Live Rock Cycling??

[canadian-reefer]

How long after adding the salt to the water should I wait before adding live rock to help cycle the tank?? Will the ammonia and nitrite levels kill off living organisms in the rock?? What substrate should be added to a 65 gallon tank, 170 watts light, with approx. 60lbs of live rock (on order!!), I've been told crushed coral is best?? Thanks much for your assistance!!

 

[fshhub]

stay away from crushed coral!!
get a dsb(deepsand bed)@4"
and some of the stuff on the lr will die off, but will much of it will regrow, if you mail order, you are going to loose some anyway, but you can use the lr to cycle your tank, the die off will start the cycle

 

[biggdriver]

I agree definitely no crushed coral..Real fine sand is best..Also you might want to add more light..175 watts isn't very much for corals in a 65..I am setting up a 65 and have a 400 watt MH and 2 28w power compacts ..

 

[canadian-reefer]

Thanks for all your great help!! I am a bit shy on space under the hood, any lighting suggestions?? I would like to stay away from MH due to high cost and heat = evaporation!! Any good sources for sand (mail order)??

 

[puff(er) daddy]

Why do you all tell people to "STAY AWAY FROM CRUSHED CORAL", as if it can't be done? I know plenty of people who use cc and have wonderful display tanks. Wouldn't it be fair to teach each beginner the benifits of a dsb versus cc? This intittles them to make there own choice by knowing the pros and cons.
I myself made the switch over from cc to a dsb and would recommend it. I'v just noticed more and more people just condeming cc as if it's tabue(sp). JMO (this was not intended to contradict the previous replies).

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

Sounds like your on your way. the issue with CC for a substrate is its way of trapping waste and excess fish food. Depending on your filtration setup CC can become a nitrate generator.
a DSB (deep sand bed 4") naturally has an oxygen deprived bottom and a top layer that the critters in your tank will churn up nicely. DSB works great.
You will have some die off on the rock whenever you place it in the tank. Go ahead and take the plunge

 

[fshhub]

because although it can and does work, cc does have it's downfall, and it is not quite as good as a dsb, cc will work, but til you buy cc and a ugf, you have spent more than you would on a dsb, and a dsb is less work, more efficient and is not the potential detritus trap that a dsb is(meaning it traps the garbage which then turns into nitrat and does not expend the nitrate, a dsb does all 3 and is much less work), trust me i had both at one time, no more, now i have only a dsb with lr, NO FILTERS WHATSOEVER, most people can't even imagine getting the water quality i have with a dsb(unless you have a skimmer and clean the gravel), the only thing i have (with no skimmer or filters) is a slight trace of nitrAtes, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 phosphate, and teh other parameters are perfect, with cc and a ugf, i did much more work, and could not even come close to 0 nirate

 

[dpittman]

I have CC in my 240 gallon set up. It is more like pooka shell and small stone. I have just enough to cover the bottom-anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 inch. There are even some spots where the bottom of the tank can be seen (sometimes a snail will dig its way through) If you use CC you dont want to use alot - just enough to cover the bottom to avoid uneaten food, etc. getting trapped. DSB is indeed an excellent choice but I didn't want to fill 10-15% of the tank with sand.
I filled up the tank and immediately added about 200 pounds of LR. The tank was cycled in under 10 days!
Donovan

 

[dpittman]

To make that a little more clear, a tank is always going through a cycle of ammonia-nitrite- nitrates. But by adding all the LR you don't get huge spikes in the first two because you have all the good bacteria for the conversion. If you use uncured rock you would most likely see an increase in ammonia and nitrites.
After 10 days I had a reading of about 10 ppm nitrate, did a 15% water change and then added 2 maroon clownfish. Now I add one fish about every 1-2 weeks.