what kind of

[dustin_P74]

live rock should i use in my 120 gallon tank. its not set up yet so once i have the water in there do i have to wait for the cycle to complete before i put the live rock in there or can i just put it in with the initial water.

 

[Piggy]

You can cycle your tank with LR in it. If you use cured LR and LS you may only get a mini cycle.

 

[dustin_P74]

thats what i wanted to do but i didnt know if it would work. but what is the best looking rock to put in there

 

[reeffreak]

You use the live rock to cycle your tank,so add it right away.There many different types of live rock and base rock.You can either use all live or a combination of two to save money.Aim for at least 1lb per gallon.My preference is for light weight,porous and good coverage of colorful coralline.

Liveaquaria's Lalo live rock looks particually nice.Saltycritter's live rock are awesome as well.

 

[Marke86]

I would buy figi live rock and try to avoid base rock because it turns bright green when you go through your algae stage. I f you do make sure you cover as much as you can with sand. and Dont pay extra for cured if your tank is just starting to cycle.

 

[dustin_P74]

that makes sense

 

[RyanG]

Need to do some researching

 

[dustin_P74]

i have been but i figured i would come here to get as many opinions as possible

 

[Gooseman]

I have a 120G and i bought 150lbs of Lalo LR and let it cycle my tank.

 

[dustin_P74]

where did you buy it from and how much did you pay

 

[Gooseman]

I bought it from my LFS and it was 6.99 a pound

 

[dustin_P74]

how long did it take for your tank to cycle

 

[Gooseman]

It took about 4-5 weeks to cycle but the cycling problems persisted for about 6-7 weeks. Bad algae troubles (brown diatom) covered all the rock and sand for awhile. Regular water changes and persistent cleaning of the rock with a turkey baster helped out a lot. Patience is no joke in this hobby.

 

[dustin_P74]

did it cure in your tank or did you buy it already cure

 

[Gooseman]

I bought it partially cured, still had a smell to it. The LFS had only had it in stock for about a week or so when i bought it.

 

[dustin_P74]

ok. i might as well go with a cured live rock to cycle my tank but i still dont know which kind to go with. i might as well go see what my LFS has before i go looking around online

 

[Bifferwine]

Using uncured live rock is fine if you don't have any animals in your tank yet (which you shouldn't, if it hasn't cycled yet).

I have a combination of Tonga, Fiji and Caribbean in my tank. Most of it was ordered from Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums but some of it came from my LFS.

 

[dustin_P74]

well like i said ill go to my LFS and see what they have and go from there, when i get to the LFS what should i look for to tell what the best rock is

 

[Gooseman]

To be honest with you, buy the best your pocket book can afford with out breaking the bank. Not all LR is created equal. Some is more dense than others and makes for better filtration.

 

[UnderwaterWorld]

My cycle took 6 days with live sand and some good live rock