[fishgeeksrus]

We want to start adding lr to our new tank but don't have the cash to get it all at one time. Is it ok to add a little at a time?

It is a 180g and we are going to need about 300-400 lbs.

[patsfan1130]

Originally Posted by fishgeeksrus

We want to start adding lr to our new tank but don't have the cash to get it all at one time. Is it ok to add a little at a time?

It is a 180g and we are going to need about 300-400 lbs.

That's a lot of LR

I believe you will only need approx 150-200 lbs to adequately act as your biological filtration. I like to add it all at the same time but the cost is definately a big factor. I bought my LR online at a much cheaper price (5.50/lb) and better quality than my LFS (9.00/lb) 1-1.5 lbs per gallon of water seems to be the target.

I dont believe adding a little at a time after the initial purchase will yield any adverse effects. But then again,I am just getting back into the game after a 3 year break and it seems quite a bit has changed.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by fishgeeksrus

Is it ok to add a little at a time?

Sure, as long as it is fully cured live rock. It is risky to add any amount of live rock to a tank with fish or inverts if it is not fully cured.

It is a 180g and we are going to need about 300-400 lbs.

That would be a lot of live rock for a 180-gal tank. I have a 120-gal tank and I now have about 150-lbs of live rock in it after giving away 25-lbs. I think my tank still has too much live rock but I haven't gotten around to removing any more of it yet. I think I would have been better off with only about 120-lbs of live rock.

[fishgeeksrus]

We don't have anything in the tank at this point except for a few hermit crabs in the refugium.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by fishgeeksrus

We don't have anything in the tank at this point except for a few hermit crabs in the refugium.

Once your tank is set up and has gone through its initial cycle it is a good idea to add only fully cured live rock. So yes, you can add your live rock gradually over the next several weeks/months but it should be fully cured live rock.

[fishgeeksrus]

My lfs does not sell fully cured lr. Do you know of a place maybe online that has good lr that is fully cured?

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by fishgeeksrus

My lfs does not sell fully cured lr. Do you know of a place maybe online that has good lr that is fully cured?

I know lots of places online that sell fully cured live rock. If I knew where you lived I could give you better advice about where to purchase some but the truth is that you don't have to buy fully cured live rock. You can buy just a few pieces at a time from your LFS and then cure it yourself at home in a 5-gal bucket with a heater and a powerhead. If you were curing a large amount of live rock you would probably want to use a skimmer, too, but you can get by without one for just small quantities.

I purchased my fully cured live rock from www.palmettoreefs.com and I highly recommend them. Depending on where you live, there might be sources for fully cured live rock within driving distance.

[fishgeeksrus]

We live in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by fishgeeksrus

We live in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.

You are within reasonable driving distance of www.premiumaquatics.com and www.harboraquatics.com but I can't believe that there are no LFS in Chicagoland selling fully cured live rock. I am willing to bet that there are. Maybe someone else will point you to one.

[fishgeeksrus]

Anywhere that we have been sells it so fast that it never has time to fully cure.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by fishgeeksrus

Anywhere that we have been sells it so fast that it never has time to fully cure.

Ask this guy for suggestions: http://www.reefland.com/forum/member.php?u=535 He lives in Chicago and has a very large system (500+ gallon main tank and 300-gal refugium).

[fishgeeksrus]

Thanks, I will definitly ask him.

[fishgeeksrus]

ok, if we cure it ourselves. Let me see if I have this right. We have a 33 gal garbage can that I can put it in. We need to put in a heater and a powerhead and cover it so no light gets to it. How long does it take to cure?

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by fishgeeksrus

ok, if we cure it ourselves. Let me see if I have this right. We have a 33 gal garbage can that I can put it in. We need to put in a heater and a powerhead and cover it so no light gets to it. How long does it take to cure?

The heater is to maintain the temperature overnight where you live and the powerhead is to circulate the water. Most people would also use a skimmer if they were curing more than just a few pieces of live rock.

If I were going to cure live rock I wouldn't do it in a Rubbermaid "garbage" can type container, I would use something flatter that could hold the amount of rock I needed to cure. And I wouldn't cover it up to keep light out. There are all sorts of different opinions on how to cure live rock. I thought you were talking about just a few pieces at a time? You could probably do that in a 5-gal bucket.

If you are curing a fairly large amount of live rock, you may want to do it in the garage or some place where the odor, if any, will not be a concern. I used fully cured live rock because I didn't feel like dealing with all that. However, if I set up a really large tank in the future, I will purchase uncured live rock and cure it in the new tank with good water circulation, good skimming and the lights on for about five hours a day.

It takes three to five weeks to cure uncured live rock.

[RayPollett]

I think you are just setting up the tank, I may have misunderstood. If so use some base rock from a place like www.hirocks.com That will cut down the cost of rock as you can use this for 1/2 the rock. It will add like LR in 3 months or less in most tanks.

Another place to get LR is www.tampabaysaltwater.com They ship LR underwater so it cost more to ship than rock in wet newspaper, but is worth it IMO. They will ship airport to airport and you pick it up. That cuts down on shipping cost. But boy is their rock alive.

Ray

[dougc]

The unspoken advantage to adding live rock later is that you may find you don't need more after all. Many of us end up regretting the amount of rock in our tanks when the rock ends up competing for space with the corals. Leave plenty of room for growth.