just getting started

[D12monkey]

Ohh and for the smaller tanks. You are correct the smaller the more difficult to maintain. I have a 2.5 gal reef tank which has about 1.75 gals of water in it. Displacement of live rock. I'm constantly adding water to the system and attempting to maintain the water parameters as steasy as possible. That's along with my 55 gal FOWLR and my 29 gal reef.

[littlemutt]

i am getting live rock froma place called aquarium arts and they claim that they have done all the curing for me (a 3 step process which sounded complete) they also claim that when they ship all die off is over and that new growth has already begun. it's packaged in plastic with water then boxed and shipped. they also say it can go right into an established tank without any worries and on a new setup livestock can be added imediately as long as tank has cylced before adding the live rock. has anyone heard of or had any dealings with this company? there site " prime cured live rock" looked and sounded real good, lots of photos and testimonials. also had lots of useful information so i took a chance and ordered 50m lbs which i hope is enough for both tanks. will still hold off adding any livestock til everything is stable.

i may still be able to cancel the order if anyone has heard anything negative about them. would appreciate any comments - thanks

[Peterock]

I have not dealt with this company but if they are sending the rock in water and sealed then once you get it do a egg smell test if the rock smells funky then its not cured and if it smells like saltwater then your good to go. I use to ship rock over to missouri all the time and that is how i did it. But if you are still having problems posting pics then email them to me at karl.peters@comcast.net and i will post them for you.

[FragOutpost]

Below quote taken from aquariumarts -

We then proceed to "cure" the rock, a process often referred to as "cycling". This means that the rock inhabitants continue the process of death and decomposition, and the pollutants produced by the decomposition are removed. The rock is rinsed in synthetic sea water and placed in an unlighted tank with a high rate of water flow from a closed circulation system. A biological filtration system supplied by a second pump, along with frequent water changes and a protein skimmer, removes the breakdown materials produced by the decomposing organic matter. At the same time, bacteria living in and on the rock increases and effectively becomes a "biological filter" which breaks down toxic pollutants, especially nitrates. Once the smell is gone from the rock in Aquarium Arts' curing tank, the rock is transferred to racks in another tank where it is exposed to high intensity light and vigorous water movement. A very efficient protein skimmer cleans the water. Sediment that accumulates in the tank is regularly vacuumed out and frequent water changes are made. Soon colonies of rich velvety red-purple, coralline algae (often several shades of color) begin to develop on the surface of the rock. Tiny invertebrates - worms, crabs, molluscs, bryozoans, sponges, coelenterates, and tunicates as well as coral polyps - that have survived the long trip from tropical ocean to our aquarium shop, begin to emerge on the surface, adding to the diversity and improving the filtration effect of "live rock". Individuals spread from one rock to another, establishing new colonies or populations. This is known as "seeding". Soon the rock is "cured" and "seeded", that is, there is no dead tissue in the cracks and crevices, and a healthy growth of invertebrates is invading the crevices and surfaces. But we give it more time. The rock is moved into a third tank for "polishing."

Finally, after 30-60 days this "live rock" is "cured"! All the dead material has been removed, new colonies of coralline algae cover the surface, and countless micro-organisms are emerging on the rock. At this point it can be put into an aquarium with no further cycling! If the temperature and salinity of the tank are stable, livestock can be added immediately. The rock will continue to improve in color and variety of plants and animals.

Let me start by saying that I have never purchased from aquarium arts before so I can not speak from experience here.

The above quote is taken from their website describing their "curing" process.

Excerpt from above - Tiny invertebrates - worms, crabs, molluscs, bryozoans, sponges, coelenterates, and tunicates as well as coral polyps - that have survived the long trip from tropical ocean to our aquarium shop, begin to emerge on the surface, adding to the diversity and improving the filtration effect of "live rock".

This is the kind of stuff that will die off during shipping, Not to say that all will die during shipping but a small percentage will, so I would still recommend a thorough rinsing with saltwater before placing in your tank.

Also remember that just because the rock arrives teaming with life doesn't necessarily mean that it will all survive in your tank. Your tank will balance itself out and stuff will die along the way.

I wouldn't equate their "curing" process with "cooking". Regardless I'm sure you will most likely be very happy with your order.

Also another thing to point out, when people refer to "filtration of live rock" it means the anaerobic bacteria that lives deep within the rock and its ability to process nitrates.

Don't be confused that - worms, crabs, molluscs, bryozoans, sponges, coelenterates, and tunicates as well as coral polyps - will contribute very much to filtration.

I have no doubt that you will be happy with your order. If you find yourself needing more rock then check out hirocks.com for base rock. There is no point in spending $$$ for more liverock, when you can buy base rock and place it underneath your 50lbs. of liverock.

Hope this helps!

[littlemutt]

thanks for the hirock.com site will definately use them if i need more rock, the price is right.

checked ph for the first time it's 7.8 - i know that's low but should i worry about it right now being that nothing but LS is in the tank? i was thinking maybe it will go up if i leave everything running. if i need to raise it what is the best way? haven't even bothered with ammonia yet figure there is none being there's nothing in the tank. when should i start taking that reading ? what else should i be looking at at this point? live rock will be here on tuesday so i guess that might make testing more important. hope i am doing the right thing.

[FragOutpost]

Your ph will swing from being low in the morning to higher before your lights turn off. I'm guessing that you are leaving your lights off during the cycle so your ph is not too bad. I wouldn't worry about it too much for now.

If you need to raise it later - http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.php

This will be a good read for you also to help you understand more about calcium and alkalinity - http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

Your ammonia should spike within the first week or two, immediately followed by a nitrite spike. When I cycled my 75 gallon I put in my sand, some live rock, and filled it with water and basically just forgot about it for 2 months. After 2 months had passed I started doing some water changes and then I tested to ensure that I was ready for livestock. The point is to just be patient and remember the famous quote "The only thing that happens fast in this hobby is disaster."

[littlemutt]

is it possible to add live plants before tank has cylced and would that help it cycle? wanted to get some plants and add them to the refigium so that by the time i add livestock they will be somewhat established. there are vendors on e-bay who sell several different types, any suggestions as to what types of plants to get and is that the best place to get them?

[FragOutpost]

I don't think you would have too many problems adding some plants during the cycle. Most plants are pretty hardy. I would recommend chaetomorpha, aka spaghetti algae. Check around for local reef clubs in your area. Most people trim back their macro algae from time to time as a way to export nutrients. I also recommend floridapets.com for macro.