Lr - Curing

Al Bendiksen · 06/14/2008, 11:03 AM

Well i have about 175lbs of LR curing in my 120g with a 35g sump.

The water seems to look a little greenish!

I have heard that when cycling LR in a NEW tank to not do any water changes!

I would like to hear some opinions about this, and any help y'all can give me.

Thxs,
Al

sassafrass · 06/14/2008, 11:09 AM

Definitly do water changes otherwise the ammonia will kill more life on your liverock than has already died due to being out of water also skim wet
Lee

Al Bendiksen · 06/14/2008, 11:13 AM

Lee -

How exactly do i skim wet? And how big of a water change do your recommend?

oknamaste · 06/14/2008, 01:15 PM

skimming wet refers to pulling out skimmate that is more watery. For my tank if turn my ball valve to allow more water into the skimmer it creates a lot of bubbles and ends up pulling out alot of green brown looking water as opposed to real gross skimmate when i have it running normally

sassafrass · 06/14/2008, 01:43 PM

To skim wet you need to raise the bubble line so the cup fills faster as far as water changes go, testing will tell you when and how much ,I prefer to keep the ammonia level at .05ppm or below. at first as the mass of decaying organisms breaks down you will need to do them more often. As the bacterialogical population increases your water changes decrease.
Lee

rjsilvers · 06/14/2008, 01:50 PM

Doing water changes during the cycle is going to do nothing but prolong your cycle.

The nitrifying bacteria you want in the live rock -need- ammonia to multiply and sustain themselves.

Al Bendiksen · 06/14/2008, 02:23 PM

haha wow, guess im stuck between opposites.

Im running my skimmer wet now (and thxs for the info okna and sass)

sassafrass · 06/14/2008, 02:43 PM

We are both right it will make the cycle longer and you will end up with more life if you do it the way I suggested,I'm just saying don't let the ammonia get to high (over .05). You can always add a little fish food for bio mass
Regards , Lee

Al Bendiksen · 06/14/2008, 02:49 PM

Ok. Sounds good Lee.

Thanks for the help!

Playa-1 · 06/14/2008, 02:52 PM

This is a controvercial subject. By skimming and making regular water changes through-out the cycle you have a better chance at preserving more of the life that is on the rock. Even running the light for a limited amount of time on a daily basis is controvercial during cycling the rock.
Many people prefer to put the rock into a dark container with a powerhead and heater for a couple of months and let nature take its course.
I can see how the first method could potentially preserve more life at the expense of prolonging the cycle.
It's just one of the many decisions that you have to make along the way.

06/14/2008, 11:03 AM	#1
Al Bendiksen Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 528	Lr - Curing Well i have about 175lbs of LR curing in my 120g with a 35g sump. The water seems to look a little greenish! I have heard that when cycling LR in a NEW tank to not do any water changes! I would like to hear some opinions about this, and any help y'all can give me. Thxs, Al __________________ "Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind" -JFK "There's never nothing going on. There are no ordinary moments." Current Tank Info: Starting a 120g

06/14/2008, 11:13 AM	#3
Al Bendiksen Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 528	Lee - How exactly do i skim wet? And how big of a water change do your recommend? __________________ "Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind" -JFK "There's never nothing going on. There are no ordinary moments." Current Tank Info: Starting a 120g

06/14/2008, 01:15 PM	#4
oknamaste Moved On Join Date: May 2008 Location: Hinsdale Posts: 37	skimmer skimming wet refers to pulling out skimmate that is more watery. For my tank if turn my ball valve to allow more water into the skimmer it creates a lot of bubbles and ends up pulling out alot of green brown looking water as opposed to real gross skimmate when i have it running normally

06/14/2008, 02:23 PM	#7
Al Bendiksen Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 528	haha wow, guess im stuck between opposites. Im running my skimmer wet now (and thxs for the info okna and sass) __________________ "Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind" -JFK "There's never nothing going on. There are no ordinary moments." Current Tank Info: Starting a 120g

06/14/2008, 02:49 PM	#9
Al Bendiksen Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 528	Ok. Sounds good Lee. Thanks for the help! __________________ "Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind" -JFK "There's never nothing going on. There are no ordinary moments." Current Tank Info: Starting a 120g

06/14/2008, 11:09 AM	#2
sassafrass Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: capitola ca Posts: 1,729	Definitly do water changes otherwise the ammonia will kill more life on your liverock than has already died due to being out of water also skim wet Lee

06/14/2008, 01:43 PM	#5
sassafrass Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: capitola ca Posts: 1,729	To skim wet you need to raise the bubble line so the cup fills faster as far as water changes go, testing will tell you when and how much ,I prefer to keep the ammonia level at .05ppm or below. at first as the mass of decaying organisms breaks down you will need to do them more often. As the bacterialogical population increases your water changes decrease. Lee

06/14/2008, 01:50 PM	#6
rjsilvers Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 537	Doing water changes during the cycle is going to do nothing but prolong your cycle. The nitrifying bacteria you want in the live rock -need- ammonia to multiply and sustain themselves.

06/14/2008, 02:43 PM	#8
sassafrass Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: capitola ca Posts: 1,729	We are both right it will make the cycle longer and you will end up with more life if you do it the way I suggested,I'm just saying don't let the ammonia get to high (over .05). You can always add a little fish food for bio mass Regards , Lee

06/14/2008, 02:52 PM	#10
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	This is a controvercial subject. By skimming and making regular water changes through-out the cycle you have a better chance at preserving more of the life that is on the rock. Even running the light for a limited amount of time on a daily basis is controvercial during cycling the rock. Many people prefer to put the rock into a dark container with a powerhead and heater for a couple of months and let nature take its course. I can see how the first method could potentially preserve more life at the expense of prolonging the cycle. It's just one of the many decisions that you have to make along the way.