base rock to live rock.

[melev]

Here's the thing to consider - Live Rock (LR) is your main natural filtration in your tank. If you skimp in this area, you skimp in the filtration abilities that your livestock relies upon.

I personally only use LR when setting up a tank. You can buy used LR from club members in your area for as little as $2/lb perhaps, or maybe a bit more.

Base rock can take up to 6 months before it is actually filtering the water, especailly denitrification. We had a club member that bought tons of fish, because he was addicted to anything that swam. It was seriously over the top, and his nitrates were through the roof. It was only later via serious discussion that we discovered he only had 10% LR to seed his base rock, and there really wasn't anything he could do. He sold off over 50% of his fish, and finally decided to buy LR. Nitrate problem solved.

So if you are exceedingly patient, you can hold off on buying livestock and let the base rock become live, but it'll be a long wait.

[hummer]

thanks great tread

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

Thanks for the link to reefer rocks. I have ordered from them a few times, but a few months ago when I went to the site to order some base rock for my then new 75g seahorse tank, it said they were closed down. I was soooo bummed. I'm glad they reopened. It's a great place to buy base rock.

Angie

[Fatman]

The only downside I can imagine is a longer cycle time or having to have less bio-load at the begining as the new rock beings to get populated with bacteria.