Uncured Live Rock

[Snoopdog]

If I added 5 pounds of uncured live rock to a 70 gallon how bad will the amonia spike be? The tank has been up since January but I am seeing very little life in the tank, I am thinking of seeding it with rock. I have cured live rock many times, but always before I added fish, never in an established tank with fish.

 

[Steven Garland]

That little bit of a added rock shouldn't cause much of anything in any type of spike in nutrients.

 

[Snoopdog]

What about 10 pounds? Should be about the same? In total I probably have 80 gallons if I include my sump and refugium.

 

[ButteMTDIY]

Not an expert by any means, but I added 10 lbs of Gulf Live Rock to a 6 month old system that already had 20 lbs. I barely saw a rise. I think it depends on the condition of the rock you're adding.

 

[Snoopdog]

Not an expert by any means, but I added 10 lbs of Gulf Live Rock to a 6 month old system that already had 20 lbs. I barely saw a rise. I think it depends on the condition of the rock you're adding.

That is good to know, what size tank did it go in?

 

[ButteMTDIY]

That is good to know, what size tank did it go in?

Sorry, forgot to include that. Only about 50 gallons.

 

[samnaz]

I agree it depends on the condition of the live rock you're adding. If it's very live and hasn't spent much time out of water you won't like see a rise in ammonia at all. I'd say go for adding 10.

 

[reefs4life]

IMO, I wouldn't do it. I know it may sound absurd but a friend of mine just did that with some dry rock. He only added 8 lbs of dry branch rock to a fully established 75 gallon tank and he's been losing stuff ever since. I know everyone is pushing to do it but understand that there is also a risk.

 

[samnaz]

IMO, I wouldn't do it. I know it may sound absurd but a friend of mine just did that with some dry rock. He only added 8 lbs of dry branch rock to a fully established 75 gallon tank and he's been losing stuff ever since. I know everyone is pushing to do it but understand that there is also a risk.

That's totally different. the OP is talking about adding live rock, not dry branch rock.

 

[reefs4life]

Oh I see, uncured LIVE rock. For some reason I read uncured and immediately jumped to thinking it was dry rock.

But yeah then I guess you're good to go if it's already "live".

 

[Snoopdog]

IMO, I wouldn't do it. I know it may sound absurd but a friend of mine just did that with some dry rock. He only added 8 lbs of dry branch rock to a fully established 75 gallon tank and he's been losing stuff ever since. I know everyone is pushing to do it but understand that there is also a risk.

Why would adding dry rock cause a problem? Either way we are talking about uncured rock, not dry rock.

 

[reefs4life]

Why would adding dry rock cause a problem? Either way we are talking about uncured rock, not dry rock.

I think I mentioned my experience with it through a friend not just a personal opinion.

Just because it is dry rock, it doesn't mean it's sterile, well maybe yes sterile of any organism but definitely not uncontaminated. At the end of the day, a good amount of the rock available is man-made so who knows what actually goes in it 100%.

 

[X-37B]

It depends on what you mean by uncured.
If it was at lfs for a week you are better off than if it was shipped dry.
I would add 5lbs which is not much to my sump and monitor.
If no spike add another 5.
Either way, sump or tank, just add some bottled bacteria along with the rock and you should be good.

 

[Jedi Knghit]

I have no experience adding new live rock to a existing tank, but a 5 gallon bucket, a heater, a powerhead, and few tests over a couple of days seems like cheap insurance to me.