Reef Discussion

NiCd

Lead Moderator
Jul 29, 2011
4,296
1,586
Sydney
Have you thought about buying some LR from somebody shutting their tank down? its usually fully cycled, tank hardened and covered in coraline and will cause you alot less head aches and is usually $5 a kg instead of $20+

You just need to be careful in picking it out and be prepared to walk away from a tank with issues.

Another option just buy dry rock, acid wash it and use your current rock to seed it, Its fun to do a full fresh LR set up once but I doubt I would ever do it again after going dry rock and seeding,

Also not sure how brave you are but you wouldnt find me aquascaping with a lion fish in there, been stung once, never ever again.
 

KirTracid

Member
Aug 4, 2013
24
21
Have you thought about buying some LR from somebody shutting their tank down? its usually fully cycled, tank hardened and covered in coraline and will cause you alot less head aches and is usually $5 a kg instead of $20+

You just need to be careful in picking it out and be prepared to walk away from a tank with issues.
NiCD is right, just make sure it is covered in coralline (as it's a good indicator that it isn't full of algae fueling nutrients). I made that mistake when I first started, bought a second hand full setup & spent like a year confused as to why my tank just wasn't thriving. Took me a VERY long time to work it out as I just couldn't pinpoint the prob on anything.
Always check the phosphate level with a reliable test if you buy someone elses liverock. Takes 3 mins & can save a whole lot of heartache.
 

NiCd

Lead Moderator
Jul 29, 2011
4,296
1,586
Sydney
If you do rescape with the lion fish in, let us know when you are doing it and we will all pop around with popcorn and beer to watch
 

Agent M

Member
Oct 21, 2011
3,536
1,586
Melbourne
He said I should introduce the LR directly to my tank over the course of 3 weeks or so (1/3 a week) and then wait a couple of weeks, do my aquascaping and then introduce the corals.
Sounds like a lot of stuffing around for you quite honestly. The vast majority of tanks are not set up this way. I am curious to hear why he recommends this if you feel like asking next time you're in. If it is in order to minimise die off you can just do this by monitoring the cycle & do water changes as needed.

I asked him about cycling it all in a tub (with a powerhead) and he wasn’t keen on that as he thought the rock is more likely to die in a tub than in my tank.
Glass tank or tub - the container you cycle the live rock in makes no difference, you just have to make sure it has circulation and heating. @DavidS cycled his in a blue shell paddle pool - if you want to see pics/details head over to his tank journal. It is common for an LFS to store their live rock in a large holding tub with heating and circulation only. Live rock is used in un-lit sumps and canister filters long term too as the bacteria & many of the other things that live on LR don't need light. The only things on live rock that need light are the photosynthetic organisms you will want to preserve for your enjoyment - these things will be fine without light short term while the rock is being cycled.

AgentM - i think your i will go with your tub cycling suggestion but i wanted to check again first.
I am 100% confident this is a good option for you. From the LFS end of things - what you want to buy is GOOD live rock - full of life. A good sign is when the rock is bright purple, or dappled with red, white and pink (coralline algae) & also try to spot any live corals, sponges, little mussels or the tube casings of fan worms, things like that. Ask them to help you pick out the best bits if you are unsure what you are looking for.

I suppose my key questions are
1. If the LR has been properly cycled when I buy it how big is the cycle when I introduce it to my tank normally going to be, could it endanger my fish?

Generally LR is not cycled when you buy it, which is why you need to do it yourself at home.

2. and if i tub cycle the LR instead do i risk losing it?
Not if you provide circulation with a powerhead and keep it at a tropical temperature which is 24 - 28 degrees (or whatever you keep your tank temperature at). I personally prefer to do water changes during the cycle, as do a few others (like @DavidS) as this helps to preserve any coral & invertebrates ("hitchhikers") that could die during the initial ammonia spike.
 

leodb89

Member
Mar 6, 2012
3,751
876
Sydney
i assumed this was better treatment than the aquael but ill take eiher....PS sorry for the thread hijack and to steer it back on course...i too would like to be there whilst the rescape goes on and the lion is in there lol
 

toby4

Member
Sep 23, 2013
48
35
ok, cool, sounds like i have a plan now, thanks everyone

So i'll head back to aquaristic this weekend and pick up the LR if he has any nice bits, if not i'll look around till i can find some.

