The "How to go Barebottom thread."

[steve.bridges]

whoops

 

[mattrix]

The rock cooking FAQ at the start of this thread mentions that ammonium cycling is not a major concern. Is that true of newly established systems? In other words, will a new setup with freshly cooked rock go through a month-long ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle?

Thanks.

 

[Weatherman]

In other words, will a new setup with freshly cooked rock go through a month-long ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle?

Thanks.

Nope. No cycle, since the rock cooking eliminated the main cause of the cycle - all that dead and dying stuff decaying away in your tank.

Fully cooked rock will have a thriving bacteria population, which should be able to easily handle the load of a relatively nutrient poor tank right away.

One of the nice things about bare-bottom tanks, with fully cooked rock, is that you can add delicate animals immediately. You donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t have to wait for several weeks or months for the biological filtering mechanism of a sand bed to ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œmature.ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚

 

[steve.bridges]

how long would you have to wait if you dont cook the rock? My live rock is in a dark tote at the moment with a p/h and heater but it is only likely to be there for two weeks max, i have to start getting the tank back together then.

would i need to do a w/c in this 2 week period or should i run a skimmer in the tote?

sorry bout all the ??/? and thanks for any advice.

 

[Weatherman]

Not easy to know for sure. It all depends on how much dead, dying and decaying stuff is on it. If the rock is very clean, maybe a few weeks. If the rock is freshly shipped from the ocean, it could be several months.

With rock cooking, the faster you can remove nutrients, the faster the process will reach its conclusion. Skimmers help a lot to speed up the process. Frequent water changes and detritus removal also speed up the process. However, there's no preferred schedule for performing any of these activities.

 

[ezhoops]

my LR has been in my tank for a couple years, about how long in the cooker to remove the phosphate

 

[SeanT]

my LR has been in my tank for a couple years, about how long in the cooker to remove the phosphate

4-8 weeks, following the prescribed instructions.
Basically, when detritus shedding has slowed to virtually nothing...it is clean.

Sean

 

[SeanT]

and thanks for any advice.

I strongly advise you to slow down and 'cook' your rock.

Remember, when going BB you no longer have the temporary cushion a DSB affords you.
There is nothing to biologically process all the nutrients, P, seeping out at that rate.
Unless you plan to siphon daily, you may well have the same unfortunate problems that other reefers experienced who also didn't 'cook' their rock.

Sean

 

[steve.bridges]

I strongly advise you to slow down and 'cook' your rock.

Remember, when going BB you no longer have the temporary cushion a DSB affords you.
There is nothing to biologically process all the nutrients, P, seeping out at that rate.
Unless you plan to siphon daily, you may well have the same unfortunate problems that other reefers experienced who also didn't 'cook' their rock.

Sean

What problems can be encountered sean?

 

[Travis]

What problems can be encountered sean?

phosphates and nitrates building up to dangerous levels in the water column...

 

[steve.bridges]

This is because of leaching from the rocks or because of poor husbandry ie lack of syphoning detrius?

Can you give me a link to a thread?

thanx.

 

[SeanT]

Leeching of the rocks.

 

[SeanT]

It is what I believe to be the problem PUGriyale had when he went BB.

I can't find his thread...PM him.

Sean

 

[Travis]

This is because of leaching from the rocks or because of poor husbandry ie lack of syphoning detrius?

Can you give me a link to a thread?

thanx.

Leeching from the rocks is correct. It is explained in this thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=644382&highlight=barebottom

 

[disbjohn]

would nassarius vibex snails be ok to add to help with eating the decaying food and such or are ceriths and astreas all you really need?

 

[MiddletonMark]

Well, you shouldn't be overfeeding, so the Nassarius should starve
IMO why buy something that will die from lack of food if you do it right? If you have a couple already ... no sweat. But unless you're getting just a few - I guess it seems like money you don't have to spend.
That's just my sole take on it, take it for that. Just because my post count hit 5 figures recently doesn't mean I'm smarter. It just means I'm good at babbling, and bored at work sometimes


Hermits, emeralds also eat that same stuff. If you have either of those, IMO they'll go running for it too.
If you're providing a regular excess of food ... IMO BB may be problematic.

 

[nellahtes]

is the calcium reactor available?

 

[nellahtes]

oops wrong thread

 

[pwest]

Great thread. One question--Why do you recommend removing the sandbed while the LR is cooking. Before reading this thread, I had thought I would first remove and cook the liverock. Then, after the rock was ready, I'd remove the sandbed, clean the tank and set it all back up.

 

[10" Red Devil]

Okay I gotta question, how the hell are you supposed to cook your rocks if you have nice large colonys of sps attached to the rock?

Thanks!