VERY INTERSTING. Basicly telling you how to make your own live rock!
We don't know if we can say anything
about curing live rock that hasn't been
said before ... many times in many places,
but we bet we can say it differently!
Here's a set of instructions and
ideas for your handy reference.
_______________________________________
If you only learn one thing here, the most important
thing is that the solution to pollution is dilution.
You can cure a hundred pounds of live rock in
twenty gallons of water if you change the water
every day or more. You can cure a hundred pounds
of live rock in a thousand gallons of water
without ever having to change the water.
The solution to pollution is dilution.
The most common mistake made in curing live
rock is people try to save $10 or $20 on
salt mix and let the curing rock kill itself
with ammonia by not changing the
water often enough.
We're big fans of Rubbermaid-type tubs and
trash cans. Garages and or basements are handy
if you're happily married. During summer, outside
is not out of the question with a good safely-used
extension cord ... most of the stuff is waterproof.
Once you've ordered your rock, it's time to get
the water ready in the bucket, can, vat, tub, or
vessel of choice (or, in your tank, if it's a
new set-up.) I might use a 35-gal. tub for
40-65 lbs. of rock and have a 12-gal. tub for
rinsing and washing. Salinity and temperature
are the two key parameters at this point.
You should be somewhere around 1.020-1.021
and the low '70's ... 73 or 74 degrees F. is fine.
75 degrees is OK, but I like it cooler, so daytime
heating doesn't overheat the water.
When the rock comes in, you should inspect it.
Using a putty knife, or screwdriver, or maybe
a preferably gloved finger, search for
soft spots. Sponges are often disguised on
the surface and are essentially invisible.
You can only tell it's not rock by pushing on it.
Using bare fingers, expect to find things like
hydrozoans or bryzoans with glass needle daggers
of pain and names like fire this and fire that.
Chip the soft spongy parts away.
Sometimes there may be soft algaes, or many
animals like an anemone, but you should recognize
non-sponge things. Sponges die in the air, so
forget them .... they will regenerate from the
smallest of spores left anyway.
Getting rid of the sponges will take a week or
more off your cure time ... they'll die and foul
your tank worse than anything, so get rid of them
first while washing your rock from the get-go.
Now after cleaning each piece, shaking it out as
you do so repeatedly, put it in the tank or tub.
Carefully get all the grime and grunge and rubble
you can out of the bottom of the box, watching out
for bristle worms and mantis shrimp ... toss them out,
or confine them, if you want them and are
a glutton for punishment.
This gooey, grungy, mucky, ugly stuff in the bottom
of the box is the most valuable pound or two
you get! It should be 20 bucks a pound at least.
It is the most bioactive stuff you'll ever hold.
It's ready to have a bioactive explosion in your
tank ... there is no better seed. Put this
in your tank as if were gold. Some people
beat the daylights out of it in a bag
(use about four plastic "fish bags" and a
mallet ... uh, er, so I heard) to make sand
out of it before they put it in. Good if you
had a bad day ... or want sand. It will NOT hurt
the bioactive properties of the PHG
(precious holy goop).
The other best things on your rock, you can't see.
Those are the seeds and spores of everything
that lives in the ocean ... no tellin' what ...
maybe corals like acroporas and leathers,
or mushrooms, clams, and blue sponge.
I've seen it all grow out of live rock three
or six months after I got it.
The sad truth is that most of the Pacific live rock
is held a week or more out of the water, often
on the floor of a warehouse, before it leaves L.A.
Then it goes to the store or distrubutor, so
the time involved kills most of the good stuff
on the rock that might have been there.
Fresh rock that hasn't sat around for a week
or more makes all the difference down the road.
Though purple coralline survives a week out
of water, little else does.
Now that everything is in the tank or tub, there
are two major new concerns: circulation and
ammonia removal. A couple of powerheads should
move the water around enough. Some kind of
skimmer should be hooked up to help pull out
excess proteins, of which there will be plenty.
I often use Bak-Pak skimmers for this with great
success, but any skimmer will do. I'll often throw
a carbon filter of some sort on for this too.
In a couple or a few days, you will need to rewash
the rock and recheck it for areas of die-off
that needs to be removed.
Flip the master switch to shut off the juice
(I keep all the electrical equipment used on
one multi-plug strip ... that way I can flip one
switch and everything goes off at once, so
I don't have to remember if I unplugged the
heater) and siphon about six or seven gallons
of water into the "sub-tub" - the smaller
12-gal. tub. Go over each piece again
to reclean and recheck for sponge or other
die-off areas and remove them.
Siphon up to half or more of the water out of the
tank or tub the rock has been in, and toss it,
replacing it with warmed new water.
I make mine in 5-gal. buckets or a small
20-gal. trash can, to have it ready in
advance, heated and all.
So now the rock has been cleaned and recleaned,
and you probably have three or four days before
you should change more water. You should be
testing for ammonia and if it's spiking high,
make a water change.
The solution to pollution is dilution.
