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As I noted in an earlier post, I've agreed to take my stepson's saltwater fish. I'm going to set up a 90-gallon fish-only tank for them with a wet-dry filter, protein skimmer and, ideally, plenty of live rock.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the only live rock my LFS sells is already cured. (Fortunately, because the fish are coming soon, and I need to get the tank up and running; unfortunately because the stuff is bloody expensive!!) Anyway, I have several questions:

1) Do I have to add the live rock all at once, or can I buy some for the initial setup, then add to it little by little as my bank account recovers?

2) How much do I have to worry about "hitchhikers" on cured rock? And are "hitchhikers" problematic for my fish? And if so, what do I do about them?

3) Does the live rock go on top of the sand, or directly on the tank bottom before the substrate is added? (I'm getting differing opinions on this.)

4) Any reason I can't buy a couple of chunks of cured rock for the initial setup, then later buy some uncured rock and cure it myself in another tank? Then, when it's done, I could add it to the main tank. (I have a 30 currently in use as a freshwater quarantine that will soon be coming empty and could be used for that purpose.)

Thanks!



Last edited by lmuha at 26-Jun-2005 20:24

1) Do I have to add the live rock all at once, or can I buy some for the initial setup, then add to it little by little as my bank account recovers?

You can start with a few pounds and then add a little at a time as time progresses.. A lot of folks have to do it that way since the stuff does indeed get pricey.. Just be careful with how much liverock you place into the tank at one time once the fish/critters are in the tank.. Even cured liverock will have dieoff when placed into a new system.. Personally, I'd say less than 10lbs at one time with the volume of your tank..

2) How much do I have to worry about "hitchhikers" on cured rock? And are "hitchhikers" problematic for my fish? And if so, what do I do about them?

Depends on what your hitchhikers end up being.. Crabs are generally unwanted, with few exceptions.. The dreaded mantis shrimp, which gets alot of press on forums, can be problematical as well.. Those two examples I would either kill or banish into the sump.. However, knowing the members of my MAS, I might even trade them off.. Seems that there is no end to what folks like to "collect" in this hobby.. Snails and worms are also common hitchhikers and are generally no big deal.. The majority are beneficial to your system..

3) Does the live rock go on top of the sand, or directly on the tank bottom before the substrate is added? (I'm getting differing opinions on this.)

I placed my liverock on the bottom of my tank and filled the sand in around it.. I prefer it that way aesthetically and with my diggin' damsel it's probably saved the stability of my rockwork on countless occasions.. However, if you do decide to place your rock directly on the bottom of the tank make sure you're happy with the base structure.. The top of the rockwork can always be tinkered with, but the base will be difficult to deal with once the sandbed is established..

4) Any reason I can't buy a couple of chunks of cured rock for the initial setup, then later buy some uncured rock and cure it myself in another tank? Then, when it's done, I could add it to the main tank. (I have a 30 currently in use as a freshwater quarantine that will soon be coming empty and could be used for that purpose.)

There's no reason you couldn't do it this way, but you should be warned that the pungent aroma of curing liverock is not for the faint of heart.. Make sure you keep the water circulating well and filtered the best you can.. If you can't place a skimmer on the tank, water changes are going to be key.. If you've got space in the garage for the setup, that's where I'd put it, lol..

Thanks!

Good Luck to you and have fun with your tank..