When buying, how do you tell cured from uncured rock?
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grimlock3000
Aquarium Advice Addict
Buying locally? When in doubt, take the rock out of the tank and smell it. Uncured rock smells bad, no way around it. Even if you have never smelled it before in your life, you can tell less than 5 seconds, it is just one of those smells... 
djmpj2
Aquarium Advice Freak
OK, now this is very interesting to me. I purchased 35 pounds of "cured" live rock on ebay. The only reason we went through ebay instead of lr.com is this guy was local and we drove over to get it, which saved in the shipping.
Anyway, it was advertised as cured. (The guy has tons of good feedback on his LR). It stunk to high hell, and still does. It's been 3 weeks. Does that smell eventually go away? (You can only smell it when you open the glass top). So, this was not cured, huh? Did I get ripped off? Paid $120 for 35 pounds.
What is the difference between cured and uncured. No hitchhikers that we ever saw.
DJ
Anyway, it was advertised as cured. (The guy has tons of good feedback on his LR). It stunk to high hell, and still does. It's been 3 weeks. Does that smell eventually go away? (You can only smell it when you open the glass top). So, this was not cured, huh? Did I get ripped off? Paid $120 for 35 pounds.
What is the difference between cured and uncured. No hitchhikers that we ever saw.
DJ
Rock purchased online will be in effect uncured when it arrives to your door no mater what status it was in prior to the shipping. This is because even the best packing methods will result in some level of dieoff during transport. This dieoff may be very minimal but there will be some.
DJ, do you have ammonia or nitrite in the tank with this rock? Uncured rock will produce ammonia and nitrite. If your tank does not have ammonia or nitrite then your bio filter is able to remove the ammonia as the rock is producing it. Or
DJ, do you have ammonia or nitrite in the tank with this rock? Uncured rock will produce ammonia and nitrite. If your tank does not have ammonia or nitrite then your bio filter is able to remove the ammonia as the rock is producing it. Or
djmpj2
Aquarium Advice Freak
We cycled our new tank with this LR in it (and a cocktail shrimp), so we went through the normal nitrite and amonia spike. I don't know if it was from the LR or the shrimp.
We picked it up directly from the guy and it was in our tank within the hour.
DJ
We picked it up directly from the guy and it was in our tank within the hour.
DJ
cmor1701d
Aquarium Advice Addict
Open the top to get some gas exchange in there.
Do you have any powerheads running to circulate the water? Yuo want toget a good flow around the rock.
It shouldn't be much longer till the cycle peaks.
djmpj2
Aquarium Advice Freak
We have 2 MaxiJet 1200's going around the clock.
The tank has finished cycling already. We have a cleaning crew and 2 clowns in there and everyone is doing well. I was just wondering why the rock smelled if it was supposed to be cured when I bought it.
DJ
The tank has finished cycling already. We have a cleaning crew and 2 clowns in there and everyone is doing well. I was just wondering why the rock smelled if it was supposed to be cured when I bought it.
DJ
cmor1701d
Aquarium Advice Addict
The tank is done cycling in 3 weeks and you put fish in there, yet the tank still stinks?
I would continue testing for Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and keep an eye on the pH too. Just to be sure the cycle has completed.
I would also open or remove the tops and run charcoal through the system to help remove the odor.
I would continue testing for Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and keep an eye on the pH too. Just to be sure the cycle has completed.
I would also open or remove the tops and run charcoal through the system to help remove the odor.
grimlock3000
Aquarium Advice Addict
If it stinks, its not done cycling IMO. Run carbon and do weekly water changes to remove the smell.
Leaving the top open does not help, carbon does.
Leaving the top open does not help, carbon does.
djmpj2
Aquarium Advice Freak
This is the first I am hearing that the smell of our tank could indicate we are not cycled. We went purely by the water test results. Our amonia spiked and then leveled off, our nitrites spiked and then leveled off. We did the water change, had our water tested at the water store to double check our results and added 2 clowns and crabs - which are doing well too.
We did 1 water change last week and the smell is getting better. I beleive my canister filter does already run charcoal.. do you mean to run more? I'm confused.
DJ
We did 1 water change last week and the smell is getting better. I beleive my canister filter does already run charcoal.. do you mean to run more? I'm confused.
DJ
Do a water change and see if the smell would go away. You should do a water change at least once every two weeks when it is cycling. I think you added the clowns a little to early.
It is safe to assume that all LR that gets shipped is not cured, simply because if it was cured, then there will be some dieoff through shipping.
It is safe to assume that all LR that gets shipped is not cured, simply because if it was cured, then there will be some dieoff through shipping.
djmpj2
Aquarium Advice Freak
Our LR was not shipped. We picked it up at the guy's house and had it in our tank within the hour. I will continue with water changes and see it the smell continues to diminish.
DJ
DJ
