Aquarist007
New member
If you put 5 lbs a week into your established tank you should be fine and not notice any kind of a spike--the established system will take care of the rock better then the garbage can
Beginner's guide to Live Rock
- Thread starter Palmetto
- Start date
KristyS96
New member
Newbie here...
Newbie here...
This is a helpful post, but I do have one question.
I have a 37 gallon tank setup - NEW - no fish, no livestock, only 50lbs of live rock in the curing process. I've tested the watered each day and am only getting a reading for ammonia.
When should I be seeing nitrites and nitrates in the water? The tank was only setup 3 days ago, but I though I would be seeing something other than ammonia by now.
Thanks!
Kristy
Newbie here...
This is a helpful post, but I do have one question.
I have a 37 gallon tank setup - NEW - no fish, no livestock, only 50lbs of live rock in the curing process. I've tested the watered each day and am only getting a reading for ammonia.
When should I be seeing nitrites and nitrates in the water? The tank was only setup 3 days ago, but I though I would be seeing something other than ammonia by now.
Thanks!
Kristy
hogall
New member
Tonga Kaelini Live Rock
Tonga Kaelini Live Rock
In the process of converting my FLWR to a Reef. I have around 200 lbs of Marco Rocks in it; it been up and running for over a year.
Could I just add 50lbs of live rock at a time directly into the tank? Thinking to do this every three month (add total of 150lbs)
Current Setup:
300 Gallons Main tanks
100 Gallons Sump
EuroReef RS250
Phosphate Reactor
DSB (6inches)
200 Lbs Marco Rocks
Livestock:
2 Yellow Tangs
1 Sailfin Tangs
2 Tomini Tangs
1 Scopas Tang
1 Algae Benny
9 Green Chromis
4 Candy Stripe Cardinal
4 Barrette Wrasse
1 Mystery Wrasse
1 Longnose Hawk
100+ Snail
Had 150 Hermit Crabs (Now just one fat Mystery Wrasse)
Tonga Kaelini Live Rock
In the process of converting my FLWR to a Reef. I have around 200 lbs of Marco Rocks in it; it been up and running for over a year.
Could I just add 50lbs of live rock at a time directly into the tank? Thinking to do this every three month (add total of 150lbs)
Current Setup:
300 Gallons Main tanks
100 Gallons Sump
EuroReef RS250
Phosphate Reactor
DSB (6inches)
200 Lbs Marco Rocks
Livestock:
2 Yellow Tangs
1 Sailfin Tangs
2 Tomini Tangs
1 Scopas Tang
1 Algae Benny
9 Green Chromis
4 Candy Stripe Cardinal
4 Barrette Wrasse
1 Mystery Wrasse
1 Longnose Hawk
100+ Snail
Had 150 Hermit Crabs (Now just one fat Mystery Wrasse)
Aquarist007
New member
Re: Newbie here...
Re: Newbie here...
the process can take a few weeks. You have an ammonia reading so that is good--it will go down to zero as your nitrates climb and then your nitrates will go down to zero. Alot depends on the cured state of your live rock and as a result how much dead stuff is released into the water
you might not ever see a nitrite level--happens very quickly compared to the ammonia and nitrate levels.
Re: Newbie here...
the process can take a few weeks. You have an ammonia reading so that is good--it will go down to zero as your nitrates climb and then your nitrates will go down to zero. Alot depends on the cured state of your live rock and as a result how much dead stuff is released into the water
you might not ever see a nitrite level--happens very quickly compared to the ammonia and nitrate levels.
Aquarist007
New member
Re: Tonga Kaelini Live Rock
Re: Tonga Kaelini Live Rock
with this amount of critters that's alot of live rock to add at once
would suggest to go slow and add 10 lbs a week.
what are you using for substrate?
Re: Tonga Kaelini Live Rock
with this amount of critters that's alot of live rock to add at once
would suggest to go slow and add 10 lbs a week.
what are you using for substrate?
