Questions about LR and new tank set up.

[Alque01]

Question

1. The rock I got had a high bioload. Should I have sprayed off most of the stuff clinging to it, or was it okay to let it stay on.

2. I sprayed the rock with fresh water from the garden pressue hose to get the newspaper and dirt off. Was that a mistake?

3.I just tested my water and these are my numbers...

PH: between 8.0 and 8.3

NO2 (Nitrite): Between 1.6mg/l and 3.3mg/l. ( My test kit uses a color
chart and I am damn near color blind)

NH3 & NH4: Between 0mg/l and 0.25mg/l

I expected as much, but should I do a water change or should I wait for nature to take its course.

[bertoni]

I wouldn't spray live rock with fresh water. Removing dead animals from the rock is a fine idea. I would do some water changes if the ammonia spikes over 0.5 ppm or so, and also do a few 25% changes after it hits zero, to remove any metabolites from the decay.