Help!!! Any advice or comments would be very helpful!

[jussery17]

Was going to buy a few big pieces from a guy selling his on fb near me and want to know they are real...with all the algae growing on it and how porous it looks, seems like it's legit but not sure...plus if I do get legit live rock, I can start breaking up big rocks and start gluing them together to make a cool aquascape. But I'm cycling right now and my ammonia was at 4.0 and I did a water change, So not sure if I should add live rock at this second but want to have it so I can build....at least until the ammonium goes down? I bought a 20lb bag of argonite sand today but the guy told me to not add sand right now bc of my ammonia level is high, and I was going to buy some Fiji live rock he had in tanks but.he said I shouldn't bc of the ammonium ... So what do I do?

 

[lmforbis]

As high as your ammonia is wait on live rock.
No water changes.
Just keep testing. the ammonia will fall on its own. It takes time to get a tank ready for fish. Weeks to a few months. Every tank is different.

 

[lmforbis]

They don't look like live rock. They look like typical base rock. Live rock won't be white. The red looks like cyanogen bacteria.

 

[jussery17]

Ok thanks..and what about adding a little more bacteria? Bc I bought the big bottle that treats 60 gallons..my water level isn't to the tip top but is about @ 70gallons...

 

[jussery17]

So this is my tank...couldn't upload the other pics I wanted too large, also was trying to upload the box of so called "live rock" from the.lfs store but couldn't but you can see it in this pic...."sprayed" on beneficial bacteria...lol..the rock on the very left, when in the process does that get seeded and start growing or coming alive?

 

[lmforbis]

For starters you need a ton more rock. That is why I suggested pukani dry rock from BRS. It is fairly cheap and 25-30 pounds is a large volume with a huge surface area. Sprayed on bacteria isn't worth much if it is dry. Bacteria needs to stay wet to be viable. If it is in a box it is not live. It is probably Carib seas Life rock. Looks like live rock but isn't really live. The guy at the fish store is trying to sell you an expensive product. He's in it to make money.
Right now my suggestion is to order a bunch of dry rock and wait it out. The cycle will happen. The patience is the hardest part of salt water but it is the most important.

 

[jussery17]

Ok thanks...I'm going to a different lfs that I know the owner, grew up with, so if he has that white dry rock I need to get some and bring it home and put it straight in correct? What's the reasoning for not being able to put in live rock when the ammonium is high?

 

[jussery17]

And later I can get some pieces of actual live rock and that will seed all the dry rock and become live correct?

 

[jussery17]

And I know the cycle is happening just slowly than it would without more rock but im going to get dry rock today...it's uncared dry live right correct? And that will help the bacteria right? When I get it do I need to add a little tiny bottle of bacteria too?

 

[jay0705]

The algae growth suggests somethingis alive lol

 

[lmforbis]

No bacteria needed. The surface area of the rock is your biological filter.

If you add live rock when the ammonia is as high as yours is it can kill some of the things that are alive. When the ammonia gets lower maybe 0.5-1 add some real live rock which will increase the diversity in the tank. Bottled bacteria will get rid of ammonia but not add that diversity. Just sit back and watch the cycle happen.

The algae growth suggests somethingis alive lol

Something is alive just not the rock. I have algae in my mixing vat.

 

[jay0705]

Adding base rock now won't hamper the cycle so now is the time to add more base

 

[jussery17]

Ok, appreciate it. There's not any chance any of the one and only bacteria died off or anything due to me not having much cured dry live rock ?

 

[lmforbis]

Some may have. Just relax, add more rock and wait till it is done cycling. The one and only is just a starter culture. The bacteria needs to colonize the surfaces in the tank that takes time. Until you increase the surface area with more rock, you are limiting the colonization.

 

[jay0705]

Agreed. Iam a rock hoarder. Lol i had over a 100lbs in my 75. Rock really is the key to a successful sw tank

 

[jussery17]

I'm very relaxed about this whole process the word your looking for is eager my friend. But thanks for the advice

 

[jussery17]

There....went and got more dry rock and did all I needed before putting it into water....sand stirred up a little and made it cloudy....AGAIN! I don't get it, why the hell its getting cloudy from sand again? Anyways, waiting on ammonium to get a lot lower like around or below 2 until I add sand...no before I add another substrate

 

[jussery17]

Ammonium is dropping and nitrite went up...nitrogen cycle is happening..So when all levels hit 0 it's cycled correct?

 

[jay0705]

Correct

 

[jussery17]

And it looks like nitrite keeps going up....i was told by seachem tech when I registered my filter to use stability and to use prime with it until cycling is complete...can I do this or will it kill the bacteria? My matrix bag looks pretty colonized right now..