Is it necessary to cure rock in a cycling tank

[jacpaq2000]

I'm setting up my first salt water reef tank and if is in the process of cycling. I already have some live rock I bought in the store in there and planning to buy some dry rock tomorrow. What I wanted to know is if I need to cure the dry rock I buy if I'm putting it in a tank with no live stock in it yet and is still cycling. It won't have any live stock for at least another week. Any help would be great.


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[Mebbid]

If you are planning on adding stock within a week i would cure the new rock separately.

[Beej1254]

How long has it been cycling for? I'd buy the rock and set it up how you want it. You'll be able to cycle the tank and rock in one shot..you'll just have to wait longer to add fish.


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[Reefing Madness]

No, you do not need to cure the dry rock before hand. The Live Rock will seed the dry rock itself, and give you more bacteria. It will also not hinder the cycle if you throw it in there now.
Because the rock isn't live and will have no die off, it will not affect the cycle, just watch the numbers of the tank, the actual live rock you have will cycle the tank. And if the live rock was cured, you will be able to add live stock in a week or so.

[Mebbid]

Originally Posted by Reefing Madness

No, you do not need to cure the dry rock before hand. The Live Rock will seed the dry rock itself, and give you more bacteria. It will also not hinder the cycle if you throw it in there now.
Because the rock isn't live and will have no die off, it will not affect the cycle, just watch the numbers of the tank, the actual live rock you have will cycle the tank. And if the live rock was cured, you will be able to add live stock in a week or so.

The problem is that dry rock is not necessarily ammonia free. At one point i set up a hyposalinity tank with a box of dry rock i bought from bulk reef supply. Thankfully before throwing the fish in i tested the ammonia and it was higher than my test kit could read.

[Reefing Madness]

I'd recheck the test kit. Theres nothing in the rock to create any ammonia issues. Phosphates yes, Ammonia, no.
Ive thrown 50lbs in my tank before without any issues.

[Mebbid]

Originally Posted by Reefing Madness

I'd recheck the test kit. Theres nothing in the rock to create any ammonia issues. Phosphates yes, Ammonia, no.
Ive thrown 50lbs in my tank before without any issues.

There's nothing wrong with the test kit. While it's not super common to have dry rock create an ammonia spike it definitely does happen. The only way to make sure that dry rock will not cause an ammonia spike before it goes in the water is to use man made dry rock.

[Reefing Madness]

Originally Posted by Mebbid

There's nothing wrong with the test kit. While it's not super common to have dry rock create an ammonia spike it definitely does happen. The only way to make sure that dry rock will not cause an ammonia spike before it goes in the water is to use man made dry rock.

And the Rock from Bulk Reef Supply is what?

[PB_Smith]

Originally Posted by Reefing Madness

And the Rock from Bulk Reef Supply is what?

their "reef saver" variety is all natural rock/coral skeletons from ancient dead reefs.
Bulk Dry Live Rock & Live Sand - Bulk Reef Supply
which they do strongly recommend curing before use. even though it has been soaked and rinsed, there is still a high percentile chance that there are still bits of organic material deep in the crevices of the rock, hence the need to cure it and the ammonia spike.

the other types, Fiji, Pukani and Tonga, are all harvested from the ocean and while they have been cleaned and dried, they are still full of stuff and need to be cured.
"NOTE: This rock does come out of the ocean and may have some dead material on it such as sponges or other critters. We strongly suggest soaking or curing the rock before use in an active aquarium."

the only man-made rock they offer is this;
Project Reef Rock 2.1 Dry Rock - Walt Smith - Rock & Sand - Bulk Reef Supply


Haven't you ever read the descriptions?

[Beej1254]

I posted the same question awhile back when I bought the reef saver rock. I ended up adding the rock to my tank without curing it and had very little change (or at least nothing I could relate to the new rock) I think if your tank is in the cycling process with live rock that you should just put the reef saver in. You may save yourself some time in the curing process but you may have to wait a little longer to add fish. Everything I've read of user accounts with the reef saver rock goes back and forth between yes cure it or it doesn't matter. It's your chance to take


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[Reefing Madness]

There is a big difference when discussing Live Dry Rock, and just Dry Rock.
BRS Reef Saver Live Rock is one of the most unique rocks that is available on the market today. Reef Saver is not taken directly from the ocean, and does not impact living coral reef structures in any form. It is always 100% free of nuisance algae or any type of pests.
Reef Saver Dry Aquarium Live Rock - Bulk Reef Supply

[PB_Smith]

Originally Posted by Reefing Madness

There is a big difference when discussing Live Dry Rock, and just Dry Rock.
BRS Reef Saver Live Rock is one of the most unique rocks that is available on the market today. Reef Saver is not taken directly from the ocean, and does not impact living coral reef structures in any form. It is always 100% free of nuisance algae or any type of pests.
Reef Saver Dry Aquarium Live Rock - Bulk Reef Supply

if you read the questions and FAQ they clearly state that while the reef saver rock is pretty clean, the always recommend curing it in a separate container for 4-6 weeks before putting it in an established tank.

I have a 75 gallon reef tank with only 60 pounds of live rock I want to buy 50 pounds of reef save dry rock but what is the process to do to add it to my existing tank without a problem

Question by: Christian on Aug 2, 2014 1:59:00 AM
Hi Christian,
The Reef Saver Rock is the cleanest of the rock so you don't have to worry about a cycle when adding it to an existing tank. You will get the best results by giving the rock a bit of a cure before adding it to the tank though. The simplest thing to do is to grab a container large enough to submerge the rock. Fill it up with your rock and some saltwater, throw a heater in it and let it sit for 4-6 weeks.

I'm looking to add some dry rock to my existing setup? I will not be removing any of my current live rock I would just be adding the dry rock. So can I just put it right in or is there something I need to do to it first? Thanks for the help........Chris Turo

Question by: Chris T on Mar 31, 2014 1:28:00 PM
Hi Chris,
We would always recommend cycling any rock outside of an existing aquarium before adding to a tank with livestock, though as far as rock goes the Reef Saver rock is by far the cleanest rock out of the box.

do you need to cure reef saver rock the same as you would live rock or is it fairly free of organics?

Question by: john on Sep 1, 2013 3:53:00 AM
Hey John,
We would advise cycling any type rock from any source because it just isn't worth the risk of your live stock not too. As far as the rock goes though, the reef saver is by far the cleanest of any of the rocks right off the bat.

does this rock have to acclimate

Question by: lynda on Oct 24, 2013 10:26:00 AM
Hi Lynda,
The rock isn't alive so it itself doesn't need to be acclimated. We would however recommend cycling any rock from any source being at least cycled before adding to an existing aquarium to make sure there isn't any risk to your existing livestock.