How long to seed Dry Rock?

[celticreefer85]

I recently bought around 25lbs of dry rock (base rock). I am right now seeding it in a 30g with around 7lbs of live rock. How long will it take to seed the dry rock? i just want to make sure there is not much die off from the base rock once I put it in my main tank.

right now i am giving both the LR and dry rock 4 hrs of light. Thanks.

[peterxaixiong]

i too am wondering about this

[JT3069]

I recently bought around 25lbs of dry rock (base rock). I am right now seeding it in a 30g with around 7lbs of live rock. How long will it take to seed the dry rock? i just want to make sure there is not much die off from the base rock once I put it in my main tank.

right now i am giving both the LR and dry rock 4 hrs of light. Thanks.

most people wait about a month, i personally have not counted the days
i usually look at it!!! lol you can watch the stages of the rock being filled with life.
you can put it in after this is complete.
Just watch your rock you will understand!!!:reading:

[Meercat_Maric]

Why would you not just place all your rock in your tank and have it seed there? Unless the 30 gallon is it's final resting spot of course.

Either way I don't believe a lighting schedule is essential for seeding your rock as the microbes will work with or without this cycle. If you wanted coralline that would be something totally different of course.

[on the spot]

to grow your bacteria, feed your bacteria. It'll be fine without the light too.

[on the spot]

...i usually look at it!!! lol you can watch the stages of the rock being filled with life...

I wondered what happened to Steve Austin once they cancelled his show. You got jobbed, Steve.

(see, 'cause bacteria are really small, and Steve Austin has a bionic eye that...man, I'm a dork.)

[balto777]

Talking about two different things here. Seeding bacteria and seeding sealife.

Bacteria can be seeded very quickly. My dry Pukani rock was seeded with bacteria after only a week. I have since removed the liverock, and my new Pukani rock has been doing fine by itself with the cycle process.

Sealife, on the other hand, can take much longer. There are many pics of people who used dry rock still having very little sealife (other than pods and algea) after six months, although some have success sooner. I would not wait for this to happen unless you have planned for a new tank a fairly long time from now. So go ahead and seed for sealife in the tank itself.