Hirock Rubble Rock - What do I do?

[ctmedman]

I bought some rubble rock for my sump to replace the current bioball setup. I ordered it from www.hirocks.com and it is described as "Hawaiian dry-base rock" coming from a coral bed quarry. It is supposedly composed of calcium carbonate.

When the rock arrived I rinsed it in the tub and have it now sitting in a 5 gallon container filled with tank water from the last water change. The rock was initally quite dirty and full of loose particles.

My question is do I need to do anything else to the rock before putting it in the tank?

 

[BillyZ]

nope. a good rinse is all that's necessary. drop it in the sump next to your bio-balls and let them sit there for a while... i'd leave them in for a week. Then remove half your bio-balls. Wait a few more days, then remove half of the remaining bio balls. A couple more days and then remove the last of the bio-balls. You don't want to remove them all at once. You need to give the rubble a chance to build up the right bacteria or you'll get hit with an ammonia spike and possibly another cycle.

HTH.

 

[ctmedman]

Thanks for your help. It is very much appreciated.

Have a good weekend

 

[melosu58]

right on the money