seeding live rock

[bwaller76]

Ok so in the event that I do attempt to seed other types of rock with live rock...how will i know that I have been successful? What would be the potential timeline for this.

:bowdown::bounce:

 

[Rcpilot]

Depends on too many variables to give you a definitive time line.

IMO - if you have 50% live rock and 50% base rock - you're looking at minimum 6 months for it all to cure and be covered in beneficial bacteria. I'd feel safer calling it 1 full year to mature.

If you've got 10% live rock and 90% base rock - probably slightly longer.

But each little aquarium is it's own ecosystem. The variables that take place from one tank to the next are astronomical. No way to quantify the time it takes because it's different for every test subject and there's no control group.

 

[bwaller76]

I was figuring on quite a long time until we put anything into the tank and allowing all of the ecosystem to develop correctly. I dont want to rush this. I want to do it right the first time. Are there any variables that I might try to cause the seeding to take place at a quicker rate?

 

[Rcpilot]

If that's how you want to do it, I'd do this:
Put 1 little fish in there (damsel) and let him have the run of the tank for a year.

Then trade him off and stock it with the fish you want. Slowly - maybe 2yrs to fully stock the tank.

I've thought of doing this very thing with a dry tank. All dry rock. All dry sand. Toss a deli shrimp in and let it cycle for about 2 months. Then put a little fish in there and change 10% once a month. See where you're at in a years time. I'll probably never do it though. I might if I win the lotto and build a mansion with a 10,000g tank in the wall. But I'm not likely to win that.

 

[bwaller76]

well and at the same time we are going to do mainly a reef tank so...the guy that sold me my tank sold me 100 lbs of crushed coral for 20 bucks. I am going to try to make some garf rock and according to the ingredients in the instructions...that should serve me quite well!

:bowdown::bounce:

 

[dcantucson]

Converting Dead Rock to Live Rock - Reef Builders Forums