Aquascape dry rock before or after cycle

[BayBHuey]

Hi new reefer here...Im starting my first tank and I read in a sticky that I want to cycle my dry rock in a separate bin rather than my tank

This maybe be a dumb question but I was going to aquascape then put the rock in the tank and cycle but after reading the sticky I want to cycle the dry rock in a bin first then I can put it in the tank...so when would be the best time to aquascape? Before the cycle when the rock is dry or after the rock cycle when the rock is wet? Any thoughts or ideas are much appreciated

BayBHuey

 

[Eug40]

After rock cycle is easiest and best. Cycling in buckets is much easier than in the tank. Cycle in buckets with lids for a few weeks, after nitrate spikes and stablizes, than you can place in tank however you want. Be ready for a potential diatom and algae bloom though.

 

[allendehl]

It depends on what you call dry rock. If it is real dry rock, never used in another tank, you can do your aquascape as soon as you get your rocks and start the cycle with them in the tank, there should not be any die off.
Now, if you're getting your rock from an older tank, basically it was "live rock" at some point then yes you may have some leaching.

I did mine with real live rock combined with dry rock and the cycle was over in less than a week.

 

[BayBHuey]

Hi...thanks for your response...the dry rock I have hasnt been in a tank before...half the dry rock is caribsea base rock and the other half is base rock from florida which looks exactly the same...here is a pic of what it looks like

BayBHuey

 

[BayBHuey]

I thought I should just confirm its okay to aquascape with wet rock? I should clarify a little what I am asking too is that I saw a video that said you wanna super glue these rocks together with this jurassic gel and rods so they dont fall and cause problems...will this gel stick to wet rocks or can the wet rock dry a bit to glue together and then put that in the tank...maybe Im being too technical lol

BayBHuey

 

[s.katyarmal]

I would use hydraulic cement from Home Depot to hold rocks together instead of super glue or epoxy putty. Superglue failed me before as rocks don't have super flat surfaces.


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[allendehl]

I would not super glue rocks together. Just make sure to wiggle them down in the sand and they stay firm. When mounting rocks on top of each other, build a good and stable support and just try with several and see where they fit the best, once they are stable and firm (give them a little push) they shouldn't move.
I had to remove almost all to capture all my fish for treatment, it was a strong enough pain, now imagine if thee were glued together!
Other people drill holes and get creative joining them with plastic rods, that is cool since you can achieve really nice shapes but its quite a work and ok only if you are 100% sure of the final result you want. Me? I redid my aquascape a couple of times after my initial version, I would have ended with swiss cheese.