Do i need to get all my LR befor my first fish?

Discussion in 'Live Rock' started by Dasco, Mar 18, 2009.

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  1. Dasco

    Dasco Vagabond Butterfly

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    I have a 55 gallon display and a sump with 25 gallons of water. i have 51lbs of cured LR in my tank and 80lbs of live sand. Its all been in the tank for more then a week. my NH3/NH4 is 0, my NO2 is 0, my NO3 is 0.

    OK so... i want it to be a reef tank so at the minimum i need 30 pounds more of LR. at the moment i dont have the extra 180 bucks its going to cost me to get the cured LR, but i do have the extra 40 bucks i need to get a pair of little tank raised clown fish.

    So my question is, can i get some fish then safely add 30lbs of LR in week or two or three??

    any feedback would be awesome, im not sure what to do.
     
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  3. RHorton

    RHorton Pajama Cardinal

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    why not ad base rock since you already have live rock in there? it would be allot cheaper plus it will become live rock anyway.
     
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  4. Brandon1023

    Brandon1023 Fire Goby

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    No. You need to wait 4-5 more weeks before you even think about adding fish.
     
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  5. RHorton

    RHorton Pajama Cardinal

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    +1 to that.
    you've already started your cycle with the live sand and rock. its best to wait till the cycle is done.
     
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  6. MTips18

    MTips18 Purple Spiny Lobster

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    waiting is the hardest part but tough it out and it will be worth it you should try base rock you will save a bunch of cash and by the time the cycle is done you shouldn't be able to tell to much just a though
     
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  7. Peredhil

    Peredhil Giant Squid

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    +2 I agree with both simultaneously
     
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  9. PharmrJohn

    PharmrJohn The Dude

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    To answer you original question. No, you don't have to wait until you have all your rock. Right now, you have enough to sustain a healthy FO tank 1lb/gal, 1.75lb/gal give or take for a reef tank. When I got my 75g set up, I only had thirty to forty pounds in there. Just too expensive to get all at once. It took me six months to get the the 110lb mark and now I am up to 130 in an upgraded 90g. My goal is 160lbs total. Reef tanks are literally a work in progress. Things are constantly being added (rock inclusive) to achieve an end goal.

    But while you have enough rock in there, your tank is no where near it needs to be to sustain life in a healthy fashion. Cycling will take six to twelve weeks depending on your particular situation. Every tank is different. You will have to go by testing, the rise and fall of ammonia, nitrite and nitrates in order to have a good idea when your cycle is completed.

    Absolutely. Base rock is cheaper and will color up (and liven up) in due time.
    There are two camps on this subject. Cycling with or without fish. I am a believer in with fish cycling. Does this mean populate your tank with lots of fish? NO!!!!:). I cycled my 75g with three damsels. Looking back on it, it was two damsels too many. I would, next time, cycle with one yellow tail damsel. They are a good fish to have in any tank IMO. A keeper.

    After cycling is complete, add one fish every two weeks to let the bacteria embedded in the rock, sand, powerheads, glass (whereever there is surface area) to catch up. You can break the rule but you will risk a mini-cycle, which is much more of a problem in smaller tanks where waste is not diluted so much. Sometimes you cannot help it....RE: a mated pair of percs or whatnot.

    So that is another view on the subject. JMO.

    Peace.......John.
     
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  10. 10acrewoods

    10acrewoods Fire Goby

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    it has been said and can't say no more. wait on fish and add base rock.
     
  11. 10acrewoods

    10acrewoods Fire Goby

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    you can cycle with fish but would you do it with paired clowns. that sounds a bit pricy for me.
     
  12. Dasco

    Dasco Vagabond Butterfly

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    if the cycly has started why are all my perameters 0. Is it because its only been a week with the cured LR and live sand? there isnt any amonia or anything eles detectable