20lbs rocks in cycle tank

[leesanhua]

if i put 20lbs of rocks in a newly set up tank ... would that be too much? will this cause dead off of the rock?

 

[Brad]

There are too many variables in this question to provide a simple answer.

How fresh is the new LR going to be?
Has the tank already cycled?
What is in the tank now that could be harmed by a cycle?
How large is the tank?

 

[leesanhua]

15 gal tank. it has only sand, one LR and a raw shrimp.
bought the rock from LR.com. rocks will arrive tomorrow.
today is the 5th day of the tank setted up.

 

[phases99]

Quantity sounds just about right to me. You can remove that raw shrimp, and let the new LR cycle. Don't add any additional life until things stabilize. Let your test kits tell you how things are going.

 

[leesanhua]

i though i suppose to wait til the shrimp disolve?

 

[phases99]

i though i suppose to wait til the shrimp disolve?

Only if you are not going to use LR to cycle. But since you have bought LR you do not want your ammonia levels to go higher than 1 ppm as it can kill the life on the rock. Normally the LR itself should have enough die off to establish the cycle.

 

[leesanhua]

the LR should arrive today but too bad they missed my package. Anyhow mike called me .. nice customer service. a little disappointed.... can't sleep last night because i was too excited to see my rock...
i will receive it tomorrow morning. i will remove the shrimp now.. i am so ready to put the rock in my tank!!

 

[Brad]

Preferably...you would want the shimp to rot and produce a lot of ammonia so that the tank bacteria would multiple on the LR that you have. This takes time....weeks maybe...You would know if you were done if you can't measure any ammonia or nitrite in the system.

Until that happens, your tank can't support life.

As it is, I'm concerned that your new lr.com rock is arriving too quickly. Your tank may be in the worst part of it's cycle just when the rock arrives. That's not good conditions to introduce your rock into. It's not all that bad, just not optimal.

I think you're committed at this point. Remove the shrimp a day or two before the rock arrives and continue the cycle using any death on your new LR (as Phases suggests)

Got your test kits?..or ask your LFS to test for ammonia and nitrite to tell you when the tank has stabilized.

 

[leesanhua]

i was wondering, what is the good time to put the LR in a new cycle tank? since brad saying that my LR arrived too quickly.

 

[Brad]

I think it would have been preferable to wait a little longer for your tank to completely finish cycling before the LR arrived. But it the LR arrives, you have little choice but to put it in the tank.

If you can still delay the LR arrival, then ensure that the ammonia and nitrite have both subsided before you order the LR.