Is it possible to tell me what type of rock I have your descrption seems like some is fiji and then the middle rock and the one that looks like a aligator head along with the other one on the right side do not
When I boughtit The price shocked me so much $10 pd that I blanked out and told the guy to give some 75 pds I like my rock it came out nice But would like to knwo what I have? If you need closer photos let me know.
When I boughtit The price shocked me so much $10 pd that I blanked out and told the guy to give some 75 pds I like my rock it came out nice But would like to knwo what I have? If you need closer photos let me know.
Aquarist007
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12010575#post12010575 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ricky1066
Is it possible to tell me what type of rock I have your descrption seems like some is fiji and then the middle rock and the one that looks like a aligator head along with the other one on the right side do not
When I boughtit The price shocked me so much $10 pd that I blanked out and told the guy to give some 75 pds I like my rock it came out nice But would like to knwo what I have? If you need closer photos let me know.
can't tell whether it is figi or tonga--yours looks very porous which i believe is figi
the key is that it is very porous and that good for housing bacteria
hogall
New member
Re: Re: Tonga Kaelini Live Rock
Re: Re: Tonga Kaelini Live Rock
Thanks for the reply. I have about 160lbs Seaflor (Special Grade Reef Sand) & 100 lbs of live sand currently in the tank.
So far everything test okay. zero on phosphate, NO3. I have been adding ESV two parts to the tank for about 3 months. Using API test kit; my Calcium is roughly at 320 and the DHK is at 10 - does this sound right?
Sorry for the neebie questions. Thanks in advance.
Re: Re: Tonga Kaelini Live Rock
Thanks for the reply. I have about 160lbs Seaflor (Special Grade Reef Sand) & 100 lbs of live sand currently in the tank.
So far everything test okay. zero on phosphate, NO3. I have been adding ESV two parts to the tank for about 3 months. Using API test kit; my Calcium is roughly at 320 and the DHK is at 10 - does this sound right?
Sorry for the neebie questions. Thanks in advance.
Aquarist007
New member
Re: Re: Re: Tonga Kaelini Live Rock
Re: Re: Re: Tonga Kaelini Live Rock
no, your calcium should be around 400 and your magnesium at 1300 for a reef tank with corals
I would use the salifert tests for these--more accurate in my opinion.
Dkh 10 is great---and because of that I would use Kent turbo calcium to bring up the calcium level--its a chloride so it won't affect the alkalinity level
there is a chemical calculator on the first page of the chemistry form which will tell you how much you need and how fast you can add it
the two part is great to maintain levels but too costly to raise them substantially
again I would not raise the calcium level until the mag level was at 1300ppm--you need that level to support a calcium level of 400 or greater
Re: Re: Re: Tonga Kaelini Live Rock
no, your calcium should be around 400 and your magnesium at 1300 for a reef tank with corals
I would use the salifert tests for these--more accurate in my opinion.
Dkh 10 is great---and because of that I would use Kent turbo calcium to bring up the calcium level--its a chloride so it won't affect the alkalinity level
there is a chemical calculator on the first page of the chemistry form which will tell you how much you need and how fast you can add it
the two part is great to maintain levels but too costly to raise them substantially
again I would not raise the calcium level until the mag level was at 1300ppm--you need that level to support a calcium level of 400 or greater
I know when I bought it the guy asked if I wanted fiji and I said I don't know whatever But when I went back a few weeks later and asked him he gave me another name not fiji or tonga Just don't remember
It is heavy the 3 in the middle and the two on the end are with holes in it pourus which they might be fiji
It is heavy the 3 in the middle and the two on the end are with holes in it pourus which they might be fiji
Aquarist007
New member
your tanks doing great so I wouldn't worry about it
dlee300z
Wannabe Reefer
I inherited about 100 pounds of liverock and he had it sitting in an ice chest for over a year now.
During the summer months, he had a powerhead running in it but during the winter, he just left it.
I know for sure that anything alive in there is probably dead except that I noticed one particular rock still had some dead looking zoa's on it.
Anyways, I have it at home now w/ fresh saltwater, w/ a powerhead and heater at 80degrees.
It's been sitting like that in my garage for about 2 weeks now.
