how do i let the dark side take over?

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Edmonton newbie

no no just put a raw shrimp in the tank and in a few weeks you will have cured most of your rock

Not exactly. First, you don't cure the rock, since it had no die-off. Second, the difference between a cycled tank (not producing NH3/4) and having functional live rock, is the presence of denitrifying bacteria deep in the pores of the rock. This is going to take much longer than a couple of weeks. With dry rock in a NH3 free tank, you have pretty rocks. With real live rock, you have a filtration system for your tank that reduces NO3 to free N, giving a (mostly) complete nitrogen cycle. This is why a mature LR tank can be NO3 free, while with decorative rock, NO3 builds and requires water changes for dilution.