TAD Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I just bought some rock, its not live rock so I have a few questions. I am going to set up a 40breeder with a 20long for a sump. It seems like I only need about half of the 70lbs I bought. So how much of it should I put in my sump? And should I break some of it into rubble. Do you guys glue your rock together so it doesn't fall and maybe injure some of the corals either by crushing them or getting them to close to something that might sting them to death. I cut out a cardboard template for the bottom of the tank and got a configuration that I really like. So I will start my tank thread with a picture of my aquascaping within the next few days. How much live rock do I need to seed the tank? Can I just buy live rubble for the sump and use that for seeding? How long will it take for my dead rock to become live and is there anything I will need to do specifically to help the process along? How important is lighting during the 4-8 weeks that I will be running a rock only tank? See I told you guys I would have some more questions, LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 You don't have to put any in your sump if you don't want. I like to have just my skimmer and heater in my sump so i can vacuum it out easily with a shopvac. I try to get all detritus, left over food, algae etc to the overflow so it heads down to my sump. I don't glue my rock together, but some epoxy would not hurt to get the formations you like. Just a couple rocks will seed the tank. Live rubble would work. I'd rather have at least a large piece of LR in the display. Should take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Just keep the params in check. You won't need like during the cycle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonH Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 How long it takes to transition your base rock to live rock will depend on several things - one being how much live rock you start with. One major thing that makes rock live is the population of (beneficial) bacteria. The growth of bacteria will depend on the size of your starting population, and how you manage the growth. So, if you start with 70 pounds of base rock and 1/4 pound of live rock, it will take longer than if you start with 10 pounds of live rock. So, once you get some live rock to "seed" your base rock, you need to feed the bacteria to allow it to grow. That's a bit of a delicate process, because you don't want population explosions that result in die off. That is basically the process that people refer to when they talk about "cycling" a tank. I would recommend that you get the tank set up and wet - keep in mind that even base rock should be cured as there were probably organics on the rock when it wet dry that will need to dissolve before it is tank safe. Then add a small Clean up Crew (snails, hermit crabs) and feed them a small amount - - maybe every other day. Small bits of food that they miss - and their waste - will feed the bacteria and you will start cycling your tank. I would expect the process t otake a bit longer than starting with all live rock. This is all my best guess - as I haven't used base rock before. Others will weigh in, I'm sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonH Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Right, glue won't hold large pieces of rock together. Use epoxy - or even better, use acrylic rods. Using base rock give you a great opportunity to get the rocks how you like them and then drill holes and use acrylic rods to hold the rocks together and in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krux Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I just bought some rock, its not live rock so I have a few questions. I am going to set up a 40breeder with a 20long for a sump. It seems like I only need about half of the 70lbs I bought. So how much of it should I put in my sump? And should I break some of it into rubble. Breaking it up wont do too much, unless that is the only way to fit it all in the sump Do you guys glue your rock together so it doesn't fall and maybe injure some of the corals either by crushing them or getting them to close to something that might sting them to death. You can use epoxy, threaded nylon rod and nylon nuts, along with a masonry bit is a common way to tie everything together, you may want to do some searches on that I cut out a cardboard template for the bottom of the tank and got a configuration that I really like. So I will start my tank thread with a picture of my aquascaping within the next few days. How much live rock do I need to seed the tank? Can I just buy live rubble for the sump and use that for seeding? If you are going to let it go for a few weeks, a couple pounds and a raw shrimp tossed in to feed the cycle is all you should need How long will it take for my dead rock to become live and is there anything I will need to do specifically to help the process along? Turn your skimmer off for a couple of days after adding the shrimp meat. Make sure you have a lot of flow going How important is lighting during the 4-8 weeks that I will be running a rock only tank? Lights will not be beneficial while you are cycling, if anything, they will add to algae growth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCR Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Ya wanta cheat.... Get some dirty filter bags from the LFS. Couple of cups of Fuge sand Tossin a raw shrimp. Plenty of flow, heat can be set lower while curing. No light needed A skimmer is a waste for a month. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanareef Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Or you could use the "foam" like I did. http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10966 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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