My question is, should I just test for ammonia/nitrite/nitrates and if it's all 0 then i can start adding it to my cycled tank?
Also, during the few months of no heater and powerhead, would that have caused the live-rock to be rendered useless?
During the summer months, he had a powerhead running in it but during the winter, he just left it.
I know for sure that anything alive in there is probably dead except that I noticed one particular rock still had some dead looking zoa's on it.
Anyways, I have it at home now w/ fresh saltwater, w/ a powerhead and heater at 80degrees.
It's been sitting like that in my garage for about 2 weeks now.
My question is, should I just test for ammonia/nitrite/nitrates and if it's all 0 then i can start adding it to my cycled tank?
Also, during the few months of no heater and powerhead, would that have caused the live-rock to be rendered useless?
I just bought 50lbs of the "premium" Fiji rock off of ebay here in CA. When the rock arrived it really looked pretty good, but after a couple of months now, there is nothing left on any of the rocks (no corolline algae, etc). Plus I haven't noticed any type of other life in the rock at all. At this point it doesn't look any more alive then my Marco base rock did...
On my last tank I bought some cheapo rock from the LFS and after a couple of days I noticed it had all kinds of life on it (couple of corals, lots of worms, etc). This premium rock... nothing... It's all white at this point with apparently nothing else in it. No worms, nothing (and I've been looking hard, and I know how to). I was really bummed about that (especially paying so much more for it!) My calcium levels have been kept high and everything is good water wise, but I just can't seem to get the rock to liven back up yet (maybe I need to wait longer??? it's been in there a little over two months). I've been using Purple up now for about a month, still nothing...
I just ordered a bit more of a different type to see what that does (I'm like most, I like to get different types of LR from different places to mix things up). Hopefully this next batch will be a little more full of life, since I'm paying twice as much as even the I did the premium...
Seems like LR is hit or miss when it comes to south pacific rock.
In my 240g tank I actually bought some of that Florida cultured stuff. It wasn't very porous (very heavy), but it was ABSOLUTELY FULL of life. I was just floored at how much more life was on the Florida / Caribbean rock, compared to ANY of the nice south pacific rocks I've bought. And I have bought a lot from many different sources.
The only thing that was one of those I liked, but not always, things about the Florida rock, were all the bi-valves on it. I got the show rock with lots of bi-valves. They were cool, but sometimes they just got in the way.
Anyway, just throwing out my experience so far.
BTW, if anyone knows of a place that truly sells good south pacific rock with some good life on it, let me know. Maybe I haven't tried that particular source yet. Always looking for more...
On my last tank I bought some cheapo rock from the LFS and after a couple of days I noticed it had all kinds of life on it (couple of corals, lots of worms, etc). This premium rock... nothing... It's all white at this point with apparently nothing else in it. No worms, nothing (and I've been looking hard, and I know how to). I was really bummed about that (especially paying so much more for it!) My calcium levels have been kept high and everything is good water wise, but I just can't seem to get the rock to liven back up yet (maybe I need to wait longer??? it's been in there a little over two months). I've been using Purple up now for about a month, still nothing...
I just ordered a bit more of a different type to see what that does (I'm like most, I like to get different types of LR from different places to mix things up). Hopefully this next batch will be a little more full of life, since I'm paying twice as much as even the I did the premium...
Seems like LR is hit or miss when it comes to south pacific rock.
In my 240g tank I actually bought some of that Florida cultured stuff. It wasn't very porous (very heavy), but it was ABSOLUTELY FULL of life. I was just floored at how much more life was on the Florida / Caribbean rock, compared to ANY of the nice south pacific rocks I've bought. And I have bought a lot from many different sources.
The only thing that was one of those I liked, but not always, things about the Florida rock, were all the bi-valves on it. I got the show rock with lots of bi-valves. They were cool, but sometimes they just got in the way.
Anyway, just throwing out my experience so far.
BTW, if anyone knows of a place that truly sells good south pacific rock with some good life on it, let me know. Maybe I haven't tried that particular source yet. Always looking for more...
