Last minute questions before LR arrives

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sevise

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Jul 28, 2004
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184
Location
NY
My 160lbs of LR from Liverocks.com arrives sometime tommarow morning. My tank is ready in terms of chemisty, the plumbings and the skimmer are running, and I have spare batteries for the digital camera. I really should of asked these questions earlier but I just thought of em.

After the rock is in place and arranged how I like it do I just drop a fresh(from the store) shrimp in? Or is it not necessary with the LR?

Do hitchhikers(the keepers) need to be acclimated or do I just drop them in?

So i don't post an "Emergeny" thread is there any normal surprises I'm in for over the first 3-4 days?
 
With that much lr you may not need to add a shrimp to get the cycle started. Keep an eye on ammonia levels. If there is no spike then I would add the shrimp
 
Get everything in there you want to keep, Most of them have been without water for almost 24 hrs. so It's more important to get them in the tank. IMHO. If you have a sump that's where to put all the crabs until you can sort through them and make sure of what type you have.
 
Just opened my 40lbs of LR.com Keys rock 30min ago. Based on my order, you will *not* need to add anything. I had dozens of starfish, worms, crabs, and stuff I can't even recognize. I put it all in the tank (I have a 6 week old 90 gal with 120lbs of pacific rock, and no fish yet).

Some of the critters were beat up because they fled to the bottom of the box then got crunched in shipping (not LR.com's fault, that just happens). I went ahead added everything, whether healthy or wounded. Some of them won't make it I'm sure and will give you a nh3/nh4 load to get started.

Looks unbelievable. Great color. Generous packaging, happy all around.

When I can get a better dig pic I will post one.

Nate C
 
I gotta kill some time while my water clears. I did the carbonated wtaer dip, that got some stuff out, but I found most of my take at the bottom of the containers.

Most of the worms were dead, but I cupped 2 HUGE ones and 2 tiny ones.
2 Snails and 2 Pistols
HPIM0169.jpg


9 Stars! although I think a couple are/will be dead soon.
HPIM0170.jpg


7 Teenie Crabs
HPIM0171.jpg


I think I found a mantis, it was only about half an inch and appears dead.
Well the waters clear enough to get back to aquascaping, gotta run.
 
When you do the carbonated dip does it damages the critters that come out of the rock?

How about some tank/rock pics? :D
 
I just stirred up the sand again.

From my understanding the carbonated water "stuns" them, they cant breath so they come scurrying out of there homes. I did the dip for about a minute per rock, once the rock was out I checked for any hitchhikers in my bucket, if there were any I scooped them up right away.

Aquascaping is harder than I expected. First time out I put the largest on the bottom. Well I soon figured out that wasnt the best route. I used the medium ones on the bottom then bridged them with the largest. I cant see in there well enough to put these last few in.

HPIM0172.jpg


Most are "normal" porous rocks, 1 has some nice concentric rings, I also got a few tonga brach type rocks.
 
Quick question on LR:-

After I buy it from the store, should I QT it for a few days to see if it creates an ammonia spike? Then, remove any obviously dead things on it? Do I need to prepare it at all before it's put in my tank?

And, do I acclimate it like an invert (2 hr drip)?
 
Nah, just stick it in there. If you get it local it should be cured, and if you get it from lr.com you should not have much of a spike if at all.
 
So as long as it's cured it's ok to put straight in with no problems? Will I have to acclimate it?
 
you gonna throw that brittle star away??? I WANT!!!

:wink:

I am just kidding. you can have it.

Unfortunatly, I did not get any stars with my 40 lbs.
 
The rock looks great! Lots of nice critters. I can't wait to see it in the tank when it's done.

Mike
 
Update

Today will be the 1 week mark for my tank. Its not gone quite as nicely as I'd likely. The majority of the stars and other hitchhikers died during the ammonia spike. ALOT of white stuff(algae) grew, that just started to taper off and is now being replacing by something orange. My ammonia is VERY high, no nitrites or nitrates yet.

The water is still pretty murky in that photo, while I was at work last night really ceared up.
041006.JPG


I'm starting to get impatient, but I will let it cycle naturally.
 
I would be doing water changes to keep the ammonia down some, I will prolong the cycle but more life will survive.
 
this is the reason I think I new tank should cycle before a lot of uncured (or little-cured) LR is added. having already established bacteria should help clean up the rock...
 
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