I am asking for trouble hu??

[elan]

Ok.. i am becoming a nut when it comes to my tank.....
every few days i go get another piece of live rock to stick in my tank. then i spend hours rearanging the rocks i have... so far, with 135 lbs of rock (85 live) i have only really aranged about 1/3 of my tank... (I am working on my tank from right to left till i am completely done)...
My tanks been running for about a month, and my Nitrites/Nitrates are somewhere between the max number on my chart and infinity... (the funniest thing was the look of the employee's face at the LFS when he checked my water)
Is this happening because i keep adding live rock? and is my thought process right, a) put in all the live rock my wallet can afford, and b) do it before i start adding any coral/fish or finished cycling.
The thing is, 60% of my rock is pretty much white now.. the new batch of rock i got didnt have much coraline alge to turn white...but i am sure it would have anyway...
Everyone keeps telling me the live rock is best to cycle a tank, and all the stuff will end up growing back.. just be paitient they say... paitient hu?? how long is it normal to be patient, and how long till i should start worrying?
I worry about having to start all over becuase there is something in my tank that is killing all my rock.... and then down the road, i will hear... should have put "blank" solution in the tank.. so now all your live rock is dead and you have to start all over... get rid of everything and get all new live stuff again (that will probably die again!)
i do have snails and crabs in the tank that seem to be doing well... i had damsels in the tank but since adding the DSB to my tank, i took them out (they arnt as tastey as the other post had mentioned).....(J/K!!!)
So i really dont think it has anything to do with my water being contaminated (all readings are normal except for nitrite and nitrate) Ammonia is 0
As for adding more rock... i cant belive i have over 100lbs in my tank and i still need more for the effect i want... ( a really lush tank ).... I am leaving space for other rocks when i am getting corals, but i want to be almost finished with putting in rock by the time i get coral one.. (I already crushed an emerald and a blue leg crab with adding rocks)..
Also, would anyone suggest how many lbs of rock they would get for my tank? specs are below..... i am already at 135lbs (i may not have updated the bottom)
Thanks again!!

 

[coralwolf]

Sorry to just jump into this thread but I have a stupid question.
What is the difference between cured and uncured LR?

 

[goldrush]

For a full "lush" look,200lbs. should do it. Have you been monitoring your ammonia? What has it been? Are you using RO/DI water? Are your nitrites And nitrates both off the chart? what is your SG? Have you tested for Phosphates? We really need all this info to help you.

 

[elan]

From my understanding, When rock usually comes in from the ocean, it is still uncurred.....
What the LFS does is keep them in a seperate tank for about two weeks until most of the stuff that will die off does so.. after that, it becomes cured rock which should not have as much die off when put into another tank.
The die off is usually good for a new tank since it reves up the cycling of the tank. but not too good for an established tank which will make your levels go haywire.
On my tank, i use tap water that is treated for chlorine. The phosphates are very low to unreadable although i do have a phosphate bag in my Wet Dry. Both Nitrates and Nitrites are sky high. Ammonia nill.
Here are the full test numbers
Ammonia0
Nitrate160
Calcium440
phosphate0
Iron0
(NO2) Nitrite5.0
(KH)110
(GH)600+
pH8.2
Salinity1.024
Should i be testing for anything else? and do the numbers look ok except for nitrite and nitrate?

 

[newreefers]

my next suggestion for your tank is a recliner with a seat belt to strap you in. just kidding. just a couple of thoughts here..... as you keep adding rock, you will have some die off and thus keep the cycle going. I would leave some space for more rock to be added later due to some corals you buy are attached to good size pieces of rock already. waiting for the cycle to complete is the hard part. I usually let the cycle do it's thing and then wait about 2-3 weeks for the tank be totally stable for that long before adding anything. for example I set up a tank in oct 02 and never put anything in it untill jan 03. results....beautiful, never lost a single life and my tank is super stable. relax and let the tank do it's cycle and spend this time researching what you would like to put in it. the downside of rushing things are usually lost livestock and ending up wishing you could start over and get the cool things you really want in there. in this hobby you must take things slowly.
good luck and can't wait to see pics of your tank.

 

[goldrush]

As previously mentioned,wait out the cycle, wait for nitrates to come down. Chlorine doesn't exite me either. Don't leave the phosphate sponge in your sump to long.Once it's absorbed all it can hold it will start leeching back. Good luck,go slow and enjoy.

 

[fshhub]

If you continue adding, make sure it is well cured and bought locally, there will be minimal die off. And this new rock, if anything willhep to stabilize the water, at the same time aiding the cycle. But, adding any more may also prolong the cycle, adn I would say definitely wouel, if it is uncured.
IMO, you may be prolonging it, but I would prefer to see this happen now, rather than later. AND once finished, you will be all done, never needing to worry about it later on