Which Live Rock and How Much to Cycle Tank?

[pinocchio]

Thanks for all the information, this is super helpful! I am really leaning towards full live rock. I notice that some sites will have “base” and “premium”. Although premium looks like it’s got a lot more life to it, it sounds like I am looking for “base”? I think TBS is the only one who has “base” listed. Gulf Live Rock only seems to have “premium deco”. Would premium deco from Gulf be ok to start with?

 

[Tired]

"Base" means "this has bacteria and probably some stuff that doesn't need much light living on it", "Premium" means "this has probably been in the water longer and was in the light, it has coraline, macroalgae, and who knows what all in addition to the bacteria". Premium may have more die-off and may have more sensitive organisms, but will generally look much better, bring in cooler hitchhikers, and come with more pest-outcompeting algae.

Premium stuff is fine to start with, though you may need to be more careful of ammonia spikes if you get a lot of it. Starting with base and then adding premium a couple weeks later is ideal, but not required.