DARB

I plan to set up my 10gal tank and put 12-15 lbs of live rock that’s been cured. The? is let the rocks set in my tank and walk away or is there more to it than that. I'll probable add some inverts and some coral down the road. I'm just thinking about the Live Rocks. Thanks

travie

To make sure the LR is cycled, go to your local grocery/deli store to get a raw shrimp/prawn. Place it in the tank, and by the time it is gone, your LR should be ready for some animals.

stevekellner

Make sure no or very little lighting and skimmer is running during duration of cycle.

sgould

Once your tank is established and stocked, live rock is pretty self-sustaining. It is called "live" because of a variety of organisms that live on it. Because of that variety, there is no one food need. One of the main reasons we use live rock, for instance, is the biological filtration provided by bacteria living on the rock. The food used by the bacteria comes from the waste of tank inhabitants and the breaking down of left-over/uneaten fish food. You might also find various fan worms, polyps, or other creatures living on your rock in time as well. Some of these feed photosynthetically, others filter what they need out of the water, and some are scavangers living off the detritus that accumulates on/in the substrate. Bottom line to all of that is, there is not much you need to actively do for the live rock once it is cured and you have livestock in the tank.