Dry or Live Rock?

[Neo Jeo]

I'm also going the marco dry rock this time. Waiting for the pallet now. I plan on soaking and testing. Hoping for no leeching. Looking forward to aquascaping.

If Marco rock is like mine witch I believe it’s mined from the same farm you’ll have nothing on it so there should be no leeching . Good luck! I did scrub mine with a wire brush and washed it real good. Lots of dust came off

 

[samnaz]

Live rock, for sure. It’s just too much fun observing and discovering the creatures within it. Worth the risk of dreaded hitchhikers, IMO.

 

[Big G]

Ok, I added dr tims and ammonia to my rock batch. How many times should I add bacteria and ammonia ?

Bacteria only needs to be added into the tank/tub once. Dose the tank/tub up to 1ppm on your ammonia test kit. In a aquarium that usually equates to 1 drop per gallon. In your container it's hard to say how much. Dose it low and work up to 1ppm.

 

[Neo Jeo]

Bacteria only needs to be added into the tank/tub once. Dose the tank/tub up to 1ppm on your ammonia test kit. In a aquarium that usually equates to 1 drop per gallon. In your container it's hard to say how much. Dose it low and work up to 1ppm.

This site says get your ammonia to 5ppm and raise my temp to the 90s. Is this true?
https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/cycling-a-saltwater-aquarium/

 

[Neo Jeo]

https://www.petcha.com/fishless-cycling-in-a-saltwater-aquarium/

This site says add ammonia each day , is that what I do?

 

[Big G]

This site says get your ammonia to 5ppm and raise my temp to the 90s. Is this true?
https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/cycling-a-saltwater-aquarium/

The higher you dose with ammonia, ultimately the nitrate concentration will be higher as well. Lots more water changes. 1ppm has gotten the job done, for me at least, many times. But others have advised up to 5ppm.

 

[lapin]

If Marco rock is like mine witch I believe it’s mined from the same farm you’ll have nothing on it so there should be no leeching . Good luck! I did scrub mine with a wire brush and washed it real good. Lots of dust came off

I will pressure wash it to get that outer layer of dust off. My real concern is phosphates.

 

[Neo Jeo]

The higher you dose with ammonia, ultimately the nitrate concentration will be higher as well. Lots more water changes. 1ppm has gotten the job done, for me at least, many times. But others have advised up to 5ppm.

Thanks what do you think about raising the temp to 86-90?

 

[lapin]

This site says add ammonia each day , is that what I do?

You want to add it for only a few days to get your "cycle" started. Lets say a week then stop. It will start to fall as the bacteria start growing. When you add fish you should do it in steps, dont add 5 fish at once. As more fish are added more bacteria will grow to consume the added waste (ammonia). These are mini cycles.

 

[lapin]

Thanks what do you think about raising the temp to 86-90?

Temp will help the bacteria grow faster, but don't feel you have to go to extremes. Plenty of people have cycled their rock in brute trash cans in their garage.

 

[Big G]

Thanks what do you think about raising the temp to 86-90?

I've always kept the tank the same temperature 78/9 degrees. Make sure to use the "clean" ammonia with no additives.

 

[Neo Jeo]

I've always kept the tank the same temperature 78/9 degrees. Make sure to use the "clean" ammonia with no additives.

I’m doing it in a bucket, my tank is not ready yet. I’m gonna bring the temp up a little bit

 

[Neo Jeo]

The higher you dose with ammonia, ultimately the nitrate concentration will be higher as well. Lots more water changes. 1ppm has gotten the job done, for me at least, many times. But others have advised up to 5ppm.

Merry Christmas for the second day I can only get my ammonia up to 0.25 I added more last night still at .25 nitrite is at zero should I add more ammonia ?Dr. Tim’s video says no but other things say yes

 

[Big G]

I've always used Bio Spira (which Dr. Tim formulated before he came out with his own brand of bacteria) and always dosed up to 1 ppm of ammonia verified by testing.

 

[Susan Edwards]

I'll be purchasing rock for my 125 build in Feb. Sooner if I can work it into the budget (gotta sell some stuff I need to get rid of) I was going to toss into a garbage can to start curing/cycling but I want to take my time playing with the rock scape so it will dry out again. My plan is to get what I want, glue the base pcs or glue in small groups, and if I'm not ready to start the tank, then put them in water to soak. I'll be using a mix of dry rock. 50 lbs Marco, 50 lbs reef cleaners, a box from amazon, and 15-20 pukani. I also have rock from a display refugium I start in March that I'll be taking down. Macro algae goes to the sump and the rock its on, rock with no algae goes into the new tank to seed it.

anyone know if I can take a sharpie and make small lines as cheats to line up rocks? Or I could use rods to attach sections. And pics....

 

[Neo Jeo]

I've always used Bio Spira (which Dr. Tim formulated before he came out with his own brand of bacteria) and always dosed up to 1 ppm of ammonia verified by testing.

Thanks. So if I’m at .25 on day 2 just add more ammonia? I added like 3x what I should already lol

 

[hart24601]

Dry rock here. Actually ceramic. I don’t see how I would gain anything using all live rock.

 

[Neo Jeo]

Dry rock here. Actually ceramic. I don’t see how I would gain anything using all live rock.

Wonderful tank!

 

[Neo Jeo]

I'll be purchasing rock for my 125 build in Feb. Sooner if I can work it into the budget (gotta sell some stuff I need to get rid of) I was going to toss into a garbage can to start curing/cycling but I want to take my time playing with the rock scape so it will dry out again. My plan is to get what I want, glue the base pcs or glue in small groups, and if I'm not ready to start the tank, then put them in water to soak. I'll be using a mix of dry rock. 50 lbs Marco, 50 lbs reef cleaners, a box from amazon, and 15-20 pukani. I also have rock from a display refugium I start in March that I'll be taking down. Macro algae goes to the sump and the rock its on, rock with no algae goes into the new tank to seed it.

anyone know if I can take a sharpie and make small lines as cheats to line up rocks? Or I could use rods to attach sections. And pics....

I like how you mixed it all up. I got all mine from amazon. Nature’s Ocean. Very similar to Marcos and Reef S. I read a lot about pukani having dead stuff on it and leaching phosphates into the water ! I’m curing my now with bacteria

 

[ShawnSaucier]

When I do my next build, I plan on using both dry and live. I have this thought of letting the rock mature for a long period (6-12 months) before adding my first Corals and major livestock. Initially I would build most of the aquascape with dry rock and let it go through its “thing”. After a few months add some ultra live rock and seed the tank with some serious life. Again, leave it sitting for a while to allow things like sponges, pods and other critters to really flourish without predators. This would also allow all of the ugly NTS phases to pass. I would go Triton method but add a cryptic zone in line either before or after the algae bed.
As tough as I know it would be to hold out, I believe taking a semi old school approach to it would be cool and very rewarding. This would give me time to fine tune the mechanics of the system and in theory irradicate any potential issues before the stocking begins (hitchhikers, pests, etc)
My current system is 60% dry and 40% live.