Garf.org order smells like death

[brianjfinn]

On Friday I ordered the Garf Refugium Kit from http://www.garf.org">Garf.org</a> and it came today. I could tell that it had gotten pretty hot, and when I opened it, the box smelled horrible. It's basically a mix of different size live rock rubble, live sand, some pods and other small refugium creatures, and macro algae. I'm pretty sure all of the pods and creatures are dead.

My tank is a 67 gallon with a sump and fuge, total volume around 80 or 90 gallons, and has been set up since last November.

I'm wondering what I should do with the rock rubble. Could adding it to the tank cause a mini-cycle? Should I put it in a bucket of salt water and let it cure? If the latter, would I lose a bunch of the beneficial organisms that this rock touts being full of? Or, should I just not bother with it and see if I can get a refund?

I emailed Garf today, and so far no response.

 

[sharkbait]

Rinse with prime and you should be good to go.

 

[brianjfinn]

You think? I'm pretty pissed, cause there was just one tiny cold pack in the box, and it's been getting extremely hot across the country. All the critters are dead, and I worry about the live stuff that's supposed to be on the rock.

 

[sharkbait]

I mean it is pretty much all dead now. So you need to get the dead stuff off. I would soak it in a five gallon bucket with prime to get all of the ammonia out of the rock and then toss it in your sump.

 

[dawgface]

If it were me I wouldn't put any of that in my tank! In a tank that size you could absolutely crash your system.

 

[skriz]

Garf is pretty stand up..they'll take care of you. I wouldn't put it in your tank.

 

[morganatlanta]

I had a similar issue with them last summer. They reshipped.

Edit: They were a bit hard to get hold of though. Keep calling. Eventually they'll pick up.

 

[rbredding]

if it doesn't arrive in perfect working order ....


ALWAYS return "it"...


no matter what "it" is...

 

[brianjfinn]

Rbredding;666241 wrote: if it doesn't arrive in perfect working order ....


ALWAYS return "it"...


no matter what "it" is...

I normally do, but I think it's different with livestock. I always keep it available in case the seller asks me to return it, but usually they don't.

Edit:

Skriz;666127 wrote: Garf is pretty stand up..they'll take care of you. I wouldn't put it in your tank.

That's what I've heard, which is one of the main reasons I ordered from them.

What if I were to cure it in a bucket for a couple weeks, changing the water every few days?

 

[rbredding]

brianjfinn;666245 wrote: I normally do, but I think it's different with livestock. I always keep it available in case the seller asks me to return it, but usually they don't.

point taken... (I didn't mean for it to sound like I was suggesting you send a box full of dead stuff back to them)..

 

[jef4y]

No way would I put it in my tank...

You can re-cure it if you want in a separate bucket with powerheads & temp control (preferrably skimmed as well), and water changes. But I wouldn't consider putting it in the tank.

 

[elfloyd]

Wait for Leroy to get back to you... I think he will make it right.