Base rock - Live Rock

[jk4music]

I have some base rock in my aquarium. I have heard that adding some live rock would cause the base rock to become live. Is this true? Can I wait until my tank has fiinished cycling?

 

[mr.flameangel]

A lot of people cycle their thank with lr. or you can buy raw shrimp at the store to cycle it. and the last method is to add damsels to the tank. how long has it been up and running? what do you plan on doing with the tank?
Welcome aboard
mike

 

[cap'n pete]

Adding live rock will introduce coralline and other critters that will eventually populate the base rock. Depending on the type of base rock, it wil never have the diversity of live rock or the same properties. Live rock is very porous and has lots of places for creatures to live. You base rock may appear live after a while but will probably never be as diverse.
IMO wait until the tank is fully cycled and then put in good quality live rock.

 

[alti]

i would add the live rock before you cycle the tank. adding more live rock later is more likely than not to throw your tank into another cycle. IME its best to add all or most of the live rock when you start out and let your tank go through the cycle undisturbed. otherwise you will be stuck in the cycle for a couple of months for no reason. was the base rock you bought dry or was it just live rock that did not have much life on it? you may not get the diversity of life on these rocks, but if you are only using it as a base you really dont need the diversity. it helps by giving you more surface area for beneficial bacteria to populate and saves you alot of money at the same time. there is no reason to buy premium live rock if you are just going to cover it up.