Have LR, but no tank yet... what to do?

[severum mama]

Hey, I think this might be my first post ever in the SW forums!

Anyway, for those of you who didn't see my post in the Lounge, I was given about $500 of Fiji LR yesterday for free. I don't have a tank to put it in yet, but am planning a 90 gallon and will add some Marshall Islands rock when the time comes. I need advice on how to keep this rock alive. Can I put it in a Rubbermaid container with a Maxi-Jet 1200 for circulation and throw a shrimp in there every once in a while to keep it cycled? Do I need to put a heater in it too? The boss has offered to give me handfuls of LR rubble to put with it every once in a while. I realize that without lighting the rock will lose its color, but I am ok with that since it will come back later. I'm working on getting the tank and overflow kit asap, but I know it will be a while until I can afford it. Can I keep the rock live, or should I just forget it and take it out of the water?

Sorry if my questions are really stupid. I have been lurking around here lately trying to learn more about SW, but there is so much to learn!

 

[melosu58]

Yes the rubbermaid idea is a good one. Is the LR already cured or is it in a box and needs to be cured? If it`s not cured than just put it in the tub and the die off will help feed the nitrifying bacteria. If it`s cure then yes you`ll need to add something to keep the bacteria alive . And yes you will need a heater to keep temps from going to low. Yes to PH also.

 

[austinsdad]

SW now, huh????

Oh, we got you now!!!

I agree with Melosu's approach and your's on the non-lighting issue. The PH will also keep the water oxygenated to keep the rock alive.

 

[roka64]

Heee! Another convert! YAY! I agree with the rest, BTW!
Welcome to the "saltie" side. You going reef or FOWLR?

 

[Finatic]

Open up your wallet, see all that green stuff in there? Kiss it goodbye. There is always something more you need or want to add to the system.

Its a fun but expensive hobby.

 

[severum mama]

I know it's expensive. 5 FW tanks don't come cheap, either. There's not much green in my wallet, but I do get anything I want for wholesale.

I want to go reef, for sure. I'm not looking to do high light though (I can't afford MH even at wholesale cost) so I've already kissed acros goodbye even though they are awesome. I'm looking to get a PC strip, probably a Current USA Orbit because it's fan cooled and has moonlights. I still haven't made my final decision though on lighting.

How do I know if the rock is cured? Someone just dumped it off at the store yesterday. It has some coraline on it, so I am guessing it hasn't been out of a tank for too long, but it did spend the night at the store with part of it sticking out of the water. I guess I should add more water to it today.

Thank you so much for the replies! I will be bringing the rock home with me at the end of the week so I really need to figure out what I am doing. Boss just wants it out of the store.

 

[roka64]

Hmmm, now that I am thinking about it, you might want to test for copper, just in case. If it is cured, is should have life in it, like some feather dusters, possibly. "Live" really means containing the nitrifying bacteria.

 

[Finatic]

Not an expert here, but I am sure someone will chime in.

In regards to lighting, I seem to remember reading the T5 lighting can rival MH for MUCH MUCH less. Of course, I read this after I bouth my Orbit PC setup.

I bought my lighting fixture from www.webaquatics.com I thought his prices were reasonable and he shipped pretty quickly. Even gave no problems replacing the bulbs when UPS delivered them broken.

Also, when you buy PH's, especiall MJ's, I would look online. An MJ1200 is half the price from Webaquatics than I can find at any LFS.

 

[austinsdad]

After a day with the rocks in the water, check for ammonia. That'll let you know it's status better and if there has been any die-off in transport.

 

[melosu58]

I dont have MH`s either. You can still have a nice tank. I suggest VHO`s. This is what type of tank you can have with VHO or PC.

If the rock was in someones tank then it probably is cured already. Welcome to the addiction.

 

[severum mama]

Just talked to the Boss... he said that the LR came out of a reef tank (he knows the customer) so it should be fine as far as copper. However, it has been out of the tank a lot longer than I initially thought, probably about 6 weeks. :? This person tore his SW tank down to convert it to FW and the rock has just been sitting in a Rubbermaid since then I think. Does that change what I need to do with the rock? Should I throw a shrimp in there to get it cycling? Can I leave a lid on the Rubbermaid to avoid lots of top-offs (and dead shrimp smell) or is that bad?

Finatic, I checked out your link and the prices look great, but I still think it will cost me a little less to just use my employee discount. What is the equivalent T5 or VHO fixture to the PC that I'm looking at? It needs to be 48" as I am planning for a 90 gallon. melosu58, your tank is awesome and gives me high hopes for a medium light reef of my own!

I really appreciate all the help so far. You can expect to see a lot more of me on the SW forums from here on out!

 

[roka64]

I would say, if it was out of water that long, you will have to re-cure it. I would say no to the lid, you want the pH to be right for it to cure. You might be able to feed the ammonia with flake food.
I like this article, from liveaquaria.com:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=31

 

[austinsdad]

I am just tickled to death you've come over to the SW side.

Have you checked out 4x96 PCs? I don't know anything about T5s, but I had a decent reef on a 72g w/4x65s on it. Since yours is deeper, wondering if the 4x96 would suffice.

 

[severum mama]

Wow, I didn't know I needed to do 2 100% water changes per week. Can I do less since it will be curing for much longer than a week or 2? Or should I just wait to cure it until I am closer to setting up the tank, and assume that most of what was on the rock has died off since it has been in a Rubbermaid with SW for a few weeks already? Can I use tap water for now and switch to RO/DI when I get the tank, since there won't be any lighting on the Rubbermaid to grow algae?:? I am thinking I won't be ready to go with this project until closer to Christmas and I certainly want to take my time and do it right.

 

[melosu58]

and I certainly want to take my time and do it right.

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

while curing its best not to do any water changes. kinda beats the point. that should help ya a bit. im not sure about the tap water, but if it was me, i wouldnt risk it, you can get distilled water from the grocery store, shouldnt cost too much for just the rubbermaid. def dont use it when you get the tankup and running. your testing kit will help you decide.

welcome to the sw side! christmas is a great time of year to ask for all that you will need, LOL. (im getting a new tank for christmas, leanin twoards 72 bowfont, YAY)

 

[Finatic]

Find out if your LFS sells RO/DI SW. They usually do for about $1 per gal. Good if you can't find a decent source of good water.

I don't like to use tap water then treat with Prime or anything like that. The ammonia that is in the chloramines eventually turns into NO3's and I don't like anything else contributing to my NO3 load.

 

[severum mama]

Yes, my LFS sells RO/DI water, either salted or unsalted. I work there so it's not a problem for me to get. I don't want to get the premixed water because I plan to use Tropic Marin salt for my tank as I hear it is better quality and more consistent from batch to batch than other brands. I am considering an RO/DI unit of my own but won't be able to get it right away. That's why I thought about using tap water just for the curing process, but I do not want to use it in my tank. I know it causes a lot of problems later down the road. So I should not use tap even if it is only for the curing process?

You guys are so helpful! Thanks again!8)

 

[austinsdad]

Have you tested your tap for phosphates? Even still, If just for storing rock and keeping it wet and fed from time to time, I'd do salt and tap if it were me. Even if the water was changed at some point while the rock is stored there. You're gonna mix new SW (and use ro/di then) in the new tank, remove the rock from the rubbermaid and leave the curing water behind anyway, right?

I'd use the tap now.

 

[severum mama]

Will do. That's what I wanted to hear. I'll probably use the Instant Ocean for the curing as well, then switch to Tropic Marin and RO/DI when I get the tank.

What test kit should I buy? Is the SW Master Test Kit any good? I have its FW counterpart.