How to build a healthy microbiome?

[djs4him]

I have a 180g 8-month-old tank that was started with dry rock. 8 months in and my rocks are still pretty white. I've realized now that my lights are trash. I will be upgrading them.

Meanwhile, what can I do to establish a healthy microbiome in my tank?

My tank is cycled and just now starting to grow some diatoms. Can I purchase little microscopic critters to add to the diversity and health of my ecosystem? Is this just a matter of sitting on my thumbs and waiting or is there anything I can do to assist?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I have a 180g 8-month-old tank that was started with dry rock. 8 months in and my rocks are still pretty white. I've realized now that my lights are trash. I will be upgrading them.

Meanwhile, what can I do to establish a healthy microbiome in my tank?

My tank is cycled and just now starting to grow some diatoms. Can I purchase little microscopic critters to add to the diversity and health of my ecosystem? Is this just a matter of sitting on my thumbs and waiting or is there anything I can do to assist?

Well for starters pods and daily doses of phytoplankton would help along with adding some ocean live rock to seed it

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Any reason you'd be opposed to seeding with some live rock?

 

[djs4him]

Any reason you'd be opposed to seeding with some live rock?

Nope I'm not against it. At the time, I was trying to save some money so I went with dry rock.

 

[shakacuz]

purchase real live rock from places like KPaquatics or seeded rubble/sand from aquabiomics along some microbacter7 or PNS probio/substrate sauce

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Nope I'm not against it. At the time, I was trying to save some money so I went with dry rock.

At the very least, you can try to get a cupful of sand from an established tank to add some basic biodiversity. At best, order some live rock, sand, or rubble.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Nope I'm not against it. At the time, I was trying to save some money so I went with dry rock.

Oh ok...I'd say that's definitely the way to get a good foundation going for your microbiome...and ocean rock would be more diverse than rock that's just been sitting in bottled bacteria at a LFS btw...and I'm sure you'll get some people just telling you to dump every kind of bottled bacteria in but that's just not the way to go if you ask me...real live ocean rock has WAY more biodiversity