getting started

[jblystone]

well i finaly have every thing i need i hope 55gal tank sump skimmer lights sand and lr i also have some old lr that has been sittin around for a while can i just throw that in there for the cycle being it would give the tank a bit of ammonia from the dead stuff on it and if so would it become live from being in there with live rock thanks 4 any info

 

[DWhatley]

What is the storage history of the "old" live rock? Has it #1 been kept wet, #2 has water been circulating around it. If #1 is yes then it is likely of some use to your cycle. If #2 is yes then the rock is likely still in decent shape for positive bacteria. If #1 is, no then I would scrub it heavily and remove all that you can since you likely add more nitrates than get benefit from anything left on the rock. You can still use it in any case but if it is no longer live, it will take about a year for your tank to benefit from the filtration it will ultimately provide.

 

[jblystone]

ok thanks the lr has been dry for some time everything is dead so the best to hope out of it is to clean and use for more place to hide for new octo?

 

[DWhatley]

If it is dry, it needs a good wet scrubbing (I would soak it overnight before cleaning). Using your water change water is a good idea to prevent chlorine and other water treatment chemicals but saltwater or RO/DI freshwater doesn't make any difference at this point. It will eventually become LR in the tank (some people prefer to start with dead rock). Ken (Sealifeinc.net) does not pull even his base rock until a good year in the ocean. Of particular concern would be any sponge dried on the rock so remove anything that looks like it was alive.

 

[jblystone]

u have been a great help thank u