I will also buy a powerhead and a spare heater from them and a big plastic bin from bunnings which i can cycle them in.

Couple of auxiliary questions now.

1. roughly how long do you think it will take to cycle the LR before i can add it to my tank?
2. should i work out my aquascape and stick them together with putty before or after i cycle them?
3. do you think its worth me keeping any of my old red rock for the boomie base or starting from scratch with all new LR
4. does it get really smelly? will my wife freak from the smell if i put the tub in the bathroom?
5. can i sell tix so people can watch me getting stung by my lionfish?

cheers!!
 

toby4

Member
Sep 23, 2013
48
35
ps following on from NiCd's post, does anyone know anyone with live rock for sale at the moment?
 

NiCd

Lead Moderator
Jul 29, 2011
4,296
1,586
Sydney
1. Its a bit of a how longs a peice of string and where do you say a cycle has finished question, If you mean when does the ammonia die off or when is the rock stable.

if you get stanky rock it can take 6 months to sort itself out before i would be putting it in my display, if you get really fresh clean rock, pick off the sponges, smash all the crabs, lure out the mantis by offering your thumb as a sacrifice, scrub all the macro off , catch those brown zoas as soon as the first one appears and kill it with calc, get that first aptand dose with zeo you can be fairly good in 14 days. Or you may hit anywhere inbetween.

2. Id recommend having a rough plan but unless you are building and fixing the structure together at the beginning, nothing ever goes back together the same and aquaneed it makes to rocks sit together but it doesnt really hold the rocks together if you know what i mean,

3. Personal choice, id probably go with less is more

4. Depends on the rock if its a fresh ocean smell or summer at the fish wharves, If you have a financial controller that is not overly thrilled about this venture to begin with and you have the option of doing it in the garage, i would do it in the garage

5. Yes, I will pay money to see this.
 

leodb89

Member
Mar 6, 2012
3,751
876
Sydney
1. Its a bit of a how longs a peice of string and where do you say a cycle has finished question, If you mean when does the ammonia die off or when is the rock stable.

if you get stanky rock it can take 6 months to sort itself out before i would be putting it in my display, if you get really fresh clean rock, pick off the sponges, smash all the crabs, lure out the mantis by offering your thumb as a sacrifice, scrub all the macro off , catch those brown zoas as soon as the first one appears and kill it with calc, get that first aptand dose with zeo you can be fairly good in 14 days. Or you may hit anywhere inbetween.

2. i.d recommend having a rough plan but unless you are building and fixing the structure together at the beginning, nothing ever goes back together the same and aquaneed it makes to rocks sit together but it doesnt really hold the rocks together if you know what i mean,

3. Personal choice, i.d probably go with less is more

4. Depends on the rock if its a fresh ocean smell or summer at the fish wharves, If you have a financial controller that is not overly thrilled about this venture to begin with and you have the option of doing it in the garage, i would do it in the garage

5. Yes, I will pay money to see this.
+1 how much are tickets!? Lol
 

toby4

Member
Sep 23, 2013
48
35
I reckon one months hcf bill!

Am slowing getting there, have been to see some live rock and am planning the garage tub adventure. Will post again when I get closer to pulling the trigger

Also have been reading up about power heads, does anyone have experience of the tunze turbelle 6065?

Cheers!
 

NiCd

Lead Moderator
Jul 29, 2011
4,296
1,586
Sydney
i recon we can muster that :)

have you looked at the 6045, 6055 or 6095 instead?
 

toby4

Member
Sep 23, 2013
48
35
hi, here we go, my tank with the LR in, i checked my levels yday and all are looking good.

the layout is pretty close to what i originally wanted, had to tweak it a bit given the rock i got to make it look good. hopefully once the corals are added it will even out at the heights i wanted.

so i reckon i have a 3-4 week wait before i should start adding corals? is that about right?

so any suggestions on the which ones i should go for, my ideal is low maintenance and lots of colour.

cheers!!