err on the side of caution and treat every rock like it is still being cured.