Lighting needs for LR while it cycles?
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DJChesnutRabbit
New member
You really don't need to worry about light while your curing the LR. Just give it some flow.
hexedagain
New member
I thought if you didn't have light on it, the "live" organisms would die off. Then wouldn't it just be cured rock? Not live rock?
Just asking.
Just asking.
No what makes it live is all the little critters in it that eat the bacteria. With no light the plant life and stuff like that will die off. You want that to come off cause you dont want it in your tank. So all you need is good flow and water changes, and cleaning the rock off. All the little critters will live in the rock.
flfirefighter13
New member
super acts will be fine, not fully needed depending on whats on the rock. If youve got corraline and other growth then light is good, if not dont worry to much. If I know there is no coral or light needing stuff on the rock I usually cure it in the dark just to ensure bad algae and stuff gets killed off and cycles out, really depends on where the rock came from.
DJChesnutRabbit
New member
I agree 100%....My 110 is about 2 months old and absolutly covered in coraline. To me it's a small price to pay to keep the unwanted stuff out.
gwrench
Registered Member
I agree also with little or no lighting for curing of the rock, I disagree with the water change though. Effective skimming is also essential. Performing water changes during the cycling process increases the amount of time for the nitrogen cycle to complete as the ammonia and nitirte reduction slows down the cycle process. IMO
flfirefighter13
New member
The water change depends on how bad the rock is. when there si a lot of die off it will take forever to cure if you dont change it in the beggining. Once it starts to not smell as bad you can reduce the water changes. If you dont get the detritous and gack out with h20 changes you will have to wait for all of it to degrade or get skimmed. water changes will effectively overskim. From what ive seen the majority of if not all the nitrogen cycle occurs in and or on the rock, not in the water column. I may be wrong but I dont recall ever haveing any problems with cycling due to large water changes. fish and coral dont like it but Ive never seen a cycle caused by it. Just my non pro observations.
I think everyone has there own views and I dont think anyone here is wrong. I see the idea of having lights on there and not. It all depends on what is on the rock an d what you want to keep and what you dont want to keep. So just buy the rock you want and look at it when it gets there and make your desion. Its hard to mess this up, the most you can do is make it take longer to cure. Thats all.
thanks for all the suggestions. I think im going to cure it w/ no lights..... Like you guys said, it hard to get rid of the bad stuff-id better do it now while I have the chance.
Finished building my tank/stand and just ordered my ro/di friday. I plan on getting my LR at Ocean direct(formally the fish bowl).....its like 3.50 per lb there! -eric
Finished building my tank/stand and just ordered my ro/di friday. I plan on getting my LR at Ocean direct(formally the fish bowl).....its like 3.50 per lb there! -eric
