Advise adding LR

ray j neal

ray j neal

Member
I have got some LR that was boiled a week or so ago. Since then it has been in a bucket of water 1.026sg with a heater and a power head. Ammonia was reading 2.0ppm and was doing water changes daily. I recently added a filter pad which has been colonized with bacteria and I have continued the water changes. Today was the first reading of 0.0ppm. Is it safe to add? I have sensitive fish in this system, so I need advise.
 
ray j neal

ray j neal

Member
I checked nitrates and got a reading of 15-20ppm. Ammonia reads 0, and I have no test kit for nitrites at this time. The colonized filter pad I put in the bucket with the rock has done its job and converted the ammonia>nitrate. Does this mean it is safe to add to the 150 at this time?
 
jeanheckle

jeanheckle

Member
sorry I guess i was posting just when you did. It needs to cycle completely, You need to test nitrites before you add to your tank, especially if you have a delicate system
 
ray j neal

ray j neal

Member
Unfortunantly I have no way to test nitrites atm. ammonia reads 0ppm, nitrates 15-20ppm. Tank is 150g fowlr with a powder blue tang which is a sensitive species.
 
jeanheckle

jeanheckle

Member
exactly how much rock is it? I know if it's a small amount it shouldn't matter but I would be afraid to add a large amount if it isn't cycled.
 
ray j neal

ray j neal

Member
Not much, maybe 20 pounds at most. It has been in the five gallon bucket for seven days now. A guy gave it to me, I have no idea why it was boiled. I have tested for ammonia and done one gallon water changes every day since last Sunday. Thursday I added the filter media with colonized bacteria on it since the live rock is essentially dead. Almost immediately the Ammonia readings began to decrease. Today I retested and there is no ammonia reading and was the first day I tested for nitrAtes. there is 15-20ppm nitrates. I am thinking it would be okay to add, but I really want to make sure. I can not get an nitrite test kit atm. If there is no ammonia, but there is nitrate, would that make it alright?
 
ray j neal

ray j neal

Member
only 130 pounds
I plan to order another 100 pounds this following weekend. I got this rock free and want to place it at the base. Eventually it will become seeded. All I want to know at this time is how long should I wait before placing it?
 
ray j neal

ray j neal

Member
I would like to add it, but I probably should test for nitrItes. I am just assuming there is none since there is no ammonia but there is nitrAtes.
 
rotarymagic

rotarymagic

Active Member
Just put it in, run a skimmer though!!!
The more you freak out, the worse things turn out. 20lbs of rock isn't gonna destroy a system. You might not even test any ammonia after putting it in because there's so much more water in the system and established rock.
 
pumper

pumper

Member
Originally Posted by Rotarymagic
http:///forum/post/2782571
Just put it in, run a skimmer though!!!
The more you freak out, the worse things turn out. 20lbs of rock isn't gonna destroy a system. You might not even test any ammonia after putting it in because there's so much more water in the system and established rock.
I've had a few girls tell me that usually ending with a disaster... "Just put it in!"
 
ray j neal

ray j neal

Member
Thanks Chev. It is fine to add at this point, I am sure. I will wait a week anyways. I tend to err on the side of extreme caution with my tank.
 
anonome

anonome

Active Member
You honestly should be just fine, I just added 17lbs of rock in my 125g and so far, 2 days into it, the skimmer has picked up a bit, and the tangs have cleaned the rock spotless. I would not be afraid of adding that small amount in that size tank.........as long as your skimmer is a good one.
What type of fish do you have in there, if they are algae eater fish...go for it.
 
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