best way to cycle new live rock?

[Awesome Box of Rocks]

Anyone with some cycling experience have a preference of cycling methods? I know of a couple different ways, but i'm looking for some feedback on previous situations. I'm looking for an alternative to cycling in-tank right away (and i really can't afford to lose my shower/bathtub for a week).

[Parrothead]

Anyone with some cycling experience have a preference of cycling methods? I know of a couple different ways, but i'm looking for some feedback on previous situations. I'm looking for an alternative to cycling in-tank right away (and i really can't afford to lose my shower/bathtub for a week).

If your tank is an empty glass box, cycle your rock and live sand right in the tank, easiest way, if you already have life in your tank, you social life just went south for a couple of weeks

[Ninong]

If you are just starting up a new aquarium, just cycle the uncured live rock in the aquarium. You can do that with or without the sand bed in place. Some people prefer to wait until after the live rock is cycled before adding the sand bed so that it will be easier to siphon out the dead stuff that falls off the live rock. But if you do it that way, you would have to remove the live rock and most of the water so that you could add the sand. Then you would have to put the live rock and water back into the tank after the sand is in place. That's a lot of work, which is why most people just put the sand bed and the uncured live rock into the tank together from the beginning. It's up to you.

If you are starting out with fully-cured live rock, then you don't have to worry about any of this. Just put the sand into the tank, add enough water to come up to the surface of the sand to cause the sand to settle down. Then add the live rock, then add the rest of the water and start 'er up.

Whether you choose to cycle uncured live rock in your aquarium depends on a lot of factors: such as just how bad the smell might be for the first few days and whether you're married or not. If you live in a relatively mild climate, you could cycle uncured live rock in your garage with a heater in the tub. This is obviously not an option in Montana in February but it should be okay in the Deep South.

Whether you choose to cycle with the lights on or off is up to you. I think it's better to cycle with the lights on but for a reduced photoperiod -- maybe six hours a day instead of twelve. Cycling with the lights on would be better for any photosynthetic hitchhikers that might be on the rock.