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DRY ROCK & LIVE ROCK Discussion

Ok i need your help making a decision on how Im going to approach this initial set up. Ive always used Live rock and had a few bad instances of pests, I know its inevitable to have hitchhikers but I want to control it as much as possible. With LR of course I will have a better and more stable Bio-Filtration and faster Cycle. So I was thinking of doing a mix of Dry & Live Rock. I know LR would require Light and Flow during the process and Dry Rock would bloom with Algae Film with light during the process. I originally planned to do 80% Dry Rock and 20% LR to seed but I think I am going to flip that and do 80% Live Rock/ 20% Dry

Any suggestions?
 
I've done a lot of builds that were dry rock only, using just a couple of small pieces of live Rock to seed the tank. They have developed just fine.

I really don't see much advantage going 80 Live/20 Dry - that close you might as well go all Live. On the other hand, 80 Dry/20 Live will grow out nicely IMO. Seeding with Dr. Tim's seems to be a huge boost, not scientific but just observation of customers that have used it. Real Reef is another option that works well, and the latest generation of Real Reef is pretty amazing stuff - no pest and it is Live Rock.
 
How long did it take to establish a stable bio filtration with Dry rock? also, Instead of 80% LR, I was thinking of doing 50/50. I have about 120lbs of Dry largo.
 
Just go dry and seed w some water from an established tank? Use bottled bacteria of you're really worried. Have done all dry rock builds and they turn out just fine.
 
I much prefer dry rock.
The main reason is you can tweak it easily.
Drill it, glue it, concrete, whatever.
And you can play around with different ideas outside the tank first.
You can make exactly the structure you want.

The pest problem is a non-issue. You WILL get pests no matter what.

Coraline may have issues.
Your dry rock may get coated with other algae, and coraline may be very slow
to take over. Depends a lot on your tank lighting and parameters.

Not all dry rock is the same.
Unfortunately, the cheap stuff is often dug up out of the ground.
If that is near a farm, and they do not soak it, it can be full of nitrates and phosphates.
That was a problem for me with old Marco Rocks. They now soak rocks well, so not an issue,
but not sure on other suppliers.
 
I did my tank with a mix of BRS reef saver and Pukani. I like the Pukani much better. Much lighter so for a given size you need less and that evens out the cost. In hindsight I'd take my time and either do a Muriatic acid bath or out of tank cook/soak to get rid of the 'stuff' that was on the rock.

I had some Dr. Tim's One and Only from a BAR raffle (remember those?). I dosed ammonia but never saw ammonia or nitrites. Seemed like instant cycle to me.
 
I much prefer dry rock.
The main reason is you can tweak it easily.
Drill it, glue it, concrete, whatever.
And you can play around with different ideas outside the tank first.
You can make exactly the structure you want.

The pest problem is a non-issue. You WILL get pests no matter what.

Coraline may have issues.
Your dry rock may get coated with other algae, and coraline may be very slow
to take over. Depends a lot on your tank lighting and parameters.

Not all dry rock is the same.
Unfortunately, the cheap stuff is often dug up out of the ground.
If that is near a farm, and they do not soak it, it can be full of nitrates and phosphates.
That was a problem for me with old Marco Rocks. They now soak rocks well, so not an issue,
but not sure on other suppliers.

Gotcha. I was really gearing towards all dry rock as well. This will also be my first time using ZeoVit and on the Zeo Forums they highly recommend Live Rock only and shallow dry sand (2mm) with a bed of 4cm deep. I was hoping to cure and cycle the dry rock and turn it "LIVE" to begin "Day1" of KZ dosing
 
I did my tank with a mix of BRS reef saver and Pukani. I like the Pukani much better. Much lighter so for a given size you need less and that evens out the cost. In hindsight I'd take my time and either do a Muriatic acid bath or out of tank cook/soak to get rid of the 'stuff' that was on the rock.

I had some Dr. Tim's One and Only from a BAR raffle (remember those?). I dosed ammonia but never saw ammonia or nitrites. Seemed like instant cycle to me.

Thats what im hoping for lol. So Dr.Tims pure ammonia? good product?!
 
this was my plan when the marco rocks arrive. (Pls correct me if I should go another direction)

As soon as they arrive before washing them off I will start drilling holes for the rods to create a bonsai island look --I will flatten the bottom of the base rock to create a stable foundation-- Then I will rinse them off and soak in a brute with RO diluted with Vinegar for about a day. --Then add to my tank--hit the switch to the saltwater mixing station for a couple hours --Fill the tank-- Turn on all the equipment (CaRx, MediaRx, Skimmer) -- Adjust flow and adjust equipment -- Add dry sand (Shallow bed 4cm of 2mm Special grade DRY sand) -- Wait for everything to settle -- Add Ammonia -- Then Sit back and be patient while testing Po4 and Ammonia.--

now, im still trying to figure out if I should Add the LR During the process or After? Also, once I get that LR established (Even during the Die off and ammonia spike) I will start "Day1" of the ZeoVit. Just as long as i know bacteria is available to be fed.

Lol let me know if this is a good algorithm and also let me know what you would do different. Thx
 
I was thinking something similar to this, using the Marco rock.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1422420651.329092.jpg
 
I have a bunch of cleaning ammonia from the dollar store lol I should just dump it in the tank.

The big risk is not all ammonia is just ammonia! Lots of cleaning products have surfactants (like detergents) and you DON'T want that in the tank! I'm always very cautious about adding anything not made for the aquarium.

BTW you don't need much to start the cycle. You want to shoot for 1-2ppm ammonia, IIRC.

If you are getting One and Only, just get the ammonia too. It's only a couple of bucks extra.
 
I thought that was the case. Just posting to make sure some N00B didn't read that and take it for gospel. As you are aware, everything on the internet is true! ;) ;)
I read on the internet you could just "tinkle in your tank" to get a nice ammonia boost. All natural.
I am glad you are confirming that is true. :p
 
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