Live Rock......Hmmmm??????

[reefer2006]

I am fairly new to the reef aquarium hobby. I do however have a 85gal fish only salt tank that I have had set up for quite some time (approx. 4yrs). I am now wanting to convert it to a reef tank and I have been reading alot about the live rock. There are a few questions that I currently have.

They are:

How much live rock can you put in a tank at one time without it being a problem? I have read that you don't want to overload your tank all at once. You want to go in stages. So if I was adding 80lbs of live rock to my tank I would want to add 40lbs then wait a month or so and then add another 40lbs. Is this correct??? or can I add it all at once.

If I was to add baserock to my tank to keep my expense down what ratio of base rock to live rock should I use?

Even if live rock is comes to you precured from say, Tampa Bay Marine, do I need to cure it for a period of time before I add it to my tank?

That is what I have for now, any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[kraze3]

Ok if you buy precured LR online, even though its precured there will be some die off with shipping. Adding uncured LR will raise amonia levels and possibly cause a cycle killing your fish. I would either a) add base rock and then add some fully cured LR to seed your baserock or B) Take your fish out(which may not be an option) then add your cured LR and watch for any spikes, once you know your tank id fine you can return your fish

The ration of base rock to LR is up to you, the more LR the faster the baserock will become LR. Within reason of course, I wouldnt add 85 lbs of baserock and 1lb of LR. It could work but would take forever

 

[jimbo045]

I like to blast the LR off with a garden hose to remove any dieing things. JD

 

[Boat Racer]

Do not blast rock with garden hose!!!!!.It could kill your bacteria.Use a scrub brush and salt water mixed in a bucket to dunk and swish the rocks after scrubing them with a hard bristle brush.Its also a good idea to cure it in a tub with power head to adgitate the surface and heater for about three weeks.

 

[theop]

As mentioned, the main reason you don't want to add a bunch of uncured LR at once is that it could cause a cycle in your tank. "Cured" is just a term to indicate that everything dead on the rock is gone and has gone through the normal nitrogen cycle.
Adding uncured rock would be like adding dead corals or fish to your tank.

So you have some options on how to deal with this:

1. Add uncured rock in small amounts (probably 5-10 lbs at a time to your tank).

2. Get fully cured rock. The only sure way to do this is to buy rock locally that is in an existing tank, transfer it underwater with stable pH and temp, and then add it to your tank. You should be able to add as many lbs. of rock as you want this way.

3. Buy uncured rock and "cure" it yourself outside of your tank. The easiest way to do this is get a rubbermaid tub, put your rock in, fill it with new SW, add a heater to keep it at your normal tank temp, and add a powerhead for water movement and aeration. The tub will undergo a normal nitrogen cycle that a new tank would (ammonia -> nitrite -> nitrate -> N2 gas). The last part of removing nitrates is why you get LR in the first place. This could take from days to weeks depending on how much dead matter is on your rock (i.e. how "uncured" it is). You probably want to do this in a basement or garage because it can smell bad.

Hope this helps!

 

[RichConley]

Buy like 10 lbs of really nice LR. Buy like 80lbs of nice dry rock. Add all at once. No worries.

 

[Alaskan Reefer]

What RichConley said.