Questions About Live Rock

[linkiat]

Hi, need help on LR.

I just bought one from Reborn Aquarium ($5/kg - mine was 3 kg). Brought home, followed instructions use a toothbrush to brush and cleared any debris and then soak into salt water with 1.04SG for a min to wait for all the pests to come out (none that I spotted) and then soak into fresh salt water now.

Question is, one side of the rock has all the algae while the other side is bare (because the bare side was facing down in the LFS) can I choose to use that side up instead ? I'm afraid the bacteria are all growing below and if its' not the correct side up, the bacteria may not multiply. The bare side has more crevices and look nicer...

Finally, will using those bottled concentrated bacteria help to speed up the LIVE ROCK cycling before I put into my tank ?

[yus75]

Hi, need help on LR.

I just bought one from Reborn Aquarium ($5/kg - mine was 3 kg). Brought home, followed instructions use a toothbrush to brush and cleared any debris and then soak into salt water with 1.04SG for a min to wait for all the pests to come out (none that I spotted) and then soak into fresh salt water now.

Question is, one side of the rock has all the algae while the other side is bare (because the bare side was facing down in the LFS) can I choose to use that side up instead ? I'm afraid the bacteria are all growing below and if its' not the correct side up, the bacteria may not multiply. The bare side has more crevices and look nicer...

Finally, will using those bottled concentrated bacteria help to speed up the LIVE ROCK cycling before I put into my tank ?

sori linkiat....just to add somemore ques here....do addin more LR in a establish tank do a mini cycle???

[Kalib]

linkiat: Don't think how u put the LR will matter. The bacteria will still colonise the rock(unless of course the cleaning has killed all of them which i don't think so). As for the bottled bacteria, not so sure.

yus75: A mini cycle would occur, but would have little/no impact if your tank is big and the LR is cured. Its just like adding a small uncured LR(1kg) into a 10ft established tank as compared to adding a small uncured LR(1kg) into a 1.5ft established tank. There would be a noticeable spike in the small tank as compared to the larger tank. Its just like having a small fish die in a 1.5ft tank as compared to a 10ft tank.

[darren]

isn't 1.04SG almost like fw already? dun think you should soak your lr in fw. you'll be killing off more good than harm.