New setup

I have a brand new setup with nothing in it but saltwater and sand. I just purchased 50 pounds of dead rock from reefcleaners. Since im starting a new setup is it okay to go ahead and just put the dead rock in? I am buying some live rock to seed it with but don't have a LFS where I live. I will be buying the live rock within a week. I've read not to put dead rock straight into a tank because it can cause the tank to cycle, which would harm the critters in the tank. But since I have nothing in my tank, and am fixing to start the cycle with a raw shrimp, is it okay to go ahead and put the dead rock in?

 

txfan - I recommend you give it a triple rinse with RO/DI water and let it dry. This will remove dust and particles that your filtration system would otherwise have to clog itself cleaning.

Here is a link to one of my posts with pics after just one hour of adding water to sand and rock that I gave the triple rinse:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/jims-nuvo-mini-38-a-123820-2.html#post1234481

 

For sure put it in, the rock is one of the things that will house your bacteria colony. like adicus said, give it a good rinse and let it dry. Put the rock and the shrimp in and you are off to the races. Live rock would actually be more likely to make the tank cycle due to some of the die off you get in transport. If you add LR after the cycle, do so cautiously and in small amounts. Good Luck!

 

I think I will wait until I get my live rock in before I start the cycle. I purchased 50 pounds of dead rock from reefcleaners but i honestly think there was some sort of mistake. Because this looks like ALOT more than 50 pounds. I will upload a pic of it in the tank soon. Thanks for the advice.

 

How much LR are you planning on getting? When I started mine, I started with 50lbs of dry rock and only 5lbs of LR. Just something to consider since LR can get pretty expensive.

 

I plan on doing about the same as you. I plan on gettin 2-3 smaller sized rocks to hopefully seed more than one area at a time. I understand this is a long process, just trying to help it out. Also, Are there any supplements I need to purchase to help out the process? Or should I just let nature do its thing?

 

I prefer to let nature take it's course. You'll get a more stable, robust bio-filter that way.

 

you could add a bio booster like biospira or something along those lines(there is live bacteria in the bottles) they will build your colonies more quickly, ive heard of some getting a full cycle in under a week others like me 1 and a half to 2+ would probably get everything reading 0

 

Ok, just to give an update. I returned the protein skimmer, and since I don't need the skimmer yet I put in 50 pounds of dry base rock from reefcleaners. I plan to get 5-10 pounds of live rock this week and start seeding. after I get the live rock in I think i'm ready to throw the shrimp in and get the cycle started. This skimmer i will be purchasing is the SC Aquariums sc150. here is a thread about it.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/protein-skimmers/sc-aquariums-sc150-cone-skimmer-review-121186.html

I also bought a 36" 156w t-5 from odyssea. I know its not the best light out there but for 100 bucks I am very pleased with it. I plan on replacing the bulbs soon and if any of the ballasts give me trouble I will replace all of them. My SG is around 1.025 right now. My test kits haven't came in yet so I haven't been able to check anything else. But with nothing in the tank other than dead rock and water I figure its all close to 0 anyhow. Also, I won't be running the light until after the cycle is over. I've read that the light will/can cause the algae growth. So to sum everything up I have water and dead rock in right now. I will be adding live rock within a week and as soon as it gets in there I will add the shrimp. As soon as the cycle is over I will purchase a cleanup crew and the protein skimmer. I haven't decided if I want to add fish afterward or not. I was thinking of purchasing another 50 pounds of dead rock from reefcleaners, but asking for smaller pieces. The first 50 pounds I got looked and felt like MUCH more than 50 pounds with 5 pieces larger than a football and 2 about half footballs. I thought it may be a better idea to get all of my rock in, and seeding before adding fish. Thoughts?