Making dry rock live

[SwimsWithFish]

Ok do correct me if I'm wrong...
If I start a new tank with only dry rock and cycle the tank with a dead shrimp and the dry rock, by the end of the cycle my rock will be live and I can start adding fish. Is that right?

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

well it will have to have been previously live then dried out, then recovered at a lfs or with lots of treatments to make it live and yeah with the dead shrimp.
u can add fish then, but id say let the tank establish first and check for hitchhikers and survivers of the dry period xx

 

[SwimsWithFish]

If its base rock that's never been live what do I do?

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

maybe get actual live rock and let the bacteria go from the live rock to the base rock and multiply between them?

 

[SwimsWithFish]

Okay I'll probably do 1/4 live and 3/4 base.

 

[Hinds04]

well it will have to have been previously live then dried out, then recovered at a lfs or with lots of treatments to make it live and yeah with the dead shrimp.
u can add fish then, but id say let the tank establish first and check for hitchhikers and survivers of the dry period xx

What?... You CAN cycle a tank with just dry rock and a raw shrimp. It does not have to have been live previously... and what kind of "lots of treatments" does the lfs do to make it live exactly???

OP, The benefitial bacteria that do the filtration are everywhere in this world and you can cycle a tank with an ammonia source and dry/base rock (it does not have to have been previously live. That said I would add at least 1/4 live rock as it will speed the cycle and add a more diverse colony of “good bacteria”

 

[Gti_Leo]

the only thing that you might want from actual ocean are the critters that may have made the the rock their home,ie peanut worms, feather dusters, barnicals, crabs, mini serpent stars, pods, but having pure live rock liek this can also bring hitchhickers that are not wanted, ie mantis shrimps, apitisia, spiders.

the use of dry rock allows for a placement of all critters you may actually want on there (with introduction by you as the aquatist) and none of the harmful hitchhichers, but the rock is not as cultured as sea rock. it doesn't have all the little caves and tunnels or pin sized holes where things can live.

i personally would go with 80% dry rock and 20% live rock from another tank or LFS. you can also add some pods and critters with a power filter pad from soemone elses system when cycling

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

'lots of treatments' means adding bacteria from other established substrates and filters to help it. the whole you can get bacteria for the live rock anywhere thing i never disagreed with, but it would take ages and according to my lfs a waste of time when u can add in some live rock and get it sorted.

 

[AquaRick]

You don't "need" any live rock to get the process going, but it will help tons. I just cycled my 125g with 90% base, 10% live rock from an LFS in 3 weeks.