Of course, the whole time the protein skimmer
has been goin' nuts and you can't believe how
often it's full and needs dumping.
I think it's a waste to make tests as often
as some indicate at first (daily), because you don't
need to be a marine biologist to tell it's bad!
Most folks without a degree would agree, it's bad!
Unless you like watching the colors on the charts,
bars, in the tubes and such.
Test the water every two or three days as the
ammonia level drops. Somewhere between two and
three weeks, the skimmer will stop wheezin',
and the ammonia will drop to zero.
You've done it! There are now
more ammonia-eating bacteria than ammonia
being created. Now you can grow a bacteria farm
in order to support the animals you want!
It's the bacteria farm that does it, don't forget!
Don't feel bad if you've been playing with your
rocks .... most people do. It may take several
arrangement attempts to find one you like best.
Good rock and a good set up look like a real reef.
There a plenty of pictures in books and on the Net.
Open, airy holes, hangovers, but SOLID OF
CONSTRUCTION is the key. I lived where there
are earthquakes, and shaky set-ups can break
a tank! Make sure everything is wedged in hard,
perfectly, or glued, so as not to move and in
no question of falling.
Remember ... you are going to be placing corals on
it, and it must hold them, without the chance of
falling. You'll have enough of that placing the corals
anyway. Wait until you see how
that 3" Elegance opens up to 8", with the
weight of the meat causing it to fall off from
where you put it ... I once had a Galaxea fall into
a Leather and kill it.
So, after much looking, moving, and re-arranging
of your rocks, you'll finally be satisfied
with their place and position. You are now
ready to acquire your first specimens.
It cannot be overstated to go slow at first.
Remember any copper will kill all the good
stuff you've worked so hard to keep alive,
so never consider it.
Always quarantine new fish elsewhere before you
put them in your reef. It is entirely possible you
will introduce many parasites, bad bacteria,
viruses, and diseases on pieces of corals you
purchase. How can they possibly be sanitized
against such? There are probably things on them
that haven't been identified or named, much less
have we a way to cure them!
It's a fact of life, but a properly cared for tank
should be fairly immune to these things; they may
even be food to corals. Under the stressed
situations of excess ammonia, dirty
water, etc., these things can be devastating.
In a healthy, clean tank they rarely have an effect.
Some people wait a few weeks after the rock is
cured before introducing anything so some
parasites will die off, starving without a
host prior to introduction of any potential host
species ... most don't have the patience or
resolve for that!
Taking the wife out to dinner often during the
curing process may be recommended or desired.
HAVE FUN with your rock! :bday: :bday: :bday:
We don't know if we can say anything
about curing live rock that hasn't been
said before ... many times in many places,
but we bet we can say it differently!
Here's a set of instructions and
ideas for your handy reference.
_______________________________________
If you only learn one thing here, the most important
thing is that the solution to pollution is dilution.
You can cure a hundred pounds of live rock in
twenty gallons of water if you change the water
every day or more. You can cure a hundred pounds
of live rock in a thousand gallons of water
without ever having to change the water.
The solution to pollution is dilution.
The most common mistake made in curing live
rock is people try to save $10 or $20 on
salt mix and let the curing rock kill itself
with ammonia by not changing the
water often enough.
We're big fans of Rubbermaid-type tubs and
trash cans. Garages and or basements are handy
if you're happily married. During summer, outside
is not out of the question with a good safely-used
extension cord ... most of the stuff is waterproof.
Once you've ordered your rock, it's time to get
the water ready in the bucket, can, vat, tub, or
vessel of choice (or, in your tank, if it's a
new set-up.) I might use a 35-gal. tub for
40-65 lbs. of rock and have a 12-gal. tub for
rinsing and washing. Salinity and temperature
are the two key parameters at this point.
You should be somewhere around 1.020-1.021
and the low '70's ... 73 or 74 degrees F. is fine.
75 degrees is OK, but I like it cooler, so daytime
heating doesn't overheat the water.
When the rock comes in, you should inspect it.
Using a putty knife, or screwdriver, or maybe
a preferably gloved finger, search for
soft spots. Sponges are often disguised on
the surface and are essentially invisible.
You can only tell it's not rock by pushing on it.
Using bare fingers, expect to find things like
hydrozoans or bryzoans with glass needle daggers
of pain and names like fire this and fire that.
Chip the soft spongy parts away.
Sometimes there may be soft algaes, or many
animals like an anemone, but you should recognize
non-sponge things. Sponges die in the air, so
forget them .... they will regenerate from the
smallest of spores left anyway.
Getting rid of the sponges will take a week or
more off your cure time ... they'll die and foul
your tank worse than anything, so get rid of them
first while washing your rock from the get-go.
Now after cleaning each piece, shaking it out as
you do so repeatedly, put it in the tank or tub.
Carefully get all the grime and grunge and rubble
you can out of the bottom of the box, watching out
for bristle worms and mantis shrimp ... toss them out,
or confine them, if you want them and are
a glutton for punishment.
