petco live rock

[sir_dudeguy]

i know not to buy fish from petco, but how bout live rock? it says cured on it, but would it be safe to put in my tank do you think? only wondering cuz they got it cheap.

 

[seaham358]

Even petco cant screw up LR...

I will say that I have picked up some nice fish from the Petco in my area and they did well.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

yeah, i thought my petco was decent...i bought 15 black neons....13 of which died in about 2 hours in a tank thats been set up for about 4 years with everything perfect as far as water and everything goes. i still have the 2 that lived tho after about 3 months lol.

anyways, what could be bad about the rock, besides uncured. or is that all that would be bad. and if i add a bit of live rock to my tank thats just got base rock in it, would it start the cycle over again, or would it just be a couple days? also, if i got the rock, and had it sit in a different tank for a while, would it still create the spike/cycle?

thanks
mike

 

[AndyH5512]

Before doing so, check the other tanks and fish for signs of ich. The local Petco is constantly plagued by it. It can get into your tank on LR. Just FYI.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

oh dang lol, i dont know if i'm getting their live rock now. prolly just go to aquarium arts now and pay 40 cents more for so called "cure"

thanks

 

[Serpentman]

I think like anything else, its a store by store issue. We have a LFS that I worked at about while in college (15 years ago). At the time, the Internet was pretty non-existent and because they specialize in fish, this store was the lifeline for local hobbyists.

I went in the other day and was greatly disappointed at how things have degraded since then. If you walk into the local Petco, things don't look nearly as bad. I guess my point is, each store is only as good as its being currently maintained. Even the best store can go to pot quickly with new mgmt.

As for LR, I have no doubt my local Petco stuff is cured. It looks like its been there forever (at 9.99/lb, no wonder!).

 

[sir_dudeguy]

ya the one by me has it for 4.20 or something like that. I was like, there's gotta be a catch...I dont think i'll get it from them, cuz they're tanks are pretty gross. They even put fish in with their live rock tub/tank

the thing that bugs me most about them is they get all their corals and anemones under just regular incandecent light bulbs. They all look shriveled and what not.

anyways, thanks all

 

[roka64]

I bought a chunk of "cured" LR from a not so LFS (place was a dump) and I knew I shouldn't have but the rock was what I was looking for, I think there was something on it. Once I added it, lost my clown and fire shrimp. The water params didn't change. I'll stick to my LFS and online....

 

[sir_dudeguy]

and what should i do with the rock as far as preparing it to go into my tank once i get it? Let it sit in saltwater for a few days? scrub it off? I really have no clue on this, so any help would be good
thanks
mike

 

[AndyH5512]

You can cure it yourself, in addition to any curing it had prior. If you have a new rubbermaid tub, you can place it in there with some SW, and a powerhead. If you happen to have spare skimmer, you can skim the water, but its not necessary.

I would only scrub it if it has smelly gunk all over it. Smell the rock. It it smells like funk, it needs more curing. If it smells like the ocean, its cured. There is never any guarantee that the rock you place in your tank is disease or parasite free. But, if you have the time and the tub, you can cure it extra. If you decide to cure it for more than a few days, do a PWC on the water in the tub every 2-3 days.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

ok thanks... you said do a pwc ever 2 or 3 days or so, but how long do i keep it in the tub all together abouts?

 

[Serpentman]

I would test the tub like it is its own tank. When its cycled through the ammonia and nitrite, you can add it. If its cured, shouldn't take too long.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

and if i did this with the rock, would i be able to add it any time? as in after i get my fish and everything? my tank is almost done cycling right now, but i need to get some liverock in there. So, i guess what i'm trying say is...if i let the live rock go thru its "cycle" in the tub, would i be able to add it to an already cycled tank with no problems?

thanks

 

[Serpentman]

Yes. Once the rock is cycled, it is officially "cured" and can be added to an established tank.

Chances are, if the rock as been at the LFS for a while, it is already cured. However, its still a good practice to cure it again before adding to an established tank. If your tank is still cycling, you can add it now. If there is any die-off (and depending how much you add), it might prolong your cycle slightly.