lighting live rock for the first time

[junior]

taking one thing at a time,it takes a while to save up, to make the expensive purchase you what to make. my next 2 steps our. #1 purchasing live rock, #2 purchasing the lighting system. in what order should this be in and why.if live rock is bought first, would i be missing out on the things that would have bloomed from the rock, if i had the lighting first.
<img src="graemlins//confused.gif" border="0" alt="[confused]" />

 

[luke]

Definitly rock then lights (IMO). The rock will have to cure, you really don't want to run lights during that process (you can cause massive algal issues). It may be worth it to run a cheap 40watt flourescent over it during that time to see in. But it won't look nice while the rock is curing.
Make sure you have enough $$$ to get the lights when the rock does cure (less than 6 weeks). Because as you said there are lots of fun things on there to start growing.
Luke

 

[iswimwithmyfish]

rocks first so they can cure, but buy a light soon so the rock & all the critters on it don't die off and are left in the dark

 

[dmaister]

Just curious, I'm a little new, although I've got a smaller tank, I've got a lot of live rock. I was wondreing what you mean by letting the rock "cure." Thanks.

 

[deuce_bigalo]

dmaister,
do a search on this forum for live rock cycle and you will get your answer.
Tell us about your set-up.
I hope you only have the rock in your tank and no livestock!!!!! You have to check your water to make sure it is o.k before adding any fish
cycle last between 2 - 6 weeks

 

[nm reef]

Myself ...I would go with LR first and lights later........just not 2-3 months later....minimal lighting will work to start....but eventually you'll want more intense lighting.........this article on LR somebody recently posted is full of usefull info
<a href="http://ozreef.org/reference/live_rock.html" target="_blank">live rock</a>

 

[dmaister]

Deuce,
I've actually jumpstarted the process pretty well.
I've got a 30L (I know, not big, but I'm just starting to gain experience). The LFS has helped quite a bit. I bought live sand and live rock from them, as well as premixed saltwater (to the right salinity). So the system is pretty much jumpstarted with bacteria. I've been testing the water quality once a week for the three weeks its been up and have not had any major changes. Ammonia is really low, nitrites are low, and nitrates are low as well. I know it hasn't completely cycled, but LFS recommended damsels to help cyle them. They've been in for two weeks with no problems. I did remove some yesterday to return to LFS for fish swap. The other post about removing damsels are right on! ;-(
I don't have any trickles or protein skimmers, yet. I want to see how well I can handle a small tank and eventually go to at least a 75g. Right now I just have a hanging filter with mechanical, carbon and ammonia filtration. There is about 20pds of LR and 2-2.5 inches of LS - (I am assuming this is DSB - denitrification sand bed??) Please tell me if I'm wrong.
I'm looking forward to using this board more!!
Thanks

 

[dmaister]

BTW. I bought my live rock from LFS, and I assume they were already cured. There definitely were no dead inhabitants. At least that I could tell. I have green grass like algae and some red macro algae (I think) on some of my newer rocks. I also have plenty of feather dusters and something I'm not sure (red tubes, spirally at the base with a straight offshoot). I think I've noticed them spraying cloudy material (are they reproducing?) I did notice what I think are bristleworms lastnight, and am currently trying to get the bad news on these guys. They seem relatively small though (maybe 10-15mm in length and some smaller). But I really have not noticed any ammonia spikes and such. Now that I've said that, I need to test the water tonight! ;-)