adding LR question

[Riona]

I've got 20# of rock coming later this week.  Since my main tank (40 breeder) has been doing okay with the 20# I've got in there at the moment, and is starting to go through the diatom stage I'm thinking I'd rather not just dump the extra in there and deal with it one if anything like gorilla crabs (**sharpens stakes**) comes in on it, or deal with a huge ammonia spike that might hut the bits of stuff I'm seeing alive in the breeder now.  Was thinking to at least start the cycle in an old tank (doubt it'd fit in the old 5.5, so would need to clean the 10 that I'm currently growing a cypress tree in).  

 

Do I just pop it in the tank, try to make sure there's some flow, and aggressively change 50-100% of the water a day for a week or two?  Test and do aggressive changes anytime I see anything (with the side note that the stores near me only sell API)?  Order a bottle of Dr. Tims and hope for the best?

[jservedio]

If you have inverts or fish in the tank already, you are going to need to cycle the rock separately. If it's just a box of rocks and water, you can go ahead and dump dump the rock in the tank and scape it however you want - it isn't going to mess anything up. Anything that's alive in there now has already lived through the cycling process.

[Riona]

Thank you!  I appreciate the help.