Cycle Question
 

When I cycle my tank for the first time should I do it with LR only or sand and LR? Or should I cycle my tank with the Sand only to minimize die off when I add the LR? I know the LR will spike my tank and cause another cycle but, I want to do whats best in the long run. This way I could preserve hitchhikers.
Thanx

I moved this topic to the Newbie forum for a more answers.

If it was mine, I would put in my sand and live rock and then cycle the tank. This way the sand can develop at the same time.

If you are going to use sand what I would do is put your sand in, throw a dead shrimp (superstore type, small) in and let it cycle. when your levels are down then put your rock in. this will give you a good biological filter already set up in the sand to reduce the cycle of the rock and give the inhabitants a better chance to survive.

If you are not using sand then just throw the rock in and let it go.

Steve

Re: Cycle Question
 

If this was my new LR that needed to be cured and cycled, I would either do it in a separate tank (or rubbermaid container) or in the main tank without sand. Uncured LR will have all kinds of dead and dying stuff on it that will flake off over the course of curing. This stuff will only add unnecessary crud to the tank, and will be the source of nitrate and phosphate over the long term - something you don't want.

Once the rock has cured, if in the main tank, I would turkey baste it to remove as much dead stuff as possible, then siphon out the crud after it has settled. I would then remove the rock to buckets or some other container(s) with tankwater, powerhead(s) heater(s), then add the sand, and add the rock once the water clears (usually a day or two).

If the rock has been cured in a separate tank, I would swish the rock in the water to remove as much dead stuff as possible before transferring it to the main tank with new salt water in it.

Also, I would light the tank so whatever live stuff still on the rock, such as coralline algae, will continue to live during the curing process.

Beverly,

How long to cure live rock in a seperate tank?? I plan to use LS/LR and will be cycling the sand first and then the LR in a seprate tank later.

Thanks

Cycling time depends on how much dead stuff is on the rock and if it may already be partly cured. Your guess is as good as mine.... maybe 2-4 weeks?

There seems to be a different line of thought between rock curing and rock "cooking", as its now called.

If your going to cook, {clean}, the rock in a separate system, then keep decent current around it and siphon clean often as mentioned by Beverly. Also helps to run a decent skimmer in there with it.

My cycle suggestions is for decently clean rock thats already lfs cycled and not what is called "raw" rock. Its just for the general tank cycle.

Um, isn't cooking where you put it in a container of water with a small power head and heater and make it totally dark, then every two weeks you rinse the rock and put it in a new container with new water, and keep doing it till all the junk is gone.

Steve