Live Rock Question

[Knowledgeborn07]

I added cured live rock to my not yet cycled tank. I am using a 260 w aqualight compact unit on a night day timer. I have 55 gallon tank and only about 16 pounds of live rock so far. How long till I see something happen with the live rock. And what happens anyway? Does it turn a color or grow life on it?

 

[Krish]

How long has the tank been up and running? Also, do you plan on getting anymore live rock because 16lbs is really not enough for that sized tank. In any event, when live rock is placed into a tank, you will typically experience some some off in the rock. The fact that your rock is "cured", may mean you may not experience that much die-off. However, a lot of the time people will sell you live rock saying it is totally "cured" when in fact it really isn't which you will have to watch for. What happens in order for your tank to cycle is when you experience die-off in the rock and waste is produced, eventually not long after ammonia is produced. Once you start seeing traces of ammonia in your water (by testing) then the cycle has begun (nitrogen cycle). As a result, a certain type of nitrifying bacteria will be formed that will be respopnsible for converting the very toxic ammonia into nitrite. So you will eventually see a decline in ammonia and a rise in nitrite as it is converted by the bacteria. Once nitrite is produced, another bacteria will be responsible for converting the less toxic nitrite into even less toxic nitrate so you will start seeing a decline in nitrite and an increase in nitrate. Once all traces of nitrite have dropped off and no longer show up on your test kit, then your tank has completed the inital cycle which after this point, you can start to safely and slowly add in livestock. Every setup is different and depending on the condition of the rock, a tank can take approximately 6 weeks to cycle. Some do it in a lot less time while others take a bit longer, but generally it's completed in the 6 week time frame

 

[returnofsid]

I would suggest getting more rock in there soon. It's not a good idea to place more rock in the tank after you've got rock already cured and "living." Unless the rock you place in there later is definitely cured and there isn't a chance of a huge die-off of the organisms in and on it. Some of the things you'll look for is micro-fauna and flora growing on the rock. You may have tiny featherdusters popping up all over the place. You'll start to see mysid shrimp, bristleworms and such in the sand and around the rock. Micro Bristlestars will probably start making an appearance soon. You'll also probably experience some amount of die-off, depending on how well the rock was cured and how it's been transported and such. It'll probably be awhile until you start to see much Coraline algae growth.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Sid, I agree on most counts, but the less cured, the more life and hitchhikers. Yes, one needs enough of an established bio-bed already present (Lots of rock) and good skimming to handle the addition, but sometimes it works out. Definitely a more advanced addition and not recommended for a brand new tank

 

[Knowledgeborn07]

so what your saying is I should add more rock asap and it should be cured before putting into the tank???

 

[Herefishyfishy]

If no other life in the tank, one can risk adding a small quantity of uncured live rock to your cured. Do this only if you have a good skimmer running as most likely there will be die-off of natural sponges and other stuff. Keep up water changes too. It is a LOT more work than cured rock. Most "un-cured rock" locally has already started to die off and is just a pain. When I think of un-cured live rock, I think of as overnighted from the tropics.

 

[Knowledgeborn07]

Also my live rock seems to be turning a reddish brown color- is that normal...

 

[Herefishyfishy]

The tank is curing, the reddish brown is probably diatom growth, commonly seen in cycling. Add as much aged live rock as you can afford.

 

[Knowledgeborn07]

Thanks you guys are awesome!!

 

[Krish]

I agree on the diatoms...You will experience all sorts of different types of algae's as your tank matures. The fact that you are using regular tap water will promote the diatoms and other un-wanted algae to grow even more as they use up the excess nutrients (phosphates, nitrates etc) and silicates in the water to grow. Just a thought

 

[billaweed]

have any of you tried to make your own live rock with cement? I was at a shop today and he was selling some man made live rock. I've always heard about ppl doing it and soaking id for a long time but was just curious if any of you have done that..

Also.. why is some live rock more expensive than others, aside of geographical locations?

 

[IAP Brian]

Yes, I have made my own rock. I have been a fan of GARF for many years and I made a bunch of aragocrete. It is a labor of love and not particularly a cost saving method. You have to use Portland type cement #3 being the best, (can be hard to find) #2 works fine but takes longer to cure. Cure time is the biggest problem. The rocks I made had to be soaked in rubbermaid tubs for all most 2 1/2 months before the ph stabalized and the alk wasn't nuts. Complete weekly water changes, later on with salt water cure, bi-weekly total water changes.... ect. Then there is the grow out time. Aragocrete does grow corraline very fast but you still have to put up with the brown out for a long time.

When I left Iowa to come home, I left the rocks I made with my friend in his 125 gal tank. They are still doing fine and you can't tell the difference between them and wild Fiji rock. (the rocks are now 6-7 yrs old).

IMO - making your own rocks is a fun project, but don't do it to save money, you won't. Do it because you want the joy of saying someday, "I made that!"