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Washing the substrate
Although Red Sea Reef Base has already been washed prior to
shipping, we recommend repeating the process before use:
1. Rinse the substrate thoroughly under running water.
2. Spread it evenly on the tank bottom.
3. Note the change in water level as a result; remove excess
water and store it for later use.
Live rock
Live rocks are small pieces of stony reef rubble naturally broken
off from their source. The main advantage of these porous,
aragonite-based rocks lies in their colonization by large amounts
of beneficial bacteria and other micro-organisms, including
nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, macro-algae, sponges, worms
and other invertebrates. These organisms help maintain healthy
water parameters and establish the natural food chains. Live rock
also has great aesthetic appeal.
As a rule, you should add 1kg / 2.2lbs of live rock per 10 liters/
2.6 gallons of tank volume. The exact amount will vary with the
type of rock you choose, but it should occupy at least 40 percent
of the tank volume. For the MAX this means approximately 11kg
/24lb of average density live rock.
Red Sea MAX
The rock's viability when you receive it depends on several factors,
namely harvesting, shipping and pre-purchase maintenance.
Unfortunately, much of the live rock sold today requires a curing
process to rid it of the organisms that died during shipping and
to reseed it with living, beneficial ones. Signs of whitish-gray
film on newly purchased rocks indicate that the live organisms
have died and must be cured or cycled. Your live rock must be
fully cured before you can add any fish or invertebrates to the
aquarium. We therefore strongly recommend that you purchase
your live rock from a reputable dealer, or perform the cycle
process yourself inside the MAX.
If you have purchased cured live rocks, or live rocks from a mature
aquarium, you can skip the next section.
Cycle
The curing process - which initiates the biological processes such
as the nitrogen cycle and the recolonization of micro-organisms
typically takes 1-4 weeks depending on the type of rock and the
method used. Although many organisms die during transport,
much of the fauna survives. During the cycling period the ammonia
levels rise rapidly as bacteria process the dead organisms. The
elevated ammonia levels can cause even more organisms to die,
producing even more ammonia. The populations of nitrifying and
denitrifying bacteria grow accordingly, eventually processing all
the ammonia and nitrite and reducing them to
undetectable levels.
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