Can I take dry base rock and just put it in my tank and put some of the arag-alive sand in and just let my tank go cycle.
Is it going to stink like curing usually does? I didn’t think it would because it is dead rock already, but i have no idea.
If the live sand is a bad idea maybe i could get a couple of hardy fish like damsels to cycle. I just don’t want to waste salt/time curing dry base rock.
“Base rock” only tells us a tiny little bit about the rock. I’ve heard live rock that wasn’t colorfull, but fully cured and ready to go referred to as base rock. I’ve seen rock that was large and would form a good “base” to put other rocks on reffered to as base rock.
If you have any live animals in the tank is may be best to at least rinse of the rocks and soak it in either fresh water(tap is fine) or a water change from your tank. If your able to soak it and put a small power head in it(brute trash cans work great for this) you’ll have a better idea of how much dead material is in it.
Most base rock is going to contain some phosphates in it which will help algae grow. It can prove difficult to remove too much phosphates from an aquarium so if you haven’t already I would read up on, and pick up, some GFO to run in the tank.
Do you have anything alive in your tank now?
no the tank is completely empty. It literally is dry base rock. Like plain old rock.
I want to cycle in tank but I don’t want it to stink like live rock that needs to be cured.
My question is… can I just put it in the tank with some hardy fish or arag-alive and then just run the tank through a normal cycle or do I need to go through a curing process even though it is dry base rock?
Thanks!
You can just add it to the tank ans cycle normally. Adding a few pieces of live rock will help the cycle and seed the base rock faster.
Thanks guys! That saves me a LOT of time/effort/planning.
I posted in the for sale forum looking for some live rock to seed the tank. Does that live sand stuff even work?
I have to think most of the stuff is dead in there already lol.
The biggest thing with just putting base, dry or live rock right in the tank is, that more then likely it will have PO4 sometimes lots of it, soaking it in a tub with a power head where you can easily do a few 100% water changes help get the PO4 down before putting it in the tank.
As far as live sand goes, I think it a pure waste of money.
And I would suggest using table shrimp and a cycle booster to cycle your tank even if fish are hardy Ammonia burns their gills at the very least, why harm a fish or inverts if you don’t have to.
Noted, i’ll do a fishless cycle. If I run phosban on the tank that should remove the excess PO4.
What causes base rock to have phosphate in it? Do you think that since the base rock was in a cichlid tank for over a year that the phosphate would have dissapated into the tank (of which i did a ton of water changes)?
Also, do you have a recommendation for a cycle booster?
If this isn’t a calcium carbonate base rock, I don’t think I’d be using it in a reef set up.
It is.
PO4 comes from stuff the died and began to decompose inside the pores of the rock. If it isn’t thoroughly rinsed out and soaked out you’ll have some PO4 issues. Running phosban will help, but also plan on doing some extra water changes to be safe. How ling ago was the rock in the cichlid tank? Was there ever any copper based meds used in the tank? I get nervous anytime freshwater items get repurposed in to marine items.
The rock has been out of the tank for about a week. I put it outside in the sunlight for a few days.
I bought this rock with the hope that I’d eventually convert to salt. There has never been copper in the tank.
This isn’t my first salty, but it is the first time i’ve used base rock!
If it were me, and since this is going to be rock that probably will not be easy to remove, I’d take every precaution to make sure that it won’t be problematic. Therefore, I’d be etching, and curing this rock before I placed it in the tank.
By etching you mean removing dead material pockets like sponges and stuff?
[quote=“jtnova13, post:13, topic:5380”]
By etching you mean removing dead material pockets like sponges and stuff?[/quote]
Yes, including a little of the surface, where some of the other elements/minerals might be located.
[quote=“Downbeach, post:14, topic:5380”]
Yes, including a little of the surface, where some of the other elements/minerals might be located.[/quote]
Good advice. I am going to scrub them with a brush in RO/DI water before I put them in the tank to cycle.
[quote=“jtnova13, post:15, topic:5380”]
[quote=“Downbeach, post:14, topic:5380”]
Yes, including a little of the surface, where some of the other elements/minerals might be located.[/quote]
Good advice. I am going to scrub them with a brush in RO/DI water before I put them in the tank to cycle.[/quote]
I would put it in a 50/50 vinegar bath with a PH for a couple of days, and just hose it off before cycling.
Will do! In the meantime I can fill up my tank with saltwater. This will take a couple of days anyway because I’m afraid to leave my RO/DI on while i’m not home. Too many accidents in the past lol.
[quote=“jtnova13, post:15, topic:5380”]
I am going to scrub them with a brush in RO/DI water before I put them in the tank to cycle.[/quote]
Again I wouldn’t waste your time, prefilters, and water using RO/DI. Seriously use tap water. Never to top off the tank, never for water changes, but always for cleaning.
If your rock was in a freshwater set up it probably won’t be too bad smell wise. If your rock was imported base rock that was dried up on a beach it would REEK horribly in your house. Again, “base rock” could mean many different things, but the rock you are describing shouldn’t be too bad. After rinsing it off with a hose(power wash would be nice if you had one handy) it will be find to bring to life in your house.
I wouldn’t waste your money on live sand.
[quote=“jtnova13, post:17, topic:5380”]
I’m afraid to leave my RO/DI on while i’m not home. Too many accidents in the past lol.[/quote]
Look into setting up a Brute trash can with a horizontal mount float.(don’t use Kent Marines black box as they are horrible) You may want to make sure your RO already has an AutoShut off valve on it so it keep water from going down the drain line when it can’t enter your Brute.
Then use a pump to push the water into your tank or carry it over with buckets. You might as well get used to doing this anyways as water changes are very important for a healthy reef aquarium. You’ll be doing a lot of them over the years if you love your tank.
Thanks gordonious! I got scared cuz of the phosphates that could leech out of the rocks so I washed them with a hose and then Put them in a big bucket with salt water at 1.21 SG. I’ll just let them sit there with some shrimp in it and then fill my display tank. Instead of doing a 100% water change on the bucket I’ll just take the rocks out and put them in my tank.
At least this way I can test for phosphates before I chuck them into my tank.