curing live rock

[goodoleboyz250]

i need to know how to cure live rock. i got about 11 pounds being shipped and i want to be ready when it gets here

 

[goodoleboyz250]

and also how much live rock should u use for a 10 gallon tank?

 

[slayer]

get a container big enough to hold all the rock..mix saltwater in it...place a power head or two in there along with a heater if the room your curing it in stays cool , or the ac's always on. place a protein skimmer in the container if you have a spare one to collect all the die off...if you dont have one, just d0 50 % water changes every 2-3 days.. bewarned this may get smelly.. if you want to get a start on making the rock "purple" with coraline, place 20000k lights over it to help with the coraline growth... also scrape off some coraline off your existing rock and seed the new rock in the container with it.... you can also use the old water from your tank to seed the new rock, and use the make up water in your existing tank..

 

[goodoleboyz250]

how long should i take for the whole process?

 

[goodoleboyz250]

so how much would i need for a 10 gallon tank?

 

[photokid]

how much you will need depends when i started my nano i had 1.5 lbs per gallon. which was fine to start with then i made a sump added more rock. if your doing live rock only for filtration make sure your on top of your water changes and have a good amount of flow.

 

[dkelly]

if you acquire LR from a fellow reefer and it was healthy in his/her tank, can you put it directly into your tank or should you QT or do something else before?

 

[xyzpdq0121]

To answer two questions:

Curing LR time varies depending on how long the rock was out of the water and how much die off you have. If it was being shipped to you, I would plan on 30 days. You can test the water and see when the cycle of the rock is done.

If you aquire LR from another member, I always QT it. Check for any pests (mantis Shrimp, fire worms, flat worms, etc) and to make sure there is not a ammonia spike or anything. It is just good practice!!!

 

[dkelly]

same for LS?

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Ya, I QT LS too... Depends if it is going into an established system with fish or a new set up. You got to think, By removing the LS from an established system you are stirring up some nasty stuff depending if it was a DSB or not. Second, Ich "hatches" from the sand so by removing the sand from one tank to the other, you are likely transporting the torments if there were any...

Now I just set up my new system with "recycled" LS from another members tank. It sat in the bucket for a few months till I was ready for it. Believe me it was not LIVE when I opened the bucket. I did not cure it or QT it because it is going in a new system. I gaurentee though, after sitting for three months, there was no pests alive and it needs to cycle along with the rest of the tank. I have a theory (not proven of course) that rotten LS makes for a "stronger" cycle with alot more bacteria produced and maybe even quicker cycle since I do not have to wait the few days to a week for the ammonia to be produced by the tank. Believe me, there was plenty of ammonia in that sand when opened up the bucket. Granted it is not LIVE but it is sand and I can seed it with what I want it to have by pulling the good critters out of my 55 gallon and seeding the new tank.