curing live rock

[cusweatin]

recently i purchased some live rock off the internet they shipped it 2 day air and now i have it my question is i looked at the rock and it is thriving with all kinds of goodies however i noticed one of the pieces had that uncured or die off smell so i assumed not to put any of it in my tank what is the best way to cure this stuff its only ten lbs worth but it looks excellent i guess it just had some dieoff from shipping thanks alot guys and i hope im not being a pain in the *** asking so many questions but you guys are a big help

[VoodooChild]

Hey chief can you use periods? Hard to tell where things start and end. That being said, good job on picking the rock out before it went into the tank. I guess it really depends how much the rock ways. The best way to cure the rock is to get a larger rubbermaid garbage can, or just a small tank will do if the rock is small, anything that can hold heated water that isn't treated, and let it sit in there with a heater and a powerhead running. Do a water change (complete) once a week or so for 4-6 weeks. Then smell again and you should be fine. However, if the rock is just a smaller piece, it's up to you whether or not you really want to go through the trouble. I guess if the piece weighed 2-3 pounds or less, I'd just bleach it out and let it soak in super dechlorinated water for a few days. You'll end up with a good piece of base rock. And you don't need an extra powerhead and heater. Just a thought.

[BrianH]

Like voodoo said, any tub that holds water will do(I use a rubbermaid tub). Just use powerhead(s) for circulation and a heater. You could also throw a light over it if you have any extra fixtures. Do water tests for ammonia and nitrites(just like cycling a tank). When the readings are 0 for both, your done curing the rock. If there is life on the rock your trying to save, you can do water changes to lower the ammonia/nitrites. The only issue is that this can lengthen the curing process some.
Good Luck(I like curing my own rock)

Brian

[tmace64]

Soon, I am planning on adding LR to my tank. I already have 2 healthy damsels in my tank and have read up on what you guys are talking about...... If I purchase cured LR from my LFS,,, can that rock go directly into my tank??

If I have to cure LR like you describe in a seperate tank for several weeks,,,, is that curing process in saltwater?? What is meant by "untreated" water in the post above???

What is best?? - curing your own LR?? Why?? What are some of the creatures expected to come with some LR? - Fiji LR too?? How does this occur? If a wet/dry is in use on the tank,,,, is it necessary to remove bio balls when adding LR to the tank??

a big heavy encrusted LR thanks!!!
tod

[VoodooChild]

You can add cured live rock to the tank, but not uncured, at least if you want to keep your fish. Uncured is fine for the tank as long as it's the first thing in, where it essentially becomes the water holding curing tub we were talking about. The curing process involves the same water that you have in the tank, which hopefully is salt, and running around the same pH and other parameters as you'd find in the display tank. Uncured live rock generally has more diversity of life on it, since most dealers have pretty strong cleaning regimes to deter the existence of mantis shrimp and the like in the rock (that'd be cured). Uncured is basically straight out of the ocean. That being side, like the process described above, it can be alot of work to get the curing process done, but like Brian said, some people enjoy it. That applies to Fiji too. And with live rock I wouldn't bother with the bio-balls. You'd have to clean them pretty often to prevent them from getting caked with detrius and becoming a hotbed for nitrate.

[always learning]

I have aquestion, I'm buying some LR online and it's suggested to cure it upon arrival. I'm just setting up an aquariumand i've read that as long as you don't have anything living in your tank than you can cure in the tank. Is this really ok?? And I'm curios while I'm curing is it ok to have running a protien skimmer and have a filter (emperor) running?

Also, should I still put in a pair of shrimp to establish bacteria?(I know its a stupid question but doesn't hurt to ask) I'm not buying expensive LS just from bj's (cheaper) plus it'll be fine to have the light on right?

[VoodooChild]

As long as it's the first thing in the tank, un-cured is fine. For all practical purposes, the tank itself is the curing container. I would get the skimmer going, but be ready to change the cup often as all of the death will cause it to pull out skum like you wouldn't believe. I'd run the filter too, but run it empty, just for water movement. I'd keep it that way too. Live rock, a good skimmer, and water changes should be adequate filtration. I would follow the recommend water changing schedule that was listed above to prevent further die off. The shrimp would probably die due to the spiking ammonia and nitrite (particularely nitrite). And unless something is on the rock that you want to keep that is photosynthetic, like anenomes or corals, I wouldn't bother with the lights. That'll just feed the inevitable algae bloom even more.

[always learning]

BTW I'm getting a Berlin air-lift 60. Will this be sufficient for a 20 gal. w/ 35 lb. of LR? and I'm asuming I should leave the lights off?

thanx,
always learning:)

[always learning]

sorry, I know this looks stupid but I forgot to put this in the last thread. I've read that you shouldn't put more than 1.75 lb. of LR per gal. Where I'm buying it from their selling fixed amounts and ones either to little and the other is just over 2 lb./gal. what should I do:confused: ? I'm thinking of making a sump but I don't want to spend the extra money.

[VoodooChild]

I've never heard the live rock maximum. Just over 2 lbs per gallon will be fine. Your skimmer should be fine, just keep checking water parameters. And yup, leave the lights off.

[always learning]

do I need to add these?
I read the liverock I'm getting (Fiji) needs calcium, strontinum, iodine, and trace but does it really need these? and should I put them in during cycling?

[VoodooChild]

Between the food that you feed your fish and the salt mix you use, you should be fine. For coralline algae really to grow, calcium certainly helps, but otherwise I wouldn't bother with anything. Remember to buy a test kit for anything that you supplement for. Weekly recommended doses may be waaay to much for what your tank needs.