Live rock vs dry rock

[jt17]

Did you cycle with fish or hit it with ammonia to start it off? How much did your alk drop? Did it drop in days or weeks?
Looks like the pros out way the cons for dry rock. Seems the cons are dealt with easy enough.

I cycled it with a piece of shrimp. I don't like to use live animals as the ammonia can be harsh on them. I let it cycle for a couple months. It doesn't take that long but I like to be sure. I didn't test parameters for a month so I'm not sure how quickly it soaked up the alk but 4 months in and the rock is still pulling out alkalinity but not as fast as it did before. I tested about month after adding the rock and the alk had dropped to 85 ppm or 4.76.

 

[w.gurney77]

jt17 I agree on not using live animals. I think I'm going to throw in a splash of ammonia to kick start a cycle. I will also introduce some bacteria as well. I'm thinking live sand will help also.

 

[w.gurney77]

I have decided to use dry rock to build the initial aquascape. Then I will add dome cured live rock to seed the tank with coralline algae and bacteria.
Using dry rock will allow me to take my time building a sturdy aquascape. No pesky crabs will topple my scape and I get the benefits of live rock. I will also use live sand, dose bacteria and ammonia to really kick the cycle off.

Thanks for all your comments they helped me decide on the best way to set up my aquascape.