LR cureing...

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h8z2luze

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Joined
Jan 19, 2006
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I orderd 25 pounds of LR from a place in florida. It took about 5 days to get here. It really stunk when I took it out. I scrubbed it lightly with a toothbrush everywhere and put it in a plastic 20 gallon tub of mixed SW with a wisper power 20 biofilter on it and a cheap hood with 2 lights. (regular bulbs) I dont know if thats what I was suppost to do or what but what should I do now? How long should it stay in there. Oh I also added biozyme, I was told it helps the stuff on the rocks grow or forms new groth.
 
I've never cured LR but I've read that it can take anywhere from a few days to a month. Also, you don't want to use any lights while you're curing LR. All you really need is saltwater, a heater, and a powerhead or pump...
 
That really bites it took so long to get to you. The reason it stunk so bad is because of the massive dieoff that occurred during a 5 day shipping session. It's not the end of the world, but it will make your cycle take a little bit longer.

You did good scrubbing the rock, that's a very good idea, and will help. Turn the lights off, as these will only contribute to a possible bloom of undesirable algae. I have read that the bacteria you are trying to cure on the rock reproduces better without light anyway, so the benefit of not lighting up your rock while it cures are multiple.

I don't see a powerhead on your list...you should get one. Live rock needs water movement to cure efficiently, and to prosper in a saltwater aquarium. You will need it in your show tank either way, so go get one. :) Be vigilant about the ammonia and nitrite levels over the next few weeks. Especially with the massive dieoff of life on your rock during shipping, the ammonia levels can actually get so high they kill the bacteria you are trying to grow! You may need to do a 50% water change as much as every other day to keep the ammonia levels down if you have a nasty spike.

Keep us posted on how it goes!
 
My god thats expencive! I dont have anymore salt until tomorrow. but anyway thanks for the tips! They really help. I have a maxi-jet 1200 in my tank I was going to buy a small cheap powerhead for the LR tub for now.
 
Yes, it can be expensive! It's something a lot of people neglect to think of when they buy rock online! However, I'm not saying that you WILL need to change the water every other day, I'm saying it is possible. You should check it every day for a few days and see how the ammonia spike is progressing. If it gets high, you may need to change 50% every other day. However, as the bacteria get set up and start reproducing, the ammonia spike will lessen, and you will not need to keep up that rate for the whole cycle.

It may cost you a little bit in salt (any amount is a lot when you haven't planned for it!), but you just need to count the curing costs into the cost of the rock...after all, until it is cured, you can't put it in your aquarium! :)

Paul
 
It's the ammonia that feeds the bacteria! It's the bacteria bloom that makes the ammonia just all of a sudden drop off the chart. Why would u want to take the ammonia away IMO i feel as if that would just make the process take even longer. I guess u could get to much but i wouldnt think during a cycle this would occur. I could be wrong but just my view on it. :)
 
I can understand your reasoning, joester, at first it doesn't seem to make sense to remove ammonia, but I'll illustrate it this way:

Most of us here probably like chocolate pudding. If someone gave you a cup of chocolate pudding, you'd be happy. A whole bowl? Even happier! But now they give you a 30-gallon drum of pudding! Can you handle that by yourself? Now imagine that your local swimming pool was full of this pudding, and someone threw you in. You'd sink straight to the bottom and drown in this pudding!

OK, that's a silly illustration (see what happens right after I wake up?), but I think it illustrates the point well. Too much of a good thing is NOT a good thing. A little bit of ammonia makes the bacteria happy. A little more, and they'll reproduce faster! But if the ammonia levels are not checked, especially in rock that has had 5 days worth of dieoff, the bacteria will "drown" in the ammonia. The ammonia levels will become so toxic that even the bacteria can't live in it.

Your goal is to keep ammonia levels IN the tank for the rock to cure, but to keep the ammonia in a reasonable range. Here's a great article for this topic:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=6

Paul
 
I see what your saying. In my case im actually cycling my tank with Cured live rock that had 3 days worth of die off. So i just wanted to make sure i was on the good side which from my reading im fine :)
 
I got a lot of great info from a even beter LFS that I found and thanks to you guys too!
 
Ok I have another question, for the 7 pounds in my tank there are 3 pieces I purchased one then had it in my 10 gallon with regular light for about a week 1/2. Then I bought the other 5 pounds (2 pieces) and put it all in the 50 gallon with the T5 lighting. Well the two I bought later are looking good but the first on eI bought is kind of whiteish. Is it dead? Do I need to scrub it? I am not sure whats going on. I will get a pic if you guys would like to see it.
 
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