This gooey, grungy, mucky, ugly stuff in the bottom
of the box is the most valuable pound or two
you get! It should be 20 bucks a pound at least.
It is the most bioactive stuff you'll ever hold.
It's ready to have a bioactive explosion in your
tank ... there is no better seed. Put this
in your tank as if were gold. Some people
beat the daylights out of it in a bag
(use about four plastic "fish bags" and a
mallet ... uh, er, so I heard) to make sand
out of it before they put it in. Good if you
had a bad day ... or want sand. It will NOT hurt
the bioactive properties of the PHG
(precious holy goop).
The other best things on your rock, you can't see.
Those are the seeds and spores of everything
that lives in the ocean ... no tellin' what ...
maybe corals like acroporas and leathers,
or mushrooms, clams, and blue sponge.
I've seen it all grow out of live rock three
or six months after I got it.
The sad truth is that most of the Pacific live rock
is held a week or more out of the water, often
on the floor of a warehouse, before it leaves L.A.
Then it goes to the store or distrubutor, so
the time involved kills most of the good stuff
on the rock that might have been there.
Fresh rock that hasn't sat around for a week
or more makes all the difference down the road.
Though purple coralline survives a week out
of water, little else does.
Now that everything is in the tank or tub, there
are two major new concerns: circulation and
ammonia removal. A couple of powerheads should
move the water around enough. Some kind of
skimmer should be hooked up to help pull out
excess proteins, of which there will be plenty.
I often use Bak-Pak skimmers for this with great
success, but any skimmer will do. I'll often throw
a carbon filter of some sort on for this too.
In a couple or a few days, you will need to rewash
the rock and recheck it for areas of die-off
that needs to be removed.
Flip the master switch to shut off the juice
(I keep all the electrical equipment used on
one multi-plug strip ... that way I can flip one
switch and everything goes off at once, so
I don't have to remember if I unplugged the
heater) and siphon about six or seven gallons
of water into the "sub-tub" - the smaller
12-gal. tub. Go over each piece again
to reclean and recheck for sponge or other
die-off areas and remove them.
Siphon up to half or more of the water out of the
tank or tub the rock has been in, and toss it,
replacing it with warmed new water.
I make mine in 5-gal. buckets or a small
20-gal. trash can, to have it ready in
advance, heated and all.
So now the rock has been cleaned and recleaned,
and you probably have three or four days before
you should change more water. You should be
testing for ammonia and if it's spiking high,
make a water change.
The solution to pollution is dilution.
Of course, the whole time the protein skimmer
has been goin' nuts and you can't believe how
often it's full and needs dumping.
I think it's a waste to make tests as often
as some indicate at first (daily), because you don't
need to be a marine biologist to tell it's bad!
Most folks without a degree would agree, it's bad!
Unless you like watching the colors on the charts,
bars, in the tubes and such.
Test the water every two or three days as the
ammonia level drops. Somewhere between two and
three weeks, the skimmer will stop wheezin',
and the ammonia will drop to zero.
You've done it! There are now
more ammonia-eating bacteria than ammonia
being created. Now you can grow a bacteria farm
in order to support the animals you want!
It's the bacteria farm that does it, don't forget!
Don't feel bad if you've been playing with your
rocks .... most people do. It may take several
arrangement attempts to find one you like best.
Good rock and a good set up look like a real reef.
There a plenty of pictures in books and on the Net.
Open, airy holes, hangovers, but SOLID OF
CONSTRUCTION is the key. I lived where there
are earthquakes, and shaky set-ups can break
a tank! Make sure everything is wedged in hard,
perfectly, or glued, so as not to move and in
no question of falling.
Remember ... you are going to be placing corals on
it, and it must hold them, without the chance of
falling. You'll have enough of that placing the corals
anyway. Wait until you see how
that 3" Elegance opens up to 8", with the
weight of the meat causing it to fall off from
where you put it ... I once had a Galaxea fall into
a Leather and kill it.
So, after much looking, moving, and re-arranging
of your rocks, you'll finally be satisfied
with their place and position. You are now
ready to acquire your first specimens.
It cannot be overstated to go slow at first.
Remember any copper will kill all the good
stuff you've worked so hard to keep alive,
so never consider it.
Always quarantine new fish elsewhere before you
put them in your reef. It is entirely possible you
will introduce many parasites, bad bacteria,
viruses, and diseases on pieces of corals you
purchase. How can they possibly be sanitized
against such? There are probably things on them
that haven't been identified or named, much less
have we a way to cure them!
It's a fact of life, but a properly cared for tank
should be fairly immune to these things; they may
even be food to corals. Under the stressed
situations of excess ammonia, dirty
water, etc., these things can be devastating.
In a healthy, clean tank they rarely have an effect.
Some people wait a few weeks after the rock is
cured before introducing anything so some
parasites will die off, starving without a
host prior to introduction of any potential host
species ... most don't have the patience or
resolve for that!
Taking the wife out to dinner often during the
curing process may be recommended or desired.
HAVE FUN with your rock! :bday: :bday: :bday:
