Finally got LR, what should I expect from my skimmer?

kookerson · 06/07/2007, 06:45 PM

OK, so i finally got my LR, Ebay LR BTW, it came out really nice! My question is, since it only spent 2 days in shipment.....what kind of cycle should I expect? Also, on my DIY Skimmer, should I expect any skimmate? The rock is straight from the ocean and its the only live thing in the tank........TIA!

Avi · 06/07/2007, 07:11 PM

It's really not easy to say. While you are told that it only was in transit for two days, it may have been in some other than ideal conditions before shipment. What I'm getting at is there's no way of pinpointing the precise condition of the rock when you received it and so there's no way with any precision of saying how much die-off there'd be. If the rock had little odor when you got it and put it into your new tank, then it's likely that there'll be minimal die-off and your cycle should be fairly quick, with little "skimmate." But, still, if that turns out to be the case, go very slowly in adding livestock to the tank, once you get all the zero readings.

kookerson · 06/07/2007, 07:57 PM

Right on.......when I got the rock yesterday, it smelled really nice. Didnt really have a stinky smell to it. As far as the skimmer goes, its not even producing foam..........lots of bubbles, just no foam. Thanks for the advice! : )

poppin_fresh · 06/07/2007, 08:15 PM

curing LR will usually cause a skimmer to produce tons of black gunk. I have had it lift the lid right off the skimmer from the large amount of dense foam. You should start to see results soon.

kookerson · 06/07/2007, 08:19 PM

The Live rock should already be cured though. These guys I bought the LR from have a pretty good rep, they said that they ship the LR from their warehouse in Los Angeles the same day that it comes in from Fiji. I believe it. I know that I should expect a little cycle, just wondering how big and if my skimmer should be producing anything.......thanks for the advice though! : )

Henry Bowman · 06/07/2007, 08:27 PM

Like Avi said. Really depends on how much die off you have. If the rock is in good shape you may not have much die off at all. Pay closer atttention to the amonia and nitrate/ite levels in the next few weeks. Watching your skimmer is not a great way to tell what's going on. If there is some die off and your skimmer starts producing black gunk like poppin said, I'd say that you are going to have a more significant cycle. I purchased rock from Premium Aquatics. Came in looking nice and smelled like the ocean. My new tank cycle was all but over within a week. That was almost 3 weeks ago and it'll be another month before I put anything in it. I want it to really have time to stabalize before I risk putting a live fish or coral in it. That's how I have done it in the past and it has proven successful for me. Your milage may vary....BTW, my skimmer has produce some wet tea colored skimmate, about 1.5-2 cups a week, never any black or dark junk. My parameters are all 0.00 at this point. I'm sure that it'll increase production with a heavier load.

06/07/2007, 06:45 PM	#1
kookerson Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 1,017	Finally got LR, what should I expect from my skimmer? OK, so i finally got my LR, Ebay LR BTW, it came out really nice! My question is, since it only spent 2 days in shipment.....what kind of cycle should I expect? Also, on my DIY Skimmer, should I expect any skimmate? The rock is straight from the ocean and its the only live thing in the tank........TIA!

06/07/2007, 07:11 PM	#2
Avi Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Westchester County, NY Posts: 7,327	It's really not easy to say. While you are told that it only was in transit for two days, it may have been in some other than ideal conditions before shipment. What I'm getting at is there's no way of pinpointing the precise condition of the rock when you received it and so there's no way with any precision of saying how much die-off there'd be. If the rock had little odor when you got it and put it into your new tank, then it's likely that there'll be minimal die-off and your cycle should be fairly quick, with little "skimmate." But, still, if that turns out to be the case, go very slowly in adding livestock to the tank, once you get all the zero readings. __________________ I'd keep the whole ocean if my den were big enough Current Tank Info: 120 gallon reef with 210 lbs. of live rock, Aqua-C EV180 Skimmer, Aquactinic double 250W MH with blue plus t5 support; 58 gallon freshwater planted tank using CO2 and T5s; 30-gallon cube with a few fancy goldfish; and a 110 gallon FOWLR

06/07/2007, 08:15 PM	#4
poppin_fresh Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,982	curing LR will usually cause a skimmer to produce tons of black gunk. I have had it lift the lid right off the skimmer from the large amount of dense foam. You should start to see results soon. __________________ PBITAWA! Current Tank Info: None now. Past- 180g w/ 100g basement sump and 20g 'fuge. H & S skimmer, T'5s & Tunze

06/07/2007, 08:27 PM	#6
Henry Bowman Reefing since '87 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Allegheny Mountains of VA Posts: 2,162	Like Avi said. Really depends on how much die off you have. If the rock is in good shape you may not have much die off at all. Pay closer atttention to the amonia and nitrate/ite levels in the next few weeks. Watching your skimmer is not a great way to tell what's going on. If there is some die off and your skimmer starts producing black gunk like poppin said, I'd say that you are going to have a more significant cycle. I purchased rock from Premium Aquatics. Came in looking nice and smelled like the ocean. My new tank cycle was all but over within a week. That was almost 3 weeks ago and it'll be another month before I put anything in it. I want it to really have time to stabalize before I risk putting a live fish or coral in it. That's how I have done it in the past and it has proven successful for me. Your milage may vary....BTW, my skimmer has produce some wet tea colored skimmate, about 1.5-2 cups a week, never any black or dark junk. My parameters are all 0.00 at this point. I'm sure that it'll increase production with a heavier load. __________________ Have a good'un Current Tank Info: 90 gl SPS dominant / upgrade in the works

06/07/2007, 07:57 PM	#3
kookerson Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 1,017	Right on.......when I got the rock yesterday, it smelled really nice. Didnt really have a stinky smell to it. As far as the skimmer goes, its not even producing foam..........lots of bubbles, just no foam. Thanks for the advice! : )

06/07/2007, 08:19 PM	#5
kookerson Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 1,017	The Live rock should already be cured though. These guys I bought the LR from have a pretty good rep, they said that they ship the LR from their warehouse in Los Angeles the same day that it comes in from Fiji. I believe it. I know that I should expect a little cycle, just wondering how big and if my skimmer should be producing anything.......thanks for the advice though! : )