Adding LR in stages??

[JDigital]

Originally Posted by untamed

What you describe is an excellent idea for starting a new system. The first rock that goes in has the toughest time. Subsequent additions benefit from the bacterial support on the earlier rock. Save your best rock (most alive) for the final addition. That was what I did when I started my tank. (4 loads)

Thanks!

The only "live" component in my tank right now is 20lbs of LS and MAYBE 1lbs of LR rubble in my HOB filter (1week). I'd be lucky if the tank has even started to cycle. haha.

[TJSlayer]

As longs as it cured rock you probably won't get much of a cycle at all. Sounds like your going to fish store getting rock then taking it home. If this is the case make sure you take a cooler or somehting with water from your tank in it. Put the rock in there and then in your tank when you get home. Should be next to no die off depending on the condition of the piece. If it's a new piece at the shop and isn't fully cured then you will have more of a cycle, but if it is already cured you should be good to go....

I did that with my new setup, and got about 60 lbs of rock and another 40 or so of sand and added to my new sand and base rock. (Both were from a tank that had been running for over a year)

Got a whack load of pods, mushrroms, zoos, bristle worms, sponges and other creatures and stuff on the rock and had virtually no cycle. Essentially I looked at it as the same process of moving to a bigger tank..

His was a 55 mine is a 75, so it's esssentially the same process as if I werte changing tanks.

I have had the tank running for almost two months and everything is doing great, no losses, and I already have severla fish in there as well as crabs, shrimps, etc.

Just my two cents..

TJ