New Marine Setup - Live rock questions

I have currently got a new marine tank setup going and its in the
first few days of infancy.

I have a RIO 125 tank with a Fluval 204 external filter, marine-glo
and aqua-glo lighting. There is about 1" of crushed coral sand as
substrate too

I would like advice on when or if to put live rock into the tank and
whether or not to use it to aid the cycle of the tank.

If live rock is a good idea how soon should I put it into the tank and
how much should I get?

Thanks in advance

Neil

"Neil K" wrote in message
om...
I have currently got a new marine tank setup going and its in the
first few days of infancy.

I have a RIO 125 tank with a Fluval 204 external filter, marine-glo
and aqua-glo lighting. There is about 1" of crushed coral sand as
substrate too

The Aqua-Glo is a fresh water lamp. You should get the Power-Glo lamp as
your white lamp. Not a big deal but the Aqua-Glo will promote algae growth
more that the Power-Glo.


I would like advice on when or if to put live rock into the tank and
whether or not to use it to aid the cycle of the tank.

As soon as the water is in. The live rock will cycle the tank. The live
rock basically contains all the bacteria needed to complete the cycle. All
you will need is a little waste to start the cycle going. Some people use
hardy fish such as damsels, some consider this cruel, while others use a
dead shrimp that is basically left to rot in the tank to give the bacteria
plenty of organic material to eat. I added the rock and started feeding my
"imaginary" fish and it cycled just fine.


If live rock is a good idea how soon should I put it into the tank and
how much should I get?

Usually 1 to 1.5 pounds per gallon. Of course it depends on the quality of
the rock.


Thanks in advance



Good luck,

Robert

Thanks Robert,

The light that i have is actually a life-glo not aqua-glo, is this OK
for marines??

I have added 1 dose of Biomature and when i tested the water yesterday
the nitrites were sky high, is this normal? and will high nitrites
level have an adverse affect on the live rock?

Thanks in advance

Neil

"Neil K" wrote in message
om...
Thanks Robert,

The light that i have is actually a life-glo not aqua-glo, is this OK
for marines??

Better but not ideal. The life-glo is a full spectrum white light that can
be used for aquariums, reptiles, birds, whatever. The Power-glo and
Marine-glo are specific to marine aquariums and thus better. Their spectrum
is better suited to coral growth. No I'd use this bulb for now. When you
need to replace it 6-8 months from now, go with a power-glo. These bulbs
don't last that long. They remain lit, in other words they don't actually
burn out, but their spectrum changes to the point that they don't offer the
kind of light needed by the aquarium. You won't notice it but the life in
the aquarium will.


I have added 1 dose of Biomature and when i tested the water yesterday
the nitrites were sky high, is this normal? and will high nitrites
level have an adverse affect on the live rock?

Normal, your tank is cycling. First thing that occurs is ammonia turns into
nitrite. When the nitrite is high enough, a second type of bacteria will
develop to convert that into nitrate which is virtually non-toxic. Finally
nitrates are either removed with monthly water changes or converted slowly
to nitrogen gas by yet another type of bacteria. So the high nitrites are
normal and are actually the food your live rock needs. Eventually when the
cycle is complete, neither the ammonia or the nitrites will ever be
detectable as the various bacteria will consume it as them as they form.
The reason live rock is live is bacause of the bacteria. Some live in the
small holes in the rock hidden from the light and away from any oxygen and
are thus anaerobic. Others live closer to the surface and use oxygen to do
their job. That is the beauty of live-rock and also one of the reasons you
need so much agitation is a marine tank. You need to get the water in and
out of those small holes.

Robert