Adding more L.R.....need help!!!

I have a 180 gal tank (350 gal total system) It has 200 lbs of of good established live rock. I just purchased 45 lbs of premium figi L.R. from Dr's Foster & Smith (has great growth on it) With all the water I have and all the live rock already in the tank....is curing a must???? Or can my tank handle the straight addition of L.R. and the mini cycle to follow. (System is FOWLR.....corals won't be added till summer) Should I reduce my lighting time (am running 3 150W M.H.) if I add rock straight into tank??

 

i would think you would be ok...maybe split it up into 2 sections. 20 lbs then 25?????


what kind of fish fo you have??? anything real sensitive??

 

I agree, add it as slow as you can. If you can get most of it in a separate contain than add a little each week it should not cause any problems. Test once a week and if anything spikes wait a week to add more and retest.

 

x2 add it over at least a weeks time.. might get a ammonia spike if you dump it all in..

 

sounds good. I put about 15 lbs in so we will see how that goes.

Nothing to sensitive in the tank.......naso tang probably the worst. clowns, chromis, etc. not to worried about

 

cool, good luck

 

ouch.....woke up this moring and tests for ammonia.......it was up to 1.0.

Am I in trouble or is this small spike to be expected?


Any suggestions....

 

normal.. just wait til it drops to add any more LR..

you can go buy some amquel or similar product to detox ammonia if youd like.. or say 5-10% WC

 

you're better off doing water change than using amquel, IMHO.
probably should set up a curing vat for the rock you didn't put in yet.
watch ammonia closely - if it keeps going up, do water changes, take out the new rock and add it to the curing vat.

it really is best to cure your new rock in a separate tub - everything on it is damaged and dying from being transported dry or at best damp - all that detritus will end up in your tank and take forever to get cleaned up. once it's cured put it in your main tank and the coralline will come back shortly.

 

I have the roughly 30 lbs of rock I had left in a curing tub and will wait to add it. Don't want to take the other 15 lbs I just put in if I don't have to and screw up my aquascaping. I will keep monitoring daily. Thanks for all the advice!