Cured rock?

[lmetcalf]

Ok, this may be a dumb question, but what is the difference between "cured" and "uncured" live rock?

Thanks!

[thominil]

Cured rock has been cycled basically and should have little to no die-off and can be added directly to the tank. Uncured will need to be cured, having die-off break down, basically being cycled before being added to the tank.

[lmetcalf]

ok I'm confused...
So when i buy live rock from LFS, i need to cycle it somehow? What if i want to add the lock to a tank that's already cycled?

Do i need to ask the LFS people if the rock has been cycled or not?

Sorry i'm a little clueless

[thominil]

I would still have the rock in the tank during the cycle cured or not. This way if there is any die-off, breaks down and goes through the nitrogen cycle. Also better so you can move the rock around many times until you find that you like the scape, moving rock when fish are in the tank is bad for/stressful on the fish. They should have it labeled whether it's cured or not.

[match55]

listen to what thom said and your fishes will be happy~~ hahaha

[Kurt_Nelson]

Originally Posted by lmetcalf

ok I'm confused...
So when i buy live rock from LFS, i need to cycle it somehow? What if i want to add the lock to a tank that's already cycled?

Do i need to ask the LFS people if the rock has been cycled or not?

Sorry i'm a little clueless

In addition to what thom said, if you're buying cured rock you don't need to cycle it. If you are adding rock to a tank that's already cycled, then you want to add only cured rock - if you don't, you'll probably end up with another cycle. However, the cured rock you add doesn't have to be bought as "cured" - you can buy uncured rock and cure it yourself (basically cycle it yourself) in a separate Rubbermaid tub with saltwater, heater, and a powerhead.

Also... cured rock will normally be considerably more expensive than uncured rock.

[lmetcalf]

good call on the rubbermaid tub, that's a good idea. Maybe i'll save myself some money then. Thanks guys!

[thominil]

You can cure the rock in your tank while you are cycling the tank too.

[melosu58]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articl...ick/Page1.html