# Live rock. What's next?



## Gumbo (Sep 28, 2011)

:good-news: According to my local SWA store, my tank is ready to start adding life. I bought my first 'live rock' a couple of days ago. Isn't it lovely! I sit and watch, *pc but nothing is happening. The store owner says to wait a week, and then I can add a fish. Right now the tank looks like a barren snow scene. I can't wait to have it look like an actual reef.

Here is a picture of my WIP. Notice that I added a piece of dead coral that has been out on the patio for ages. I soaked it in a bucket of clean water for sever days in order to get any varmints out. Can anyone tell me if this is a taboo thing to do? Or will the bacteria from the store-bought live rock begin to spread over to the coral?


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## joeyhatch11 (Jul 27, 2011)

The live rock you bought will turn the old dead piece into live rock but will take some time. I waited 10 days to add anything to my tank but I started with 10lbs of live sand and 9lbs of cured live rock that had some great green and purple coralline algae on it. After 10 days I had the water tested at my LFS, everything looked great so I went a head and added my clean up crew. A few days later added my baby Clown fish. 

I'd give your tank a little while to cycle (2-3 week) and also to get that dead piece of rock some color on it before you do anything. Being that it wasn't cured rock that went in there you will experience a "die off" period where the rock will turn brown and then it'll flake off and start getting beneficial bacteria growth on it. That's what you need before anything. If there is not enough beneficial bacteria in the tank and you start adding fish, the ammonia will spike the tank and cause you more trouble now than its worth. How big is the tank? Also what are you parameters looking like? and where is your salt level at?


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Live Rock will seed the old dry rock.
But your tank has yet to cycle, and if you add fish in 10 days you run a very good risk of killing them.
Reefs.org: Where Reefkeeping Begins on the Internet - Cycling Live Rock
How does nitrogen cycle in saltwater aquarium works?
Water Changes in the Cycling Aquarium - The First Tank Guide - Don't Water Changes Keep the Biological Filter from Maturing?


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## brett.kasa (Nov 1, 2011)

Live, rock, live!


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## Edds Coral Cave (Dec 2, 2011)

it will take around 6 months or more to become truly "live"
i used to use reef bones to build up structures in my reefs, but now i use all live rock, more expensive but better in the long run


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