Tank Journal Archive
Cured vs fresh is a good debate....... Cured your mess likely to get pests (read LESS likely not WON'T) and a slightly smaller cycle where as fresh your more likely to get nicer hitchhikers along with it and the bigger cycle will set you up with a better bacterial filter in the long run
I'm using a mixture I've stuff I cured with some fresh stuff. The local equivalent of "premium live rock" is base rock that's been sitting in a fairly poor excuse for a marine system with no real signs of life beyond a bit of brownish algae, so I padded out the real live stuff I could get with a bit of base rock. I managed to get more life on base rock in 3 months of curing in a kiddie pool than the LFS has on pieces of rock it's had in its system for years (it admits it rarely sells the stuff).
That said, I'm a fan of a bit of both. I started a nano with above said "premium live rock" and for the entire time I could barely get the cycle to finish, and had no useful critters to help clean (worms, fan worms, a million other weird things), and no sign of coralline. Added a bit of fresh live rock, and the tank took off. A few annoying hitchhikers, but you're gonna get them one day anyway.
That said, I'm a fan of a bit of both. I started a nano with above said "premium live rock" and for the entire time I could barely get the cycle to finish, and had no useful critters to help clean (worms, fan worms, a million other weird things), and no sign of coralline. Added a bit of fresh live rock, and the tank took off. A few annoying hitchhikers, but you're gonna get them one day anyway.
Plan? Nobody told told me i need a plan:p Just kidding.
Sit and wat till it cycles, been testing water, and amonia and nitrite is still 0, but nitrate has spiked from .25ppm to 1 in a matter of days. Also noticed that the rocks are starting to turn brown. Will probably do a WC rthis weekend and test again. really want to see that ammonia. But The rock I bought was cured (apparently).
As far as the tank is concerned I will start with a few softies and only want to have a handfull of fish.
Fish list will probably be a pair of clowns, blenny, firefish, maybe a flamehahk and a wrasse, maybe fairy. I think they are great looking fish. Tossing up about a yellow tang, but the the tank might be a bit small, so still undecided. And then just watch it grow.
Would love love to go the acros but this being my first tank will worry abut evrything else first, like keeping everything alive!
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