starting new tank

[StaceyL]

Hi,
I am new here, and I am planning on setting up a small 12g sw reef tank soon, waiting for the tank to arrive. I have been doing alot of research, but I still have many questions.

I found Liverocks.com through this site, and I really like what I see on their site, so I will probably get 20 lbs LR from them. One big question I have is can I put the whole 20 lbs in the tank right at the start to cycle the tank, or do I need to start with half, then add the rest after the tank has cycled?

Thanks for the help

 

[klc317]

I would go ahead and put it all in at once along with the live sand and let it ride for a few weeks to get things started. You can buy a product called "Cycle" that is a liquid and follow the directions on the bottle to help get the cycle going too. It's available at most of the aquarium stores and fish stores.

 

[Edmonton Eskimo]

Welcome to AA guys!!!!!! I wouldn't bother using cycle but you can if you wish. 20 lbs of liverock will cycle your nano nicely. Every couple days do some tests and see where things are at. Once all your parameters are 0 you are good to go. Nitrates don't have to be zero but as close as possible but make sure ammonia and nitrites are 0.

 

[StaceyL]

Thanks for the info. One more question. It seems that many living things, crabs, snails, brittle stars, etc. come along on the LR, is it ok for these things to go in the tank at the start as well, or am I subjecting them to doom?