placing dry rock directly into established tank?

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Jereli

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I just order 50 lbs of dry rock from marcorocks.com to fill my 60 gallon tank. Now my question is...can I directly add this rock to my already running tank? Tank has been up for about ten months with about 50-60 lbs of sand and about 30 lbs of live rock. I plan to put like 40 more pounds. Would it be safe since there os not going to be any die off releasong ammonia into the tank?
 
Unless you completely trust the seller I would highly suggest you rinse them then soak them in RO water for 24hrs first and test the water to make sure they don't make any wild water parameter swings.

You're right, you shouldn't have to worry about ammonia. PH would probably be your biggest concern.
 
Ok thanks. Just wanted to make sure.. so instead of sticking all 50 lbs into some RO water to see if ph is affected, i should be able to do the same with just a few pounds rather then all 50 lbs?
 
I would do all 50lbs. The main reason is because it'll be that 1 little piece that you didn't check that will effect your tank.
 
Did you get the CURED rock from them. Their rock has a long history of being full of dead organics. As soon it is re-hydrated it the organic material decays causing ammonia.

I would rehydrate all of it outside the tank and test the water for ammonia a day or two later.
 
I would definitely test all the rocks outside the tank. Adding another 50lbs to a 60G tank? How much rock is already in it. Adding 50lbs to a running 60G will not leave all that much water left in it.
 
Well the rock says pre cured and not sure exacctly what that means... no I will not be adding all 50 pounds.. I currently has about 25-30 pounds and plan to add like 30-40 more pounds or so.. I just ordered the 50lb package to atleast have more of variety of rock to choose from...so when I place all the rock I will use in another container should I only test for ammonia for couple days? Can it be done in just fresh water? Or do I have to cure it like live rock for weeks?
 
I just order a 25 lb box of pre-cured from them... I was wondering the same thing (soak for a few days/week or add directly)... I'll be adding the 25 lbs to a 55 gallon that has about 35 lbs of live rock in it already... no live stock yet... just live rock and hitch hikers... let us know the condition of their "pre-cured" rock when you get it.
 
Oh yea that's good idea...just received the rock.. the rock is pretty cool looking very porous happy with the quality. Wish I would have done this before my live stock since its probably gonna stress the tank.
 
From their FAQ...

"[FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]We do not recommend our rock or any other rock right into an established tank without testing first. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]However you will find our Key Largo rock 100% free of organics or "pre cured" this makes it safe to tank in an established system without fear of an ammonia spike.[/FONT]"
 
Thanks cmor I think I will rinse it all well with my pressure washer and place directly inside. I was shopping at the local fish store and started talking to another customer who did the same and just rinsed the rock well from marcorocks and placed it inside his tank and did not affect nothing. So I think I am go that route and hope for best.
 
I dont think I would go the pressure washer route esp. if it`s ever had soap in it. Just get a rubbermaid tub and soak it for a day or two and then just scrub it good before adding to the tank. We have an excellent article on curing LR in our article section.
 
Oh that's right the soap.. I got some containers ill just soak it for couple days and test.. might as well do it correct the first time..
 
Thanks for let us / me know about the quality of the rock. My 25 lb order should be here this week some time. Since I don't have any live stock I'm debating if I want to spend the time to put it into a separate container first or not. Even if I do put it right into my tank I doubt I'd have much of an ammonia spike anyway... I already have 35 / 40 lbs of live rock in my 55 gallon.
 
If you don't have any livestock then just add it to the tank. No harm there.
But you do want to give it a quick shake in a bucket first of tank first to knock off any dust.
 
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