What type of LIVE Rocks?

juztin

juztin

New Member
HI, Newb here-
I am starting a new 25 gallon nano and am in the midst of purchasing live rock.
Few Questions...
Can I use cured live rock to start cycling? Cured or Uncured?
What is the recommended type of rock for a small tank (figi, florida, etc.)?
Can I use any grade of live rock (premium, ultra premium, etc.)?
Which would be best?
From what I have read, tank lights are left off until the cycling process has finished.
Is this true? If so, would this defeat the purpose of buying premium grade rock?
I am sure these questions will provoke varying answers. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
ewetmill

ewetmill

Member
Originally Posted by Juztin
http:///forum/post/2478197
Can I use cured live rock to start cycling? Cured or Uncured?
Sure. You may not even notice any ammonia or trate spikes if you get cured rock.
Originally Posted by Juztin
What is the recommended type of rock for a small tank (figi, florida, etc.)?
I prefer to get a little of each. You have a better shot of getting more types of hitch hikers, but it really just boils down to what types of rock you prefer.
Originally Posted by Juztin
Can I use any grade of live rock (premium, ultra premium, etc.)?
Which would be best?
This usually means how long it has been curing. The stuff that has been cured the longest is best. If you get the rock from a LFS, bring a bucket of water and put the rock in it. Ask for rock that has been there the longest. Don't let them wrap it in newspaper, as this will probably create more die off. I actually had a woman at my LFS try to sell me the stuff that just came in. She said it was better than the stuff that had been curing for three weeks. The cured stuff had lots of corraline, halimida, etc. and the new stuff looked horrible. Then she tried to tell me it was better to wrap it in newspaper when driving it home, instead of putting it in my own bucket.
If you get the rock online, it will most likely be shipped wrapped in newspaper. This is normal and just means you may have to cure it fully yourself.
Originally Posted by Juztin
From what I have read, tank lights are left off until the cycling process has finished.
Is this true?
Not at all. Turn the lights on while cycling. You will most likely go through a series of diatom and other algae blooms. This is to be expected, and the sooner you get your lights on a normal schedule(Timer), the better off the tank will be. Plus, you will be able to observe all the little hitchers while your tank is cycling. I've also had reefers tell me not to do water changes during the cycle because it removes beneficial bacteria that are trying to populate your tank. I would NOT follow this advice. Water changes will only help the cycle, as the nitrifying bacteria live mostly in your sand bed and live rock.
 
joebob7

joebob7

Member
1. Cured rock is just less dead than uncured. If you are going to be buying rock from your LFS then you shouldnt have to worry about it being cured or not.
2. For a smaller tank just make sure you get smaller pieces of rock (so you can make cooler caves and rock shapes. I really dont think that it matters where its from.
3. Again if you are buying from your LFS Premiun probably wont matter. But i dont think buying the not-premium rock will hurt, just as long as you are willing to wait a while for it to cycle and for the rock to come to life.
4. I have never heard of leaving the lights off and frankly dont think it would be good or bad for the tank. I do think that if you leave the lights on it will help the creatures in the rock come out faster.
P.S. I dont think that wrapping your rock in newspaper will kill anything if you are just bringing it from the fish store.
I hope this helps with you problems
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top