L/R ? Is it still live ??

[newfishliny]

Bought live rock 8 days ago from my lfs , I put all the rock in a holding tank with salt and power head. last night I put in the live sand and rock . So did a cycle happen and Now what do I add to the tank to get things rolling. can I put in the basic shrimps , snails, crabs. This does sound like a 2 part question.

 

[ed r]

You need water test kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Your cycle is done when both ammonia and nitrite come down to zero and stay there for a few days. Do not add any creatures before the cycle is complete. You can cycle with live rock alone. If you want more bacteria growth (and temporarily higher ammonia levels) add a fresh uncooked shrimp from a supermarket.

 

[newfishliny]

ED R
I tested the tank today , all readings are o
ammonia , nitrite, nitrates. is it possible that there was no cycle or a very weak one . maybe it depends on how much stuff was on my live rock to begin with .
what do you think

 

[ed r]

If the live rock has been in the water eight days and all the readings are zero, I would say the rock is cured. Moving it to the real aquarium should not start anything, but I would test three days before beginning to add hardy creatures.