Newbie--gifted live rock, need cycle advice

[Fish Think Pink]

Welcome! I'm

Hi all!
My name's Randy and I live in Cypress, Texas (suburb of Houston). I kept a successful freshwater tank years ago (only shut it down due to military deployment) but have never done saltwater. Recently got the green light from my wife to build out my dream reef tank, and I'm saving up to order a Planet Aquariums 275G and a custom stand--those probably won't see my house until late summer by the time both are paid for and built. I've been loving the research and design part of this.

Everything I've read has shown me nothing good happens fast in this hobby, and I know it's not cheap--but I'm patient (current goal is to have first fish in the DT by 12-31) and we can fit it into it into our budget. That being said, this weekend someone gifted me about 100lbs of dry live rock and some neat coral skeletons that they had sitting in their yard. I'm planning on giving them a good scrub and doing the bleach cure I saw on a BRS video. Next I plan to build them into some small structures and cement them together.

My first question: once cured and assembled, how would you go about starting the cycle on that rock in a Brute trash can while diverting as little money as possible from the tank/stand fund? It's not that I don't expect to spend money, just that I'm excited to start the timers on the custom builds, but I also want to make good use of the time I have with this rock.

Thank you. I'm excited to join the community!

--Randy

Hi all!
My name's Randy and I live in Cypress, Texas (suburb of Houston). I kept a successful freshwater tank years ago (only shut it down due to military deployment) but have never done saltwater. Recently got the green light from my wife to build out my dream reef tank, and I'm saving up to order a Planet Aquariums 275G and a custom stand--those probably won't see my house until late summer by the time both are paid for and built. I've been loving the research and design part of this.

Everything I've read has shown me nothing good happens fast in this hobby, and I know it's not cheap--but I'm patient (current goal is to have first fish in the DT by 12-31) and we can fit it into it into our budget. That being said, this weekend someone gifted me about 100lbs of dry live rock and some neat coral skeletons that they had sitting in their yard. I'm planning on giving them a good scrub and doing the bleach cure I saw on a BRS video. Next I plan to build them into some small structures and cement them together.

My first question: once cured and assembled, how would you go about starting the cycle on that rock in a Brute trash can while diverting as little money as possible from the tank/stand fund? It's not that I don't expect to spend money, just that I'm excited to start the timers on the custom builds, but I also want to make good use of the time I have with this rock.

Thank you. I'm excited to join the community!

--Randy

Welcome! I'm DFW so we are nearly neighbors (ha!). Already good advice here above for you

 

[Jeffcb]

Welcome to Reef 2 Reef!

 

[JL15219]

Hello and welcome to R2R!!

 

[MERKEY]

Hello and welcome to R2R!

 

[G Santana]

Welcome aboard

 

[NormalRandy]

Welcome! I'm



Welcome! I'm DFW so we are nearly neighbors (ha!). Already good advice here above for you

Nice! We love to come up to FW to visit the stockyards--wife never tires of seeing the cattle drive. Just a short 4hr drive, haha.

 

[bblumberg]

Lots of good advice above. One thing I would do (and have done) differently is to purchase food grade 55 gallon drums. Nearly every big city has a supplier of such drums which are often a byproduct of the food industry. I got mine for $35 each. Much less costly than Brut trashcans with lids... I see quite a few options on craigslist Houston.

 

[NormalRandy]

Lots of good advice above. One thing I would do (and have done) differently is to purchase food grade 55 gallon drums. Nearly every big city has a supplier of such drums which are often a byproduct of the food industry. I got mine for $35 each. Much less costly than Brut trashcans with lids... I see quite a few options on craigslist Houston.

Oh wow, I'll have to look at that. I just went on my lunch break and picked up a 32G Brute, and that's fine for curing the rock I already have. But if I want to aquascape it together before starting a cycle I'll need more than one to accommodate the bulky, branching shapes, and the 55G size would be helpful in that regard. Thank you!

