Lights on during tank cycle with Live Rock?

[waterbourn]

Well i am getting ready to set up my 55 gallon tank.
I have added the water and salt. I have a coralife 65 protein skimmer on the way and the orbit 4x65 cf lights. In a couple of day I am buying about 75 lbs of live rock off of a guy that is selling his aquarium. In order to keep the live rock going, should I still cut the lights on during the cycle. Also, do I feed anything to keep the live rock critters happy? Should I go ahead and add calcium to the tank to keep the coraline algea going too? I think I heard Purple Up is good.
Thanks.

 

[fraggle_a]

Strong light will aid in the production of Algee. Good or bad depending on your aim.
I just left my 8000k light running in Daytime mode (its on an auto timer) during the cycle. Cant hurt. Not like 8000k is gonna make any photosynt get out of hand... LOL
Once my whole Cycle is over and my tank life is settled (about a week or 2 from now) Ill switch my 8000k out with my 50/50 light.

 

[kent'sreef]

I would personally leave the lights off. Dead critters will enhance the cycle. True the existing coraline will die but you can get nice coverage once the tank is cycled. I would just prefer to avoid unwanted algae growth. You could try leaving the lights on and if you see algae growth starting cut the lights, good luck.

 

[keith burn]

Originally Posted by waterbourn
Well i am getting ready to set up my 55 gallon tank.
I have added the water and salt. I have a coralife 65 protein skimmer on the way and the orbit 4x65 cf lights. In a couple of day I am buying about 75 lbs of live rock off of a guy that is selling his aquarium. In order to keep the live rock going, should I still cut the lights on during the cycle. Also, do I feed anything to keep the live rock critters happy? Should I go ahead and add calcium to the tank to keep the coraline algea going too? I think I heard Purple Up is good.
Thanks.
If you have the lights on you see l/r only.
no live stock why look,light out I thank.

 

[oozy]

Hi,
if your buying 75lbs from an established tank, you wont have a cycle
-IF-
you kept the rock submerged during transportation and at a resonable temperature.
I have cycled several tanks, honestly lighting does not matter much one way or the other.
keep on your water chemistry tests to see if you will even have a cycle, you should know in a week and ahalf. until then treat your tank as your going to have a cycle.
you wont have to "feed" your LR critters ever they live off the rock...
have your water chemistry up to par before you add the new LR.
ph=8.2-8.4
calcuum ~400 or so
you wont have Am, trites/trats...=0
However if the LR is out of water for an extenden period of time, youll have a cycle. and you should be prepared to deal with that if it happens.

-0ozy-

 

[dogstar]

If this rock is from a live, established, already cycled tank and your goal is to save as much life pods, worms, bactiria ) thats on it then best to treat it as an estabished tank, filter, skimmer, flow and feed it a small amount of foods, but test for levels because allowing it to die or killing it will start a cycle that can kill alot of the life. If there is algeas/corals, ect that need light then run light too.
You may be able to add a small amount of hardy livestock to keep the tank going too. But test.