live rock questions

[HeavyWeaponsGuy]

im starting up a 20g reef, and i have two questions:

my lfs tells me that they cure all of the rock they sell, and that the curing process that goes on once i get home is pretty much unnecessary. is this true? because i dont have any other tanks i could use to cure rock in. (if it is, is there a way i could cure it without the use of another tank?)


would i need to buy all of the rock at once? or can i buy a couple of pounds here and there until i have a respectable amount?

[Algenco]

if its in one of their tanks it should already be cured

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

There will be a certain amount of die off not matter what you do, that's the nature of live rock. The "curing" process that takes place when you get the cured rock home is a very very short one.

[coachfraley]

Assuming that the rock has been curing for a sufficient amount of time, then they are right. The thing you have to look out for, is that the trip home will create some die-off when the rock is exposed to O2. I suggest puting the rock in a bucket of SW to prevent as much die-off as possible.

Even if the rock is "fully cured", you will still want to put it in your tank and monitor your levels before adding livestock (as a precautionary measure).

It is a good idea to buy all of the rock at once. Adding rock later can create mini-cyles when the new rock is added.

EDIT, man people post fast!

[HeavyWeaponsGuy]

so if I'm understanding, i could cure the rock in the reef?


i dont have any fish or anything that would be affected by the ammonia spikes and whatnot.

[coachfraley]

I am a little confused about what you are asking, but most people cure their rock in their display, right after the tank is set up.

[HeavyWeaponsGuy]

It is a good idea to buy all of the rock at once. Adding rock later can create mini-cycles when the new rock is added.

i think i could handle this, as i'm in no hurry to get fish in there. surprisingly enough, a 16 year old living with 30$ a week isn't the best salary for aquarium keeping:smad:


my lfs is kind of shafting me, as live rock costs 7.99$ a pound.(the reason why i cant buy online is that dreaded curing i couldn't do)

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

That is exactly what I used. Something that is becoming quite popular is the use of dry rock rather than liverock. When dry rock is used then the curing process all takes place in the tank but without any die off. Just as an example. I purchased 10lbs of live rock and 100lbs of dry rock. The disadvantage to this is the lack of diversity of life in the rock, but that can also be an advantage, there's a much smaller chance of getting something unwanted in the tank as well. The 2 biggest advantages to using dry rock are cost and environmentally friendly.

[zackish]

Yes, your tank will be fine if there is no fish or corals in it. I would say if you get some decent rock from your LFS once you get it home it won't take more than 5 days to fully cycle. Your ammonia really won't get above 2 and you will only see low nitrites (1-2). After that do a water change and get some chaeto algae and you can start your tank.....providing you have everything else.

[cocoa_pleco]

lol, nothing i can add, everyone else answered

[PetRanch6892]

there rock will smell bad if it is not cured.

[HeavyWeaponsGuy]

the smell i can handle, but i have one more question:



i hear differing opinions on a skimmer for a 20 gallon.

i've heard that i will need 5 more pounds of live rock, more sand, etc. to replace things the skimmer will take out.

is this true?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Personally I would get a nano skimmer for the 20, you really cannot underestimate the value of a protein skimmer.

The 5lbs more of rock wouldn't hurt, the sand won't make much difference. Teh biggest thing you do to replace stuff lost during skimming is your water changes.

[HeavyWeaponsGuy]

okay, i'll pick one up.



any decent cheap ones you guys would suggest?

[cocoa_pleco]

if you have a good budget,

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[HeavyWeaponsGuy]

oh lordy, i cant handle a chunk of money that big.


anything around 30-40$?

[cocoa_pleco]

yep,

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[HeavyWeaponsGuy]

thanks cocoa, buying one right now.

[snapdragon9]

I also have a small tank as well, about 25 gallons. I have heard advice that smaller tanks could be supplemented with a power head. I have an aquaclear 30 in my tank. You will notice that tanks at fish stores don't necessarilly have a skimmer on every tank, you'll mostly see power heads creating disturbance on the water surface. There are products on the market that are a hang on the back filter with a skimmer built in. But in all I suggest a power head for your tank.

[snapdragon9]

Another side question with live rock, because I too am a beginner. I have gotten some live rock at my LFS and some of the pieces are covered with some pink, and light green, which I hear is good and resembles good LR growth. Some of the other LR doesn't have much color on them and they have been in the tank for about a week and a half. I transported them well, (wrapped them in paper toweling and soaked that in water in a bag for the way home in a timely manner and I understand there will be die-off no matter what) but can live rock go through so much die off that it can never grow back again?

[coachfraley]

can live rock go through so much die off that it can never grow back again?

No. Some people use dry rock and seed it with live rock (or live sand) to turn it "live" again. Check out spudbuds' 90g reef thread: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

Other people make rock to use in their tanks, and it too will eventually become live. Check out Jim's thread: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

All the "live" really means is that the rock has become home to a variety of organisms and bacteria.