 

[Salty Rambler]

Welcome to R2R! As noted above, there is no need to have a light on the non-live rocks while they are cycling. You are also right that you will save yourself some growing pains by investing in an RODI system now.

 

[KWT]

Welcome to R2R, come in sit down and relax, enjoy

 

[00W]

Welcome! All the advice you'll ever need is right here!

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I didnt cure or cycle any of my dry rock. I cycled the fish tank anyways.
D

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

When i removed my live rock all i did was dry it out in the sun in my front grass.
D

 

[kutcha]

Thank you! I really appreciate the advice.

So then once rock is cured and cemented together, my shopping list looks like:
Brute, heater, power-head, light, testing kits, seed rock and/or bacteria, and water.... Water for cycling (including changes) seems like it's going to be a pain unless I get the RO/DI system first, so maybe I should go ahead with that too. Kindof a longer list than I was hoping for before I even order the tank, but it's all stuff I'll need before the tank can support life anyhow so I might as well do it in the best order.

it doesnt always have to be a brute trash can if you find a cheap 40 breeder or a rubbermaid trough can work even better just set it up in the garage that way you have the room to put wide and long scapes together. Also you defiantly want to get a RO/DI unit especially were your tank is going to be so large, you dont want to be having to carry 20 5 gallon buckets to and from your LFS.

 

[BaysEndReef]

 

[lelandmarine]

WELCOME!
Here are some resources you may like

If you like to read

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...

www.reef2reef.com

If you prefer video’s. This video series is “5 minute guide”, good info. BRS TV has lots of different series.

Here’s a getting the most out of Reef2Reef link

Tips for Getting the Most From the Reef2Reef Forum

Tips for Getting the Most From the Reef2Reef Forum Clown Triggerfish, Balistoides conspicillum. Photo is from the Reef2Reef archives, courtesy of @Darryl, ©2019, All Rights Reserved. If you're new to online discussion forums or just new to Reef2Reef, this article is for you. Much of the...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[NormalRandy]

WELCOME!
Here are some resources you may like

If you like to read

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...

www.reef2reef.com

If you prefer video’s. This video series is “5 minute guide”, good info. BRS TV has lots of different series.

Here’s a getting the most out of Reef2Reef link

Tips for Getting the Most From the Reef2Reef Forum

Tips for Getting the Most From the Reef2Reef Forum Clown Triggerfish, Balistoides conspicillum. Photo is from the Reef2Reef archives, courtesy of @Darryl, ©2019, All Rights Reserved. If you're new to online discussion forums or just new to Reef2Reef, this article is for you. Much of the...

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks! Luckily, I found BRS early and binge-watched the entire BRS160 series like it was the latest show on Netflix, and then a bunch of their "21 fails" videos too. I like to read (I'm on my second reef book now) so I'll check out the article as well. The books, videos and articles provide a great foundation and I'm soaking it up, but I also value hearing what has worked for y 'all, and the way you've approached things and solved problems.

 

[NormalRandy]

Update:
With all the great advice and thinking this through, I think I've decided to just wait for my tank to start to cycle this rock. It's in a Brute bleach-curing now, and then I'll take my time aquascaping it into some small structures, keeping in mind tank dimensions as well as limitations on how much bulk and weight two people can safely maneuver into a tank without dropping it. When the tank arrives, I'll probably want to do some more aquascaping and that will be easier to do with dry rock. While I play Legos with my dry rocks, I'll also be buying the RO/DI system, heaters, wavemakers, and the first couple of lights. Once the tank is ready for water, I'll seed it with some live rock "islands," and possibly some bacteria or copepod solutions, and start the cycle while I work on building out and plumbing my sump. Ultimately, this way takes longer to get to a cycled tank since I could be cycling my rock while I wait for the tank and stand, but for me the value of being able to tinker with the dry rock with the tank present supersedes the value of the shortcut.

Thanks everyone for helping me realize what a project it would be to start the cycle first so I could arrive at a solution!

 

[Manny’s Reef]

Hello and welcome to R2R. You'll like it here.

 

[vetteguy53081]