live rock in a new tank?

[mwrmma]

i just bought 70 lbs of base rock from hirock, and i have 100lbs of reef sand, and a SG of 1.023. 90 gallon tank with a maxi jet 1200 ph, a rio 600, a fluval canister, and an aquaclear 500. i just ordered 45 lbs of live rock from liveaquaria.com, and it should be here on friday. what should i do to prepare for it, and as far as my tank cycling, can i put the rock right in the tank? ( 2 days shipping ) and when should i put the dead shrimp in to cycle or is the rock enought to cycle? can i put the shrimp in now? when do i buy my cleanup crew? what is recommended for a cleanup crew? i know that once my cycle is over, i do a 50 % w. c. and then i should be good to go to put fish in, but what to do in the mean time? thanks for the help. i am also planning on ordering some rubble for the 2 filters, so i should have a total of about 125 lbs live rock once the base rock gets seeded in about 4 to 6 months.
thanks in advance!

 

[lando]

If this a brand new tank go ahead and throw the rock into the tank. The die-off will help jump-start the cycle. Adding a shrimp should be fine as well. You can expect to have a 4-6 week cycle prior to adding any livestock. You should not have to worry about a clean-up crew until the cycle ends.

 

[mwrmma]

what am i looking to get as far as a clean up crew? and does anyone have any thoughts as far as lighting the live rock during the cycle? will the shrimp quicken the cycle or is it just a 4 to 6 week period no matter what?
thanks again.

 

[lando]

A clean-up crew is generally some reef hermits and various snails. You do not need to light the LR during the cycle. Keeping the photo-period limited can help control algae and diatom outbreaks. A strong cycle will take 4-6 weeks. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby.