I was starting a new build and was ready for the cycling process to begin/end. I chose a hybrid approach. I started with (bacteria spored) “life” dry rock using the fishless cycle method. Day by day ammonia readings was dropping as expected. The nitrites, however, were slow going.
Mid-cycle when ammonia reached zero, I decided to give the process a twist and introduce some live rock from my existing home aquarium (I couldn’t use much as its inhabitants were yet to be transferred) as well as 10 lbs of KP Aquatics starter live rock.
There were some shipment delays which pushed back my receiving date a day. In the summer’s intense heat, it was a concern because it appears the shipper had a bunch of products stalled in their sorting facilities – in Texas of all places! After reaching out to KP about the issue, they instructed me to receive the shipment and if the product was bad (i.e. clear ammonia spike/die-off) to contact them so that they could make the issue right.
Fortunately, KP Aquatics packaged the product quite well and upon receipt didn’t appear to smell bad. It smelled like the crisp clean ocean, albeit a little warm. So I put the live rock in the sump and within about two days I could see a clear difference in my tank. Cloudy bacterial bloom that persisted for weeks was gone and my nitrites were being processed much quicker than they were previously – nitrates within the expected range for my LPS dominant tank. Finally, I was ready to start my migration from my old AIO to my new tank.
Another comment. Though I selected Starter Live Rock, I have to say that the coloration and variation were quite nice, aesthetically. While I would have preferred full live rock for my entire aquascape, I had specific designs in mind and needed to go the route I did. Sump use was acceptable even in such a limited quantity for me.
Thanks, KP for a great product, and thanks for great customer service!
