Live Rock question

[Raker333]

on average how much live rock can you fit into a 29gal tank?
I was going to buy some online and do not want to over-buy.
Will having more live rock assist with cycling?



Thanks in advance,

 

[ChazYork]

LR will definitely assist with biological filtration, as far as cycling it will but not as much as some other methods
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15
You will get varied answers on how much LR is enough for your tank, some say 1-1.5lbs per gal, others say 1.5-2lbs per gal...i prefer the higher end of the scale almost 2lbs per gal - it looks more asthetically pleasing and helps your water parameters stabilize. However, 29g is quite small so maybe you'd want to stick to 1-1.5lbs per gal...whatever works in your tank and your budget!

chaz

 

[lando]

If you get enough fully cured LR you may not see much of a cycle at all. Buying online will ussually get you some die off on the rock as it needs to be shipped. Look for venders who only ship next day air to reduce the amount of time the LR is actually out of the water. You can then use this LR to to start the tank cycle. Starting with about 45 lbs would be great.

 

[AMANIQU77]

I bought some amazingly nasty (in a good way) lr from a local fish store. It's only about 5.5 pounds (just enough to seed my hyposalinity-anihilated display lrs). I am worried, though, of ammonia spikes. The lfs said they normally sell cured. But to be sure, I had that 5.5 lbs of lr in a 5G bucket with display water, air stones, and a powerful powerhead (Aquaclear 4000).

How would I know if a rock is actually cured, besides a guy telling me at a lfs? I mean, I smelled it and it smelled like the sea. I saw a couple of tiny "generic" crabs (is what i pertained to it) on it, some petrified worms (is what they look like), algae, and calcium build ups. How can I tell if it is cured or uncured.

Can I just leave the bucket running for three weeks and wish for it to cure or should I really make water changes to lrs that the lfs claims to be cured? what's the wise thing to do?