few questions about cycling and LR

[spider8u]

Hi just a few questions about LR and sand will it be ok to cycle my tank with pre cured LR or do i need base LR or could i just cycle my tank with LS.

when should i add the sand not the LS should i fill the tank half way get the right salt water readings then add the sand and the LR. and should i put all the rock in at one time or just some of it. going to be getting about 80 lbs of LR or if i cant cycle my tank with the pre cured LR get about 20 lbs of base LR
and 60 lbs of LR.

when cycling my tank and curing the LR do i need to have the light on ?

what is a good light set that i could get for about 200 on 100gl tank ?

[AngeloM3]

doesnt matter if you use cured or uncured rock to cycle a tank. cured rock MIGHT make it go a little faster.

best way to start off....... fill tank with about 5" of saltwater. add whatever sand your using (ls or not).... fill %75 of tank with saltwater and add ALL the rock your going to use. keep lights off for entire cycle or just keep them on for 1-3hrs a day. in my experience when cycling... light = more algae than normal

if you add a little rock.... then a week or two add some more.... each time you do that your adding another minor cycle to the tank.

if you plan on keeping corals... your gonna have to get a light fixture that has at least 2x 250w MH and some actinics. or you could look into T5 lighting.

[alexb518]

Ok, let me give a bit more thorough explanation.

First, you need to figure out what you're going for as far as a sand bed. Either go with a deep sand bed (DSB) or bare bottom (meaning no sand at all), or with a really shallow (less than an inch). the latter is kinda pointless though. a DSB has many benefits, including keeping nitrates low and its buffering ability (assuming it's an aragonite based substrate). the downside is you're limited to the amount of flow. some people will go bare bottom. this allows you to increase the flow in your tank and to keep detritus suspended--good for certain corals and has other benefits.

add your sand, wait until it clears up and then add your live rock (LR). reason is b/c the sand will cloud your tank for a few and so you wont be able to see where u put the rocks. several methods to reduce this. some use a 3" pvc and pour sand to bottom. i just cut the bag open and sink it to the bottom and then very genlty let it fall out--the slower the better. trust me!!!

live rock: if it's not cured, i would cure it in a rubbermaid...you can google steps on curing LR. you can cure it in your tank if you want, but that is going to be a lot of water changes in a 100gallon tank...if it were me i would cure the rock in a rubber maid. and yes, you can cycle your tank with just LS, but when you put in the LR it's just gonna cycle again. do it at once.

lights: for $200 you're not gonna get anything for a 100 gallon. maybe a PC light that is used. but, you can always keep looking for used deals. you might come across a MH light for a bit more. if you get a PC light, you can keep some basic corals.

[sunfish11]

Add all the rock and sand that you are going to add at once and let your tank cycle as AngeloM3 said. Cured should help with a faster cycle, but each tank is different.

Check for used light fixtures for you tank with your local reef club. I can't think of any new one for $200 or better that is going to allow you any flexibility with keeping corals. I would help you find your reef club link but I don't see a location for you. Scroll down the forums home page, past the vendor forums, till you come to the reef club forums and click on it. You should be able to find a club in your area.

Lisa

[AngeloM3]

alexb518 Thanks for details