Cured rock in new tank

[VT rules]

Can I put 70 lbs of tank established cured rock into my brand new (running for 3 days) 55 gallon tank without causing any problems for the tank or the rock?
If I do, will I still need the shrimp?

Thanks!

[amcarrig]

It shouldn't cause you any problems. You'll have a little die off from the rock when you transfer it but not enough to start a cycle.

[VT rules]

Originally Posted by amcarrig

It shouldn't cause you any problems. You'll have a little die off from the rock when you transfer it but not enough to start a cycle.

But do I need a cycle since it is a new tank? If no cycle needed, when can I start adding livestock?

[amcarrig]

You do need to let the tank cycle but the live rock won't have enough die off to start the cycle. You'll need to either add a fish or a raw piece of shrimp to get the cycle started. You shouldn't add livestock until your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels rise then fall to "0".

[VT rules]

Originally Posted by amcarrig

You do need to let the tank cycle but the live rock won't have enough die off to start the cycle. You'll need to either add a fish or a raw piece of shrimp to get the cycle started. You shouldn't add livestock until your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels rise then fall to "0".

I'm still learning so I may be confused but isn't the purpose of the cycle to create the bacteria that is already found on the live rock and in the live sand? I added around 60# of LR and a good sized scoop of live sand from a tank that was running for around 2 years.

[VT rules]

bump:

[amcarrig]

Sorry I missed this post. Creating the proper types and amounts of bacteria is one purpose of the cycle, yes. I have never heard of "fresh" live rock and/or live sand having enough bacteria in it to sustain life right away. There is no such thing as an instant tank even when using rock and such from a mature system. Bacteria also needs to build on your glass, equipment and everything else in the tank. In order to have this happen, you need to add something to the tank that will cause an ammonia spike which will start the cycle and the biological process continues from there until you have enough bacteria in the tank to support that ammonia producing organism, be it the bacteria that dies during transport of the live rock that you've added to your tank, addition of a raw shrimp or a fish. Once the bigger, initial cycle is over, you would then add another animal. As a result, more bacteria will grow to support the additional bioload...and so on and so on