Lights when cycling tank & when to add rock

skud · 11/12/2010, 10:22 PM

Do I need to have the lights on when I put the first batch of live rock in the tank?

Also, how long should I wait after adding water to the tank before putting any live rock in?

Thanks

Skud

Mylilreef · 11/12/2010, 10:52 PM

you can and probably want to add the rock right away so you can get your cycle started asap. probably will take about a month toget your water paramters back in check and hopefully diatom and algae blooms hopefully out of the way.

as far as the light, you'll get answers from both sides. although it can cycle w/o the lights on, i personnaly like to run them as normal. reason being if it isn't dry rock and actually live, you never know what might have hitchhiked on it. i've actually had corals pop up. sometimes years later even! but if there might be something on there now, i say why take the chance of killing it from starving it of light. JMO

skud · 11/12/2010, 10:59 PM

thanks, i better buy a light.

Al3xx · 11/13/2010, 09:21 AM

so then cycling how long would you run your lights

Sk8r · 11/13/2010, 09:51 AM

The order in which things go into the tank: rock, THEN washed sand, then water. I put a layer of plastic lighting grid under my rock to keep it off the glass.
Feed the tank and allow it to cycle for 4 weeks. Cycle will not even begin until you have your rock in to give it bacteria, unless you have sprung for live sand, too. Run your lighting on a regular 8 hour schedule, and use the time to create a lighting/heating balance, so your tank stays right at 80 degrees day and night. This is a juggling act, so time to perfect it is a good thing.

skud · 11/13/2010, 10:29 PM

deleted

Reverend Reefer · 11/13/2010, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

The order in which things go into the tank: rock, THEN washed sand, then water. I put a layer of plastic lighting grid under my rock to keep it off the glass.
Feed the tank and allow it to cycle for 4 weeks. Cycle will not even begin until you have your rock in to give it bacteria, unless you have sprung for live sand, too. Run your lighting on a regular 8 hour schedule, and use the time to create a lighting/heating balance, so your tank stays right at 80 degrees day and night. This is a juggling act, so time to perfect it is a good thing.

yups. plus one. if u don't have lights yet you can get it started without them.

11/12/2010, 10:22 PM	#1
skud Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 26	Lights when cycling tank & when to add rock Do I need to have the lights on when I put the first batch of live rock in the tank? Also, how long should I wait after adding water to the tank before putting any live rock in? Thanks Skud

11/12/2010, 10:52 PM	#2
Mylilreef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 304	you can and probably want to add the rock right away so you can get your cycle started asap. probably will take about a month toget your water paramters back in check and hopefully diatom and algae blooms hopefully out of the way. as far as the light, you'll get answers from both sides. although it can cycle w/o the lights on, i personnaly like to run them as normal. reason being if it isn't dry rock and actually live, you never know what might have hitchhiked on it. i've actually had corals pop up. sometimes years later even! but if there might be something on there now, i say why take the chance of killing it from starving it of light. JMO __________________ -Cory Current Tank Info: 55g mixed reef (upgrading to 150g Tall), 30g Long w/softies(soon to be a sump for the 150g), 20g Tall mixed, 5g w/softies, 10g quarantine that somehow turned into another softy tank

11/12/2010, 10:59 PM	#3
skud Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 26	thanks thanks, i better buy a light.

11/13/2010, 09:51 AM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	The order in which things go into the tank: rock, THEN washed sand, then water. I put a layer of plastic lighting grid under my rock to keep it off the glass. Feed the tank and allow it to cycle for 4 weeks. Cycle will not even begin until you have your rock in to give it bacteria, unless you have sprung for live sand, too. Run your lighting on a regular 8 hour schedule, and use the time to create a lighting/heating balance, so your tank stays right at 80 degrees day and night. This is a juggling act, so time to perfect it is a good thing. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/13/2010, 10:29 PM	#6
skud Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 26	Noisy tunze skimmer deleted Last edited by skud; 11/13/2010 at 10:42 PM. Reason: delete

11/13/2010, 09:21 AM	#4
Al3xx Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 27	so then cycling how long would you run your lights

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