Liverock

[Wagonpitt]

I bought some rock that was taken out of the tank the day befor i got it. It has been sitting in my garage almost a week. What do i need to do to get it ready so i can put in my already running reef.
I have 90g mixed reef and want to add about 30 more lbs rock but dont want all the dead stuff to give me amonia or nitrate spike.
I read sk8ers sticky about preparing rock but its more so how to cycle and make it "live". Im not sure i need that step because i already have enough live rock filtration i just want to build up my rockscape. Thanks in advance

:blown:​

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

You need to put it into a Rubbermaid tub with a power head and heater and let it cycle for 6-12 weeks. Add fresh RODI to top off daily and monitor the cycle, testing for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Once ammonia and nitrite have reached zero and nitrate is around 40-50ppm, do a 20% water change and monitor the nitrates for another week or so. When less than 20ppm go ahead and add the rock to your tank.

 

[Wagonpitt]

Thanks. Already following your advice. Was hoping theres a quiker way but quickly learning nothing happens quick.

 

[mcgyvr]

Its not going to take 6-12 weeks...
Maybe 4 if that..

 

[Wagonpitt]

Would it help if i throw in a piece of rock from my dt to help seed the rock and take out amonia faster.

 

[Sk8r]

It would help spread living things on the rocks. Basically it's a lot like the cycling operation, with one difference: if these rocks are recently out of a living tank, the insides of them have micro-cracks and crevices where bacteria already are. So treat them nicely, warmth and such, and they should go fast.

 

[Wagonpitt]

Thanks everyone for helping me out

 

[Wagonpitt]

Day 11 amonia 0 nitrate between 5 and 10. Still give it time for nitrate to rise or waterchange ?

 

[mcgyvr]

Day 11 amonia 0 nitrate between 5 and 10. Still give it time for nitrate to rise or waterchange ?

Nitrite reading?
did you throw a rock from DT into it?

Personally I would still wait another couple weeks then do water changes..
IMO having only 5/10 nitrate doesn't give me good confidence that a "good" cycle has been done.. Now 50+.. ok.. But only that 5/10 isn't good enough for me..

 

[Wagonpitt]

Nitrite 0 sorry.

I was going to seed wit some rock from dt but based on replies that it wouldnt actually take the 6+ weeks and that there would still be some life inside the rock and crevices i wasnt as in a rush.
I dont mind waitin a few weeks but over 1.5 moths is too much. Regardless i plan on leaving it for another week while i get everything else ready. I just wanted to know if i should do water change or leave it untill nitrate spikes some more then change.
Also im only assuming nitrate will spike more based on other peoples experiences of cycle. When i set up my tank in the beginging i used all live rock and had almost no cycle. Ive never seen nitrates more then 5 but people report 80

 

[Wagonpitt]

Would it help if i do ghost feed type thing to see if amonia goes up and if not nitrates should go up even if amonia doesnt because that food will just decompose the amonia will get consumed by bacteria turning to higher nitrate confirming that cycle is complete. I think.

 

[mcgyvr]

Have you seen an increase in ammonia at all?
If not then yes ghost feed

 

[Wagonpitt]

The first week amonia was really really high, like in 5 min the test would max out amonia instead of the 15-30 min it usually takes.
ill recheck in a couple hours and post results