Can Adding a new piece of rock cause a cycle?

[chickenofthesea]

So this may seem like a newbie question but I have only been in the hobby for a little over a year and I have never added "new" dry rock to my existing set up.

Here goes! I found a piece of dead rock at the LFS a few weeks back that I thought would look awesome in my tank. I have about 60+ lbs in my 46g already that has been established for the life of my system. I obviously ad live rock on occasion when I buy small coral colonies and have never had any issues. The rock I got is ~10lbs worth. This rock has been long dead and I cleaned the rock after bringing it home in a vinegar solution and rinsed several times to take out any dust or other particles to include stuff from other people that may have touched it before I purchased it. What I want to know is, will this start a cycle in my tank or since I already have a lot of live rock for this size system, will I be totally fine? If a cycle is possible, will it be insignificant or could this crash my system and kill off my live stock?

 

[Krish]

If it is infact dead rock then you won't have a cycle as there is nothing to die off in the rock to cause a cycle so no worries.


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[seattlereef]

If the rock previously had life on it it will probally still have some organic matter in the middle. I agree with Krish that if there is nothing than no cycle but if you want to be paranoid you can always throw it in a container with a heater + power head for a bit to cure the rock.

 

[chickenofthesea]

LOL, I dont want to be paranoid! I was just thinking about it and had no idea. If the rock did have small amounts of organic material in the middle would it still be ok to add it?

 

[Krish]

If by chance you had some die-off from their being some decaying matter, it wouldn't be a whole lot that should cause a big issue in an already established tank. The bacteria you have now should make quick work of it IMO so worse case a small cycle, but if the rock is dead as you said, then no worries.


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[vinny2261]

You can also wash it down, power wash to remove any left over organics or anything else that could be in the tiny holes. Could also soak it in a bucket of water. If it is a dead rock you can usually get some algae groth as the rock matures to your tank. One rock should not cycle your whole tank, depending on size, water volume, filtration and clean up crew.

 

[1guydude]

Agreeed! No cycle from "dead" rock! You could also add LR to ur tank but only in smaller amounts at a time and leave some time in between. 60#s in a 46bow... Dang! Than again i prob have 40-50# in my 36bow....

 

[chickenofthesea]

Its a 46g column so the rock is piled high and I have a few dense pieces. I can post a pic this evening so you all can see. Thanks for all the info!