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Question re: adding more live rock

1K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  geedoug 
#1 ·
Hello,

Well, I set up my 75 about 4 weeks ago, cycled well with about 50 lbs of live sand, 50 lbs of 'dead' sand and 45 lbs of live rock. I had my algae bloom, ammonia and Nitrite dropped down and I added my clean up crew and a Blenny, which are doing great.

Here is my question....I'm ready to add more rock (I was told to add 1/2 at the beginning and then the rest after cycling) .... but how much mail order 'cured' live rock can I add at a time without overwhelming the system?

I know the best thing is to use a seperate curing container to deal with die off....but I don't have a skimmers, lights, circ, etc .... Any ideas?

Can I add 20 lbs at a time ..... if its pre-cured, will it be ok after delivery to put the whole 45 lbs in?

Thanks in advance

Pat
 
#2 ·
I have a 29 that has been running for a while, no coral yet. I had about 35 lbs of live rock in the tank for a while. I ordered some nice Marshall Island rock from Jason at Premium Aquatics, cured. I added about 20 lbs at one time and I didn't notice any problems at all when I did it. As long as you know it is nice and cured, I don't see it a problem, but then again, I only have a few fish in there and they are pretty hardy.
 
#3 ·
Jason at PA has proved to be an all around good guy but the problem with pre-cured rock from any vendor is that there will be some die off. If the rock was properly cured in the first place and then shipped right away and kept moist, the die-off may be minimal and barely noticible.

You'll notice there were a lot of "ifs" in the previous sentences. It's not really worth the risk, IMO, to add a large quantity of rock to a cycled tank. All you'd really need is a large rubbermade tub, a powerhead for circulation and a heater to keep the rock viable for a few days or so while you took readings for ammonia and nitrites on it. Better safe than sorry and an extra powerhead and heater should be in your "emergency kit" for around the house anyway, as well as a small tank for quarantine or hospital tank use.

~Alice

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Reefkeeping is my life; I can't afford a hobby too!
 
G
#4 ·
Right On Alice, you're absolutly right about recuring rack that has shipped even overnight. Better safe than sorry, Nd the minimal backup supplies are always a good idea(not that I ever have reef emergencies)
If you are buying hand picked rock from LFS its not so critical but you need to know how long its been in the tank and whether it is cycled. Old rock mixed with new raw rock should be treated as if it were new cycling rock. One or two small pieces, say <5# shouldnt cause major problems, but adding half the rockload to a frshly cured tank will cause a mini cycle that may get out of hand depending on the condition of both old and new rock and tank stability

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I thought I was me, but we were wrong
email: geeflipr@internetcds.com
 
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