If you already have a live sand bed and you add a live rock in it would the sand bed be able to absorb so to speak the cycling of the rock?
This is the way I did it in an 8.5 gal tank and I never had any changes in my water tests? I used the bagged live sand, about 20LBS worth with water in it that states no cycling required. I let it run for two weeks then added a single 5lb to 8lb live rock let it set for a week and still no changes?
This is the way I did it in an 8.5 gal tank and I never had any changes in my water tests? I used the bagged live sand, about 20LBS worth with water in it that states no cycling required. I let it run for two weeks then added a single 5lb to 8lb live rock let it set for a week and still no changes?
So curing a live rock is really what its name says? Your curing the sick rock essentially bringing it back to life... I.E. live rock...LOL
Sorry I just spent the last 6 hours working with correction DOING my daughters 5th grade science project due tomorrow... Don't forget I live in japan so its 11 at night right now..
Thanks for the information. Great thread.
Sorry I just spent the last 6 hours working with correction DOING my daughters 5th grade science project due tomorrow... Don't forget I live in japan so its 11 at night right now..
Thanks for the information. Great thread.
Fizz71
FragSwapper
Actually curing serves 2 purposes. 1 is to bring the life up to speed like you mentioned, but the other is to cleanup what died on the rock's trip from the ocean (or farm) to your tank.
The longer the rock is cold and drying out, the more that will die off. There are also sponges and other creature that will not survive the upheaval from it's starting point that die and decompose on and in the rock. The rock should still have enough bacteria alive to eventually take care of all the dead matter and even multiply in numbers as it goes....but it takes time. If that time is taken up in somebody else's curing vat it saves you the trouble of cycling time and the smell.
The longer the rock is cold and drying out, the more that will die off. There are also sponges and other creature that will not survive the upheaval from it's starting point that die and decompose on and in the rock. The rock should still have enough bacteria alive to eventually take care of all the dead matter and even multiply in numbers as it goes....but it takes time. If that time is taken up in somebody else's curing vat it saves you the trouble of cycling time and the smell.
The smell test is the best method to see the patients condition. 
If, when you open the shipping box, the LR smells like the funeral home blew it then you have uncured LR. If you can invite people to your home for dinner that night then the LR is probably pretty well cured.
No amount of LS will be able to handle "smelly rock". There is far too much material in active decomposition for the denitrifying bacteria in a sand bed to handle. Until the decomposing material is fully hydrolyzed and digested, the ammonia will be extremely high and the rock will not be suitable for use as a biological filter. When the cure is complete then ammonia levels drop and the sand can start processing nitrogen in the desire manner. It all takes time.
If, when you open the shipping box, the LR smells like the funeral home blew it then you have uncured LR. If you can invite people to your home for dinner that night then the LR is probably pretty well cured. No amount of LS will be able to handle "smelly rock". There is far too much material in active decomposition for the denitrifying bacteria in a sand bed to handle. Until the decomposing material is fully hydrolyzed and digested, the ammonia will be extremely high and the rock will not be suitable for use as a biological filter. When the cure is complete then ammonia levels drop and the sand can start processing nitrogen in the desire manner. It all takes time.
Ok guys I have another question for you. When I moved to Japan I set up my RSM and used the tap water + 3" of crushed coral for a bed. I was use to using my well water in the states so I didn’t think about tap water in Japan being evil and I didn’t know people do not recommend crushed coral at the time.
Now I have a red slime algae and green hair algae out the yang... I have switched over to distilled water and cleaned the tank tons of times but it still comes back. I think due to the crushed coral.
My plan was to completely tear down, clean the tank and replace the crushed coral with live sand. What should I do with the live rock? I would like to kill off everything on it. What should I clean the tank with? Thanks for your time and sharing your knowledge.
Now I have a red slime algae and green hair algae out the yang... I have switched over to distilled water and cleaned the tank tons of times but it still comes back. I think due to the crushed coral.
My plan was to completely tear down, clean the tank and replace the crushed coral with live sand. What should I do with the live rock? I would like to kill off everything on it. What should I clean the tank with? Thanks for your time and sharing your knowledge.
