Base rock cured?

[HappyHooligan]

Aug. 26th I started the process with 15 lbs of base rock, an old skimmer pump for water movement/ aeration, 80 degrees and dark, rinsing/ scrubbing and 100% water changes every 3-4 days.

Amm. and nitrites have been 0 for a little over a week, nitrates holding steady around 15. Some small debris still falls when handling, some small patches of color starting to appear.

Is this stuff ready to go to DT? Aside from one more good scrub and rinse, I can't think of any more steps or parameters to monitor.

 

[thincat]

You can't really cure baserock by itself. All you can do is rinse it off and put it in your DT. You will need an ammonia source to start a cycle and a means to circulate the water in your tank.
Are you talking about BaseRock or uncured LR?

 

[Zer0]

So.. just to clear my own question.. If you get base rock, and then rinse it thoroughly, you won't see any ammonia spikes or anything of that sort?

 

[HappyHooligan]

Are you talking about BaseRock or uncured LR?

"Eco Rox" Dried Fiji live rock? Does that make more sense?
It caused an amm. spike 4 days after going into the curing tank.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/images/Eco-Rox-FIJI--1-180.jpg

 

[InfernoST]

If it went thru an ammonia and nitrite spike with both readings now reading 0 then the rock is cured. Base rock and uncured live rock should both be put thru the curing process because base rock could still have dead organisms on it that can still create a full or mini cycle. Better to be safe then sorry.

 

[bbecher]

I believe he's asking if you add base rock it shouldn't cause any spikes because there's nothing to decay (The purpose of him cleaning it). Or maybe not lol

 

[CaptainAhab]

No, generally the term base rock doesn't mean the rock is clean it just means it's the opposite of live rock (no bacteria colony). Based rock should still go through the curing process to burn off any (if any) organics before going into an existing display. Even then it's not necessarily live rock either. If there were not enough organics to support a bacteria colony then the rock isn't live. It's simply cured.

 

[InfernoST]

I believe he's asking if you add base rock it shouldn't cause any spikes because there's nothing to decay (The purpose of him cleaning it). Or maybe not lol

As I indicated, it's better to be safe then sorry. You don't know what organics are stuck in the base rock that can cause a cycle. I bought base rock and monitored it for a week in a tub of saltwater with a power head and heater. During the week there was no ammonia, nitrites or nitrates present that is when I put it in the DT. It's bad practice to assume anything is safe to put in your DT and all measure should be taken to insure that it is safe to do so.

 

[bbecher]

As I indicated, it's better to be safe then sorry. You don't what organics are stuck in the base rock that can cause a cycle. I bought base rock and monitored it for a week in a tub of saltwater with a power head and heater. During the week there was no ammonia, nitrites or nitrates present that is when I put it in the DT. It's bad practice to assume anything is safe to put in your DT and all measure should be taken to insure that it is safe to do so.

I wasn't condoning such action, merely proposing what I thought to be a simplified version of his original question. But like I said I could be wrong

 

[InfernoST]

Aug. 26th I started the process with 15 lbs of base rock, an old skimmer pump for water movement/ aeration, 80 degrees and dark, rinsing/ scrubbing and 100% water changes every 3-4 days.

Amm. and nitrites have been 0 for a little over a week, nitrates holding steady around 15. Some small debris still falls when handling, some small patches of color starting to appear.

Is this stuff ready to go to DT? Aside from one more good scrub and rinse, I can't think of any more steps or parameters to monitor.

Sounds like it's ready to go in just try to get off any remaining debris before putting it in the DT.

I wasn't condoning such action, merely proposing what I thought to be a simplified version of his original question. But like I said I could be wrong

It's important to make explanations and answers as clear and concise as possible to help people avoid wiping out an entire tank of stock because they just dumped what they assumed were clean rocks into the tank when they actually weren't.

 

[thincat]

Sounds like it's ready to go in just try to get off any remaining debris before putting it in the DT.



It's important to make explanations and answers as clear and concise as possible to help people avoid wiping out an entire tank of stock because they just dumped what they assumed were clean rocks into the tank when they actually weren't.

That was my thoughts. I may have misread the post, but I thought that he was curing baserock in the hopes of changing it into LR. Which it won't.

 

[InfernoST]

TC in the second part I was explaining my thoughts to bbecher, because some people actually think because rock is sold as base rock that it's safe to clean off and toss it in the tank.

 

[bbecher]

Not sure why you were, because I never brought that up; Merely pointing out that the original question was vague. When was the last time something you had was completely sterile

 

[InfernoST]

Aug. 26th I started the process with 15 lbs of base rock, an old skimmer pump for water movement/ aeration, 80 degrees and dark, rinsing/ scrubbing and 100% water changes every 3-4 days.

Amm. and nitrites have been 0 for a little over a week, nitrates holding steady around 15. Some small debris still falls when handling, some small patches of color starting to appear.

Is this stuff ready to go to DT? Aside from one more good scrub and rinse, I can't think of any more steps or parameters to monitor.

Not sure why you were, because I never brought that up; Merely pointing out that the original question was vague. When was the last time something you had was completely sterile

The original question is above and I find it far from vague, It was my impression you didn't understand the initial question.

 

[HappyHooligan]

So, for future reference, there is a difference between base rock and dried live rock?

 

[thincat]

Not sure why you were, because I never brought that up; Merely pointing out that the original question was vague. When was the last time something you had was completely sterile

This morning when I checked out my {"Brain"}....haha

 

[bbecher]

So, for future reference, there is a difference between base rock and dried live rock?

THIS is what I thought he was getting at in the original question Glad we finally got there

 

[HappyHooligan]

I didn't know there was a difference between base and dried live rock when I threaded the original question.
My original question referenced the need for further curing or monitoring.

Whether it was base rock, live rock, bed rock, fraggle rock, moon rock, whatever...the rock cycled and I was wondering if anything else had to be done.

 

[InfernoST]

I didn't know there was a difference between base and dried live rock when I threaded the original question.
My original question referenced the need for further curing or monitoring.

Whether it was base rock, live rock, bed rock, fraggle rock, moon rock, whatever...the rock cycled and I was wondering if anything else had to be done.

No, nothing else has to be done. And base rock is just that the rock one would use as the base for you rock structure much like a foundation of a house and is usually dried out LR.