GARF's "Bullet Proof Reef" Anyone?

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Blom

Hello everyone,

I was cruising around the net a couple of months ago and came across the GARF site. There were some interesting DIY articles, some great pictures and a whole whack of other things. One page that caught my attention was Sally Joes "Bullets Proof Reef". Seems like an interesting idea building a reef tank with artificial rock, and being able to start stocking the tank in less than a week of cycling. I was wondering if anyone on canreef had attempted the Bullet Proof method? If so how were the results?

Thanks!
Debate away

with home made rock, your looking at 1 to 2 months min of daily freshwater waterchanges to nutralize the cement. basicly you have to keep testing PH of the water and change it and repete untill it doesn't change for q week or two. then it needs the week in salt water to cycle the tank, not as quick as it sounds.

buying good cured live rock is more expensive but a lot faster, and if it is cured right you will have a cycleless instant take ready for critters. while I have done it this way it is not something I recomend. in my case the rock was from a well established tank and was out of water for 45 min total, and the whole time it was in boxes covered with wet newspaper. I did try to cycle it but I couldn't put nuf crap in it to get any readings. hence the instant cycle, because of the already fully populated and intact bacteria population in the rock.

I was looking into home made rock for years and still am but I haven't seen any real long term reports about algae issues or lack of so I am still reading.

Steve