The Trend to Dry Rock Cycling

[rtparty]

Glad to find another thread on this topic...

As I continue to plan my 250g peninsula, I keep coming back to one major decision: dry rock or live rock?

Maybe both? Seems to be the best of both worlds. I can take some time setting up an aquascape out of water and then just add in the live rock after I get it and QT it for a month or so. Trying to QT well over 100 pounds of rock isn't very feasible so only having to QT about 20 pounds is much more likely to happen.

There are a couple problems with live rock. It's expensive and pests. Yes, you will get pests and some may be pretty deadly. Not a great way to start a tank. BUT and it's a very large but, the dry rock maturation process has to be one of the worst things you can go through. Dinos, chrysophytes, cyano, hair algae, cyano, dinos, hair algae, rinse repeat and repeat some more. It's a year or more of frustration at every level. All to keep out some pests. Pests that you will likely introduce anyway at some point.

Much to think about it seems

 

[Viking_Reefing]

What are these fire breathing abominations that people are getting when they use pests as a reason not to use live rock?
Sure, mantis shrimp and stuff like that can come in on the rock but are easily dealt with.
Over a long enough time period thinks like aptasia will almost inevitably make their way in to the tank anyways and again, easily dealt with.

 

[X-37B]

I did 50/50. Live and caribsea in my current 120.
No cycle, small amonut of bad algae for a month or 2 but nothing crazy.
Added first coral after a month.
At 1.5 years you cant tell dead from live.
I will always use a minimum of 50% live as long as its available.
In 1-2 years you wont be able to see much rock if you know what your doing anyway.
The biodiversity cant be beat, imo.

 

[blasterman]

A lot of reef stores that have dry rock keep it in big tubs but don't have any fish in it. This kind of defeats the purpose of having it because it will eventually lose it's beneficial bacteria and critter load because there's no food.

If I owned a LFS store, or were selling LR and only had access to artificial or dry rock I would put it in a tub and run steady ammonia dosing to it. This way it's building a nice bacteria bed and maturing.

 

[Thaxxx]

it stings when they're careful for eight mos on pests, then aiptasias still hitch in via corals n shells ! Jeff Goldblum said it best in the Jurassic park 1 movie

"life finds a way"

 

[Garf]

You talking dinos?

 

[CIn87]

I have known some people to do mostly dry and add a small bit of live. I see that becoming more of a trend lately, and I think it may be the best of both worlds.

But can you add both at the same time? I'm new to this and from what I've read so far, if you add live wet rock to a new tank that hasn't been cycled first, you'll lose a majority of the good bacteria and organisms on the live wet rock. I'm not sure how to proceed. I'm starting with a 55 gallon, was given a 30lb piece of dry rock that had been sitting outside for a few years and am currently doing a bleach cure on(which I've also seen mixed information as far as how long to leave it in the solution). If I were to use live wet and dry at the same time could I just add a quick start as well to make up the difference? The dry rock I have isn't big enough to use alone, so I'm wondering if I just buy more of that instead of mixing?