live rock transport.. mini cycle??

3reefers.....
So today Im going to be adding another 25 pounds or so of live rock to my tank. If this rock spends an hour or so out of water would the die off be enough to cause a mini cycle?? the tank is only 25 gallons, so 25-30 lbs is a pretty large addition.
Can I simply just rush the rock home and add it to my tank with no problems??
The tank has been up and running for about 8-9 months and is stable with good water quality. Are my shrooms/polyps at risk from a possible cycle?
Should i do a large water change immediately after adding/re-doing the rock work or would this just extend the life of the "mini cycle".

please help a newbie out..thanks alot

-natireefer

 

As long as the rock stays moist, you shouldn't have a problem. Whenever I buy liverock, I( put as much water as I can get, they take a paper towel and dip it in the tank and wrap it around the rock. In my opinion, you will not have a mini-cycle. Check for ammonia and nitrates after a day....do a 10-15% WC if present.

 

Is it currently fully cured. If it's only partially cured right now, you'll definitely get a cycle.

 

Adding live rock after a tank is established will almost always cause a mini cycle. Why not just add base rock and avoid the hassle all together, and save some coin at the same time?

 

the rock is fully cured, has been in his set-up for over 3 years. lots and lots of life, heavy coraline, some covered in gsp, and only $2 lb. It would be really hard for me to go pay more for some base rock than i am for this beautiful, extremely "live" rock. Hes moving out of state and selling it all (wish i could afford the whole set-up!) at good prices. Wish i would have saved the water from my water change yesterday to transport in... if i took some paper towels soaked with salt water and lightly wrapped the rock in it during transport would that help or is it a waste of time and effort?

 

That will help but keeping them wetter is going to help more. You may see a really small mini cycle but with rock that good it should be minimal.

 

I would skip, seriously. Do not buy second hand rock unless this is a close friend that you trust HIGHLY. God knows what could be on it, or in it to leach out.
IMHO if you EVER buy second hand live rock, it needs to be nuked before putting in your tank, which leaves you with base rock in the end that you even had to work for to get. Just my two pennies.

 

thanks all for the help. ill let you know what i do and how it goes...

 

+1 protect your investments!

I've bought all second hand rock for my tanks. Got them from at least 5 different sources without problems. I've bought rock and transported it with only wet paper towels and no water with success. Everyone's experience may differ, and it def helps to be able to trust your rock source. Its up to you if you want to take the risk. If you see this guys tank and it looks like crap, pass it up and wait for another deal. If it looks legit and he knows what he's talking about, I say go for it. But its your investment, we can only give you our opinions.

To be on the safe side, setup a small 10 gallon to hold the rock and add it slowly to your display when there is no amonia/nitrates present.