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I got a hold of about 40 pounds of really old Marshall Island and Fiji rock that's been dry for about 5 years. This is real stuff, very porous, but obviously lacking everything that used to be in it. Ready to go into my new IM 40L AIO.
I would have loved to go with TBS rock again, but I didn't have budget for it. Instead, I have TBS rubble in my nano tanks and some TBS rocks (~5-10 lb) completely covered in coraline that I plan to add into the tank (that need bubble algae removal). I would like to know how best to get a lot of diversity into these rocks:
1. Will adding the TBS rubble in the tank in proximity to these rocks be enough to get all of the good bacteria populating the rocks? Or is some sort of bottled bacteria necessary?
2. If yes above, would you follow the standard cycling method, adding Tim's ammonia?
3. I have special grade dry sand. I am planning to add a bucket of Fiji Mud to mix in with the sand. Should I wait until everything is cycled or add the Fiji Mud at the start? I'm worried that the presumed microfauna wouldn't survive with ammonia in the system...
4. Can I take chips of coraline from my nano and drop them into the tank or glue them to the rocks to get that started? Should I wait a while and cycle with the lights off and then add the coraline chips with lights on?
I suppose if the answer to #1 is "No, bottle bac definitely necessary", then I just follow the regular cycling procedure with BioSpira/Microbacter/Tims, etc.
Would love advice on getting this tank started! Thanks!
I would have loved to go with TBS rock again, but I didn't have budget for it. Instead, I have TBS rubble in my nano tanks and some TBS rocks (~5-10 lb) completely covered in coraline that I plan to add into the tank (that need bubble algae removal). I would like to know how best to get a lot of diversity into these rocks:
1. Will adding the TBS rubble in the tank in proximity to these rocks be enough to get all of the good bacteria populating the rocks? Or is some sort of bottled bacteria necessary?
2. If yes above, would you follow the standard cycling method, adding Tim's ammonia?
3. I have special grade dry sand. I am planning to add a bucket of Fiji Mud to mix in with the sand. Should I wait until everything is cycled or add the Fiji Mud at the start? I'm worried that the presumed microfauna wouldn't survive with ammonia in the system...
4. Can I take chips of coraline from my nano and drop them into the tank or glue them to the rocks to get that started? Should I wait a while and cycle with the lights off and then add the coraline chips with lights on?
I suppose if the answer to #1 is "No, bottle bac definitely necessary", then I just follow the regular cycling procedure with BioSpira/Microbacter/Tims, etc.
Would love advice on getting this tank started! Thanks!