cycling question

[sicklids]

alright, i am in good with my LFS, and the guys there said they would give me some of their water, substrate, and live rock to jump start my cycling. how long should it take with such a good jumpstart? i am putting in a 55 gallon saltwater tank, fish and live rock only, thinking of maybe a snowflake eel, lionfish, and trigger fish.

what exactly does a protein skimmer do?

 

[yote]

With enough live rock and sand,along with used water,its possible to skip the cycle.Just dont depend on that happening.But a cycle can go anywhere from a day to a couple of months.
A skimmer pulls the dissolved organics out of the water.

 

[Bifferwine]

A skimmer is a very effective type of filter. It removes the gunk from your tank and leaves it in a cup for you to dump out.

Like Yote said, it's possible to skip a cycle when using old sand, rock and water, but it doesn't always happen. You will still need to test your water to make sure that is what's happening.