So. I just read a big article on cycling a new tank with live rocks. I bought live rocks that already had different types of algae growth on them. The article said as that stuff dies it will produce ammonia and nitrites in my water and start the cycle. Is this true? If so, do I just need to be patient and let it cycle itself? Or should I add another source of ammonia?
10 Gallon reef tank
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carey
Aquarium Advice Addict
Another source of ammonia will give you a better biofilter when all is said and done. I've had live rock give me small ammonia spikes of maybe 1ppm of ammonia which in my opinion is kinda a low threshold.
If this is a starter tank to work up to switching your 30 into a SW then id honestly suggest you do a little more reading and get the 30 drilled and add the 10 as the sump which will give you roughly 30 gallons of water after displacement. The more water you have the easier it will actually be for you to maintain consistent water conditions and also allows for a broader range of tank inhabitants. Trust me, more then likely you'll make the change a whole lot faster then you think.....before my 20 gallon was even finished cycling I upgraded to a 46 with a 20 g sump lol.
I've really got too much money tied into my 30 rite now to just get rid of it. Plus, I kinda like the thought of a small reef tank. But later I'm gonna do exactly what you said. I may go with a 55 gallon tank. Not sure yet. As of now I'm staying with the 10 gallon.
Thanks. I will def keep that in mind. I am going today to get the rest of the rock for my 10 gallon. Im getting have live rock and half base rock. Not sure if I am using the correct language. Lol. I am getting half of the rock that already has been inside a tank with other live rocks. The LFS I use grow the live rocks in an active tank with fish only, no corals. The rocks are covered in different types of algae and bacteria. The other rocks I am talking about is the ones that they have in a dry box, it's still the skeleton of the coral which is very porous. My LFS is a marine biologist, so i try to trust him.
So, to help my understanding, the lace rock is the base rock?? Or is it the live your talkin about?? I would assume there is always a chance to have a hitch-hiker would be on a live rock. But from my understanding of the LFS I use, he works very hard to keep unwanted "things" off the live rocks he sells.
Lace=base and even the best live rock your gonna find a few hitchhikers on due to eggs finally hatching or just extremely small but that's not always a bad thing either I've got an acropora crab with my zoas which is worth about as much as the coral so that was a score haha
Haha! I've done a ton of reading about the basics of saltwater. Now I've got to start reading the details of the names y'all use and what this stuff means! Lol. I feel confident in the basics and cycling the tank, but these names are something else! 
Oh trust me I started researching to start my first SW tank about 6 months ago and have had my tank running for about 3 with roughly 2-3 hours a day of reading up on different species and what not and still get schooled all the time haha...I mean more men have walked on the moon then been to the furthest depths of the ocean so everybody including the biologists have a lot more to learn lol
Just added 10 lbs. of base rock to my tank which gives me a total of about 12 lbs. I've only got about 3 lbs. live rock. I may look into getting a little more live rock to help seed the base rock. But as of now I am starting my cycle. I am going to cycle for at least 4 weeks. I'm also going to buy the T5 4 bulb light this weekend. I am going with a more natural ammonia source, I am going to put some blood worms inside some old panty hose and hang them on the tank and let them decay. I have a nice purple rock (some kind of purple algae) I am hoping it will spread to the other rock. Let me know what y'all think!!!
carey
Aquarium Advice Addict
Good luck! may you have a quick and easy cycle.
As long as you have some live rock you should be fine, if any of the rock doesn't have purple hard algae (coralline) on it and you want the purple in your tank then you will have to get a live rock with coralline on it.
As long as you have some live rock you should be fine, if any of the rock doesn't have purple hard algae (coralline) on it and you want the purple in your tank then you will have to get a live rock with coralline on it.
This is my tank. Looks bare right now. I've got a back I just haven't put it on yet. As you can see I have two live rocks with one being covered in the purple Coraline algae. The other is kinda ugly. The two bigger rocks are the base I added tonight. I am gonna get a few more smaller live rocks as soon as I can to help in seeding the new base rocks.
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carey
Aquarium Advice Addict
You can also break up the large pieces if you want. I think maybe one or two small/medium pieces of rock will be perfect in there. you already have some form, maybe make another cave on the right?
You should try to get rock that is as porous as possible, more room for bacteria and things to live. The lighter and more porous the better.
Here is a photo os some good rock I got a few months back. Note the nooks and crannies and the holes throughout. Not only is that better it also gives you places to place corals, its very convenient.
I think maybe one or two small/medium pieces of rock will be perfect in there. you already have some form, maybe make another cave on the right?You should try to get rock that is as porous as possible, more room for bacteria and things to live. The lighter and more porous the better.
Here is a photo os some good rock I got a few months back. Note the nooks and crannies and the holes throughout. Not only is that better it also gives you places to place corals, its very convenient.
The pics of the rocks I've got don't really show the rocks good but I tried to pic the most porous rock I could find for that reason. And yes, I'm gonna get some more live rock to go in there. Thanks for the help!!!
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