dry base rock mixed with cured base rock = cycle?

[tang_man_montreal]

Been out of the hobby for 15 years.

When I set up my tank 20 years ago, I had access to cured live rock and never went through a cycle.

This time, I'm setting up a tank with a mix of 40lbs cured base rock (been curing in a tank for a year, reading 50ppm Nitrate). This rock will be situated in my sump.

I'll be using 60lbs of dry base rock in my display tank with Caribsea Premium live sand. I'd like to aquascape it, and am wondering if I will skip the ammonia cycle when I fill it since I have the 40lbs of cured base rock in my sump?

Will I be ok with the above method allowing me to aquascape? Or Should I simply mix in my dry base rock in a bin with my cured base rock for a month?

Should I keep the lights off for a few months to hopefully skip the ugly phase? Or is there no merit to that anymore?

Thanks

 

[tang_man_montreal]

Oh i also picked up a bottle of Microbacter7 that I will use when I initially fill the tank.

 

[tang_man_montreal]

Just bumping up my thread... anyone?

 

[Jphoadley]

I just upgraded my 16gal to a 32 gal last night. I added 15lbs. of Dry Caribsea Base rock to the 25lbs of established rock from my 16G. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[tang_man_montreal]

Well, I picked up an additional 50lbs of 10yr old fiji rock from a long running system.
I have it circulating in a tub now, tests reveal no ammonia and 25ppm nitrate.

I'm confident that I'll avoid a cycle with my already 40lbs of established base rock and the additional 50lbs of fiji live rock.

I'm going to put the 50lbs of established live rock in the sump to help seed the pod population, and mix the established base rock with my dry base rock in the display.

This bullethole clown that i claimed from another local reefer has been chilling out in the tank running the established base rock for the last week. Eating like a champ.

 

[dbowman5]

the ammonia cycle is the process that happens when bacteria colonize a tank. feeding on ammonia and multiplying to a population that can keep pace with the waste produced in the tank. then the bacteria that feeds on the nitrite multiplies until it can keep up with the nitrite that the ammonia eating bacteria produce, finally the nitrate is controlled by water changes and or bacteria converting the nitrate to nitrogen. each time you increase the bio load the bacteria population surges to consume the available food. no one skips the cycle/ i think what you are asking is whether the used rock will help reduce the spike of ammonia that is harmful to your fish. i would say yes.
good luck with your build!

 

[polyppal]

Been out of the hobby for 15 years.

When I set up my tank 20 years ago, I had access to cured live rock and never went through a cycle.

This time, I'm setting up a tank with a mix of 40lbs cured base rock (been curing in a tank for a year, reading 50ppm Nitrate). This rock will be situated in my sump.

I'll be using 60lbs of dry base rock in my display tank with Caribsea Premium live sand. I'd like to aquascape it, and am wondering if I will skip the ammonia cycle when I fill it since I have the 40lbs of cured base rock in my sump?

Will I be ok with the above method allowing me to aquascape? Or Should I simply mix in my dry base rock in a bin with my cured base rock for a month?

Should I keep the lights off for a few months to hopefully skip the ugly phase? Or is there no merit to that anymore?

Thanks

Curing and Cycling are different processes. 'Curing' was the old school way of removing dead organics in dry rock, back when we had access to Pukani/Dry Fuji/etc. that was sourced from the ocean. Although it was dry, there was still dried up sponges/bugs/etc within it that leeched into the tank, and people used curing to dissolve that decayed matter.

Modern 'reefsaver' rock like what you appear to have above is Calcium Carbonite (limestone) thats mined out of a quarry on land, its millions of years old and theres nothing decaying within it, so it really doesnt need a cure to remove organics. Just a good series of rinses to remove the dust all over it. So yeah, the cure certainly didnt hurt anything but you'll still have to do a full cycle with a bacteria and ammonia source.

Nice looking structures!

 

[Aqua Man]

@brandon429 here is another one.

I'm confident that I'll avoid a cycle with my already 40lbs of established base rock and the additional 50lbs of fiji live rock.

True