starting my cycle with live rock?

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huey112

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
39
Location
New Orleans La
So I have had my tank on order for a week now and I am just waiting for the stand to come in. Anyway when I set it all up is it better to put the live rock in with the dead shrimp and start my cycle or start my cycle then add my live rock at the end of the cycle?
 
Add LR at the beginning..... There may be some die off from the LR and this will start a cycle, adding a shrimp is helpful also. Adding at the end of a cycle my just start a new cycle with the die off of the LR.

BJ used cured lr and with cured there should be little to no cycle.

Fresh uncred LR will take 4-5 weeks to complete a cycle depending on tank size.
 
The way you described it would have 2 ammonia peaks. If enuf die-off is on the rock, you may not need the shrimp. I'd suggest putting both in at the same time instead of one right after the other.
 
I did end up having another spike (a small one .25, .3) after adding my LR into a fully cycled tank, so if I could do it over again, I'd do it all at once.
 
This is crazy. I was just about to post the exact same question and I saw your thread. Thanks for the advise, everyone. Good luck with your tank. I am ordering my LR from liverocks.com, it will be delivered on Friday. I will post pictures and let you all know how the rock looks.
 
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