andy1130
12-18-2007, 1:44 AM
Im looking for some advice on curing my live rock for a new tank. I just set up a 75 gallon tank and ordered 90lbs of uncured live rock to start it off. Ive set it up with a 5 inch sand bed, a sump with a deep mud refugium and a coralife super skimmer to get things started(I've heard they arent great, but I've also talked to some people that are happy with em and the price was right so i figured i would try it and see how it did). Anyway, after reading 5 different articles that say 5 different things about curing the rock i was hoping for some advice. I planned on using the rock to cycle the tank, but ive recently read in a few places that while it can be done, its not a good idea and i would be better off curing the rock in seperate bins while the tank cycles. Im also wondering if i cycle the tank and cure the rock together how often i should do water changes. I know when curing rock alone frequent, big water changes are best but tonight I read that while curing and cycling together lots of water changes just stretches the cycling time and i should minimize the water changes and let the regular cycling process take its course and the rock can tough it out. Finally i've heard some different opinions about lighting while the rock cures. Some people say keep it in the dark the entire time to prevent algal blooms but ive also heard that running just the atinics 4-6 hours a day will help spark coraline algea growth while not providing enough light for unwanted algea. Any thoughts would be helpful, especially if you've used uncured rock to cycle your tank. Thanks!