can u have fish before u put in liverock

[clowny123]

hey i was wondering if u can have fish in your tank before u put in live rock

 

[brinkdrum]

Sure you CAN have fish before live rock, but you are taking a big and unnecessary risk. If you already have fish in the tank and want live rock you have to add a little at a time. Main reason why liverock is recommended first is because it by itself can cycle a tank. Any live rock that you purchase is going to have some degree of "die off" which will increase your ammonia level. The more you add at one time the higher it goes up. Got it?