paal
New member
Hi.
I set up my tank this weekend and have some questions about the live rock / cycling / break in period.
A friend of mine has held a successful reef aquarium for a long time, but he took a break about a year ago. He sold most of his stuff, and placed the remaining rock in a tub with circulation and heat, but no lighting.
This summer I got some dead live rock (had stood dry for some years) I placed this in his tub, hoping some of the remaining life on his rocks would move over to mine. Today, all the rock looks sterile.
Right now I'm wondering how the break in period will be for my tank. I'm not sure whether there are any of the wanted microorganisms in my rock.
If the rock is dead, will the tank never cycle or will it just take more time compared to if I used "œfresh rock"?
Which indications could best tell me if I need to replace my rock, and when should I expect to see them? I was told to just measure NO2 and NO3 after about a week "“ then, if these values were decreasing the following week, I shouldn't worry too much.
I set up my tank this weekend and have some questions about the live rock / cycling / break in period.
A friend of mine has held a successful reef aquarium for a long time, but he took a break about a year ago. He sold most of his stuff, and placed the remaining rock in a tub with circulation and heat, but no lighting.
This summer I got some dead live rock (had stood dry for some years) I placed this in his tub, hoping some of the remaining life on his rocks would move over to mine. Today, all the rock looks sterile.
Right now I'm wondering how the break in period will be for my tank. I'm not sure whether there are any of the wanted microorganisms in my rock.
If the rock is dead, will the tank never cycle or will it just take more time compared to if I used "œfresh rock"?
Which indications could best tell me if I need to replace my rock, and when should I expect to see them? I was told to just measure NO2 and NO3 after about a week "“ then, if these values were decreasing the following week, I shouldn't worry too much.