Live rock

[Waterlover91]

I was wondering if you could cycle a quarantine tank with a cured live rock and sponge filter? How long should it take to cycle?

 

[Bifferwine]

You could cycle the quarantine tank that way, it would probably take several weeks, but there's no way to say for sure. Every tank is different.

 

[Doc]

if you did cure the rock in a QT tank and treated the water with copper medication, you would never be able to move that rock out of the QT tank to your DT without creating a death sentence for your corals.

-Doc

 

[fatman]

Unless there is some input of dieing or dead organics it would take a long time for any bacteria of any numbers to occupy the foam filter. To cycle a tank is to turn all water born organics into ammonia, then nitrites, then nitrates. Without those nutrients being added the only nutrients would have to come from die off of coraline, algae and bacteria from your live rock or what little nitrogen as what is in the air and therefore to some small extent in the water. Those small amounts would be consumed by existing bacteria in the rock without substantial new bacteria being produced in any numbers except possibly the regular replacement of existing bacteria as they die off. It is entirely possible the bacteria population would likely decrease.You need proportionally more nutrients present than was in the tank the rock was removed from so that the bacteria will multiply. To put it in short terms it would work if you added a pinch of fish food.