Adding live rock to a new tank

+2 also if ya do all dry rock, you can aquascape outside of the tank! That means ya can get it right before you put it in the tank. Its harder to do this with live rock. And ya may wanna look into drilling your rock and using acrylic rods to link your rocks together. So your rocks are movable and not glued together. I wish I had done this, big time.

 

I was going to start a build here in a monrh or so. say I get a 90gal. Tank. Put 80-100lbs of dry rock in. and then add the cycle booster and about 1-5lbs of live rock, with a 1.5inch live sand bed. how long do you guys/gals think my cycle would take? How long before allmy rock is seeded?

 

50 pounds of dry rock, 30 pounds of live rock, and another 10 pounds of live rock rubble with live sand in the sump, using BioSpira should yield you fast cycle rates. Under 2 weeks would be my guess.

 

hmmm... Not too shabby I guess... I would not use that much live rock though... even if it took 2 months for the little bit of live rock to kick up... I've heard to many horror stories about hitchhikers, and being new to the hobby, I want water parameters to be my biggest problem, not possible infestations. Ya know?

 

yeah, I'd do MOSTLY dry rock and a few small pieces of LR to start. Sure it takes longer, but chances are, your cycle is gonna take 6-8 weeks anyways, and nothing good happens in this hobby quickly. Be patient, its worth it, it will help you to not encounter new tank syndrome, dead fish, or nasty hitch hikers, although, I do enjoy 99% of mine, if I did it again, I'd use dry rock and avoid the 1% that are a PITA

 

Yeah, good things come to those who wait...

example: The urge to hit up a loan to get me the king of reef tanks is very tempting... yet I know with a little patience I will learn more about the hobby.. and appreciate what I have when I get to there.

 

yeah, the cycle never really ends, its on going forever, so rushing it will only cause you problem, sure it kinda works, but you'll just have more "new tank syndrome" problems down the road as you add bio-load. Relax and enjoy watching your tank grow, your kids will love it, and you'll be able to teach them how things work. Enjoy

Dr. Tims all in one is an awesome product that helps though as is MB7, just don't expect it to be a miracle cycle.