Cycle time.

walmart

walmart

Member
hello all, it is time to start to cycle my tank. i am 30-40 lbsgetting florida base rock. and like 40-50 lbs of fiji live rock and i got my supplies, and what i need to know is if i have cured live rock in my new aquarium that is going to be cycling will it kill the "live" in the rock?
if i can cure it with the live and base rock, could i cycle with a jewel damsel?
 
aztec reef

aztec reef

Active Member
Originally Posted by walmart
hello all, it is time to start to cycle my tank. i am 30-40 lbsgetting florida base rock. and like 40-50 lbs of fiji live rock and i got my supplies, and what i need to know is if i have cured live rock in my new aquarium that is going to be cycling will it kill the "live" in the rock?
if i can cure it with the live and base rock, could i cycle with a jewel damsel?
no, it will be allright. it won't loose its life, you might loose some critter/hitchikers because of the ammonia spike but eventually they will reproduce and multiply.. and please don't cycle with any livestock..
 
N

nereef

Guest
if the ammonia goes above .5ppm, do a water change. you don't want to loose all your cool hitchhikers. then you're just left with dead rock with bacteria on it.
 
gmidd

gmidd

Member
Most people jump start a cycle with a piece of raw shrimp. Once the readings hit .5 on ammonia take out the shrimp and let the bacteria do its job. Some do use Damsels for cycling since they are uber hardie but you are still putting them at risk, plus you have to deal with getting them out and back to a LFS when raw shrimp does the same job for the cycle.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by Gmidd
Most people jump start a cycle with a piece of raw shrimp. Once the readings hit .5 on ammonia take out the shrimp and let the bacteria do its job. Some do use Damsels for cycling since they are uber hardie but you are still putting them at risk, plus you have to deal with getting them out and back to a LFS when raw shrimp does the same job for the cycle.
I agree with you, but he is using uncured rock.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by walmart
hello all, it is time to start to cycle my tank. i am 30-40 lbsgetting florida base rock. and like 40-50 lbs of fiji live rock and i got my supplies, and what i need to know is if i have cured live rock in my new aquarium that is going to be cycling will it kill the "live" in the rock?
if i can cure it with the live and base rock, could i cycle with a jewel damsel?
While curing, monitor the ammonia level very closely and have water mixed for water changes. If you want to keep the "critters" on your rock then you will need to do water changes after the ammonia reaches .50 and before it reaches 1ppm. If your ammonia spikes realy high then don't get paranoid about keeping it low. Some people get rock that doesn't have alot of die off, some people get nasty rock with TONS of die off. The bacteria and algae will live. You will still get pods, just not any hitchikers. Someties that can be blessing. If you can keep the ammonia low then fine, if not you will still have nice rock. Don't get worried.
 
gmidd

gmidd

Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
I agree with you, but he is using uncured rock.
Is base rock considered uncured? I took it that he's using cured...
 
kenpojohn

kenpojohn

Member
Can you put live rock straight into a new tank after a saltwater dip or does it still need to be cured for a certain amount of time before introducing it to your starter tank and the same with the live sand????????
 
walmart

walmart

Member
depends are you starting a brand new tank with, or is it already established and have fish in it. if you have fish in it, it will have to be cured for about 3 weeks or so. if you put it strait into your tank the die off will cause a ammonia spike and most likely kill your fish.
 
ckjess19

ckjess19

Member
Originally Posted by NEreef
if the ammonia goes above .5ppm, do a water change. you don't want to loose all your cool hitchhikers. then you're just left with dead rock with bacteria on it.
I added 10lbs of LR after having some damsels and I think it is dead. How can I tell? It is growing white stuff all over it that rubs whenever I put my fingers near it.
 
aztec reef

aztec reef

Active Member
there is no need to cure live rock when starting a tank. uncured live rock will cure at the same time the tank is cycling...
i agree with doing water changes if ammonia goes higher than .50.. there's no need to let it get higher..
 
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