Cycling with live rock

[th365thli]

I have a Red Sea 650 system I'm bringing up. It currently has dry rock, coupled with some live rock from the LFS, (and some hermits).

The live rock is 5 pieces. According to the LFS, it's shipped from a place in Florida that leases a section of beach. The rock comes from there (and new rock is seeded there). Thus, there are all sorts of littler critters and things on them. I am rolling the dice a bit, as you can't guarantee what can or cannot come on the rock (pests, undesirables etc), but I'm a firm believer in micro bio-diversity in my tank, so pros/cons.

My question is, is it safe to add hardy fish like clowns? The live rock should already have beneficial bacteria right? Ammonia reads at 0 but more so wondering about a harmful spike.

I'm also seeding with Microbacter 7.

 

[Tired]

If the live rock has been in your LFS storage bin for long enough that anything dying is now dead and decayed away, your tank is 100% cycled. No need for bottled bacteria or anything else.

 

[bushdoc]

If it’s a genuine live rock, with growth on it, that yes, but I would only count amount of your live rock and do not take into consideration dry rock yet, until it will gets bacterial population established. I would bring fish one by one And slowly though

 

[Tired]

I mean, that applies to any tank. Stocking slowly is always a good idea.

 

[th365thli]

If the live rock has been in your LFS storage bin for long enough that anything dying is now dead and decayed away, your tank is 100% cycled. No need for bottled bacteria or anything else.

Two pieces were in there for quite a while. He got a new shipment yesterday so 3 pieces are "new" in his store, but have been in the ocean for some time. All pieces have growth on them. The pieces are stored in a frag tank with lights, urchins, various hermits and critters, along with a basket of anemones. It's uses a centralized filtration system with his other frag tanks with corals.

Sounds like I'm good to add clowns then!

 

[Tired]

If the rock didn't stink of dead things when you got it, and you aren't reading any ammonia, your tank is indeed cycled and ready for a couple of small fish. Congrats on your cool rock. Have fun!

 

[th365thli]

If the rock didn't stink of dead things when you got it, and you aren't reading any ammonia, your tank is indeed cycled and ready for a couple of small fish. Congrats on your cool rock. Have fun!

Thanks! Nah didn't stink, just smelled very ocean-y, like a tide pool. He told me when he used to get rock from places in the Pacific it would smell bad from the long travel time and presumable decay.

 

[Tired]

That smell is genuinely a good way to tell whether the rock will need some time to sit. If it smells like an ocean scent you'd want in a candle or something, it has minimal to no decay, and should be fine to use. If it smells like low tide, it might need some time and water changes.