Is this enough LR to start the cycle?

[jimi thing]

I've started up a 30g cube and added some live sand and about 8lbs of live rock that I got from a friends tank. This is the first time that I haven't used damsels to start the cycle. So my question is will this be enough to start the cycle or should I put a piece of shrimp in the tank also?
Also, probably a stupid question but if I do add shrimp, about how many and does it matter if it's cooked or raw? I know this is a noob question but I've never cycled a tank like this before.
Thanks for any help.

[horwitzs]

That's not much rock so I'd ghost feed or throw in some raw shrimp. Not a huge tank so maybe a salad shrimp.

[Sugar Magnolia]

You're going to need a lot more rock than that. Is the 8 lbs of LR the only rock in the tank or do you have some base rock in there as well? 8 lbs of LR will be fine to seed dry base rock but is extremely insufficient as biological filtration if it is the only rock in that size tank.

[dzfish17]

Ive always cycled my tanks by ghost feeding. Just pretend the damsels are in the tank and feed a little bit every day. I agree that another 15 lbs or so of LR would help with biological filtration.

[schoi]

I would add some more LR and after using the shrimp method recently I would go with ghost feeding next time. After my raw shrimp was in the tank for a few days, I pulled it out and it was mushy and broke down into a lot of little pieces.

[BillyC]

I would not recommend using the shrimp at all. This will certainly raise the ammonia enough for a cycle but will also provide a breeding ground for possibly dangerous bacteria. Live the others have said, add more rock and if possible, seed the sand using deep sand from an established aquarium to help establish the anaerobic bacteria.

[krzyphsygy]

agreed, ghost feed for sure

[Southreef]

Ghost feed and don't forget to carefully examine any liverock you get for unwanted crabs, mantis or other "pests". I wish I had as I still see the occasional gorilla crab waving at me from deep within my liverock structure. They're so smug with their waving claws! :wavehand:

[Gandolfe]

look up how much rock is reccomended, i think it's 1 - 3 lbs per gallon. If i were you I'd go with a bare bottom or very minimal sand in a 30 gallon cube, you'll lose water volume and it will be a pain to clean. i used live rock, live sand and a raw shrimp to cycle my 45 and it took less than 3 weeks

[AJ1080]

Go with some more live rock. With a smaller tank I would definatly cycle it by ghost feeding as everyone else has said.

[jimi thing]

Thanks for the advice guys. I've never heard of ghost feeding, I might have to give that a try. A friend gave me the 8lbs of LR and I bought a bag of "LS" from petco. I already had about 30lbs of dry rock in the tank.
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g230/glenjerome/2011-10-30_18-46-37_169.jpg

[krzyphsygy]

Nice Rock Work!

[jimi thing]

Thanks!

[cody6766]

I think you'll be fine with that dry rock in there. That's more rock than I keep in my 30g and I never have issues with filtration. Give it some time to really establish. You're starting out a bit of a step behind as far as tank maturation goes. It's not a bad thing. It just means that youre going to need to add fish at a slower rate than if you cycled a tank with 30lbs of LR. Bacteria are, lucky for us in most cases, very prolific, so your extended time won't be that bad.
I would also avoid tossing in a whole shrimp. Some flake now and again will do the trick and will take less time to break down than the shrimp will. I know I wouldn't want to go fishing out a chunk of mush if i could avoid it!

Enjoy your 30g, I love mine!