dottybackss Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 I just setup a 30 gallon long tank with 30 lbs of the Caribsea life rocks, 20 lbs live sand along with a Jebao sdw 9 and a AC 70 with a diy fuge. If the flow is good enough do I still need some bio media for the biological filtration? Before I always use 1 lb per gallon of real live rocks but this is my first time to use man-made live rock so I am not sure about their biological function. Quote Link to comment
SaltyGallon Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 It's good rock, used it successfully for a few tanks. Have you added a source of good bacteria, either bottled or from existing media? 1 Quote Link to comment
Nathans_Reef Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 I Watched a Reef builders video on YouTube and he mentioned that Caribsea life rock has some sort of bacteria coating on it already. not sure how effective it is though. Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 It does have bacteria in it but the tank still needs to cycle therefore an ammonia source needs to be added and adding something like biospira would be beneficial too. 1 Quote Link to comment
dottybackss Posted March 20, 2021 Author Share Posted March 20, 2021 I brought the Friz Turbo Start this time but I haven't dose it yet since I don't have any livestock right now. Quote Link to comment
SaltyGallon Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 40 minutes ago, dottybackss said: I brought the Friz Turbo Start this time but I haven't dose it yet since I don't have any livestock right now. Look up Dr Tims bottled ammonia. Few drops of ammonia as needed + turbo start and you'll have a nice livestock ready tank in a couple weeks. Quote Link to comment
SaltyGallon Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 7 hours ago, Nathans_Reef said: I Watched a Reef builders video on YouTube and he mentioned that Caribsea life rock has some sort of bacteria coating on it already. not sure how effective it is though. I personally think it's marketing bs, but it sure supports good bacteria well enough once cycled... 1 Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Yeah I wouldn’t rely on the bacterial spores in the coating of the Liferock, but Fritz Turbostart is good. I like to have really strong biological filtration in my tanks so I don’t have to worry about a spike in ammonia if a big snail or fish dies, so I use a sack of matrix media in the back of each of my tanks for extra surface area for the beneficial bacteria in addition to the Caribsea Liferock. Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 The bacteria in the liferock make it safe to add to an existing tank, its the only dry rock i have used that didn't cause spikes in a tank but definitely its not enough to add and go without cycling a tank Quote Link to comment
DISQUALIFIED-QQ Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 I guess there's spores in the purple paint but I still ran a cycle with my setup. I poured the big bottle of Bio-Spira and left a piece of silverside to rot. Not the most elegant way to do it, but it worked. Quote Link to comment
dottybackss Posted March 21, 2021 Author Share Posted March 21, 2021 So when the rock get mature then it will function just like a real live rock right? Also the water is very cloudy after I added the life rock to the tank. Is just like a ammonia spike. Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 34 minutes ago, dottybackss said: So when the rock get mature then it will function just like a real live rock right? Also the water is very cloudy after I added the life rock to the tank. Is just like a ammonia spike. Yes, it becomes live rock just like other dry rock does as it’s populated by beneficial bacteria. My tanks don’t cloud up just by adding the rock... did you stir up the sand? Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 An ammonia spike doesn't cause clouding. If you didn't wash your sand and plCe rock on it or disturbed it, thats most likely the cause of the cloudiness Quote Link to comment
dottybackss Posted March 21, 2021 Author Share Posted March 21, 2021 No I didn't wash the sand because I read the instruction of the Caribsea live sand and it said required no rinsing. I brought the Special grade reef ones. 15 hours ago, banasophia said: Yes, it becomes live rock just like other dry rock does as it’s populated by beneficial bacteria. My tanks don’t cloud up just by adding the rock... did you stir up the sand? I did stir up a very little of them 1 Quote Link to comment
Jakesaw Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 Not rinsing sand was my first saltwater tank mistake. I ended up pulling all the water out of tank with siphon and the sand. Rinsed the sand and put it back in the tank. Haven't had any cloud issues since. I know the Carib-sea live sand says not to rinse, but it's basically sand with an additive to the salt water and packaged in a strong bag.. So I opted bio-spira + dead sand for the same effect without all the cloudy mess in my water. Only a 10 gallon so no big deal. It's one of the reasons I wanted to start with small tank. Small mistakes are easier to correct when I start out knowing basically NOTHING. 1 Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 2 hours ago, dottybackss said: No I didn't wash the sand because I read the instruction of the Caribsea live sand and it said required no rinsing. I brought the Special grade reef ones. I did stir up a very little of them They all say no need to wash but most recommend it because the amount of dust in the sand, it can cause a tank to go milky white Every sand i have ever purchased live, dry, crushed coral - the amount of dust that comes off it from washing is shocking. Stir your sand and you'll see how cloudy the tank gets. You want to get that imto the filter amd floss will need changing more often as it will get full fast Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 I do not rinse live sand, I follow the manufacturer directions on the package. The cloudiness settles in a day or two. Quote Link to comment
dottybackss Posted March 22, 2021 Author Share Posted March 22, 2021 Today is a lot better as the cloudiness is getting settle as I put a lot of floss in the filter. 1 Quote Link to comment
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