Curing live rock

[chefrt]

I buy a live rock last Sunday for about 10kg. I buy the rock from the only shop in my places and the rock arrive at the shop same morning. I don’t think the rock is ready curing. So I start to curing the rock by cleaning the mud and put in a tank with filter and protein skimmer. The problem start yesterday afternoon, some white spot start groing and this morning about 30% of the rock cover with this white spot. Anybody knows what is this white spot and can this cause any harm to my fish and coral or this is normal during curing process. Inside the tank I have 1 royal gramma and 1 maroon clown.
Please help me..

 

[gilraen]

Take the rock out!! You don't cure live rock together with fish. The white stuff are things dying on the rock, you need to get a clean or new plastic container, put SW in it and the rock by itself, no lights, a powehead in it would be good too. Get a new toothbrush or any other brush that has not been used and scrub off the white stuff. Then about every week or so do a 50% water change until there is no more stuff dying on the rock and the bad smell stops. Sometimes dead stuff can look black too. This can take anything from 2-8 weeks until the rock is cured, you can test for ammonia and nitrite and when they are almost undetectible then rock is ready. Hope this helps

 

[chefrt]

Thank for your suggestion, I will do that. From 3 pc rock I buy only 2 pc with this white spot the other 1 look good. I will put back the fish into my tank.

 

[Brodie]

No, don't put any rock in your tank for a while!!! Place the rock in a tub with saltwater and allow the rock to cure.

 

[SeriousDude5]

Hmmp my LFS cures their LR before selling. Ask to see what they do.

 

[chefrt]

Since I don’t have big plastic container and this tank already running for about 2 month with nothing inside (I plant for keeping sick fish). Since this tank empty, is better use it for curing my rock before I place it into my system.

In my place only 1 LFS, so you have immediately to buy when the rock arrive, otherwise you have to wait for about 4 to 6 week may be more (for this rock I wait for over 2 month). The rock most likely not cures at all. May be is better to do my self, I can learn something.

 

[Brodie]

As long as your tank has nothing living in it, you can use it to cure your live rock.

 

[chefrt]

This morning I take out the rock and make some cleaning and make 50% water change. Put it back and hope to see a progress soon.

 

[Brodie]

You wont see progress for a while. Your rock has many organisms that will die-off, causing your water parameters to go crazy. You need to cure your rock in another container, and test your water in your regular tank.

 

[chefrt]

This tank now I used it to cure the rock it separately from my regular tank. I have a healthy and good condition aquarium. This new rocks I going to add in into my aquarium later after curing process finish.