Has anyone ever added 20 lbs or say 40lbs of Mariculture live rock from florida keys right to there established tank if live rock was shipped in water? It sound risky but curious.
I am having what I perceive as just OK results with tons of cured live rock and considering doing something like this. Saw plenty of videos from advanced aquarist describing poor or failed tanks were dry rock failed to estiblished filtration well for a reef tank. I struggle myself to keep nutrients down with modest feeding and a refugium filled with chaeto.
Results now hover at 1.11 to 0.15 phosphate and 10 ppm nitrate. Algae is non existant and coraline grow well. N ratio. Alkalinity is steadily increasing every week however.
All you need is a few pieces of live rock. It will seed the rest fairly quickly. The mistake people make is starting off with a full bio load along with dry rock. A tank started like that should be inverts only with light feeding until well established.