A question about curing live rock.

[mrpope]

So Ive bought all the equipment (filter, skimmer, pumps, substrate, etc.) and Im getting ready to set up my 55 gallon FOWLR (to start) in about a week.

I found this really great deal on LR from the internet that is $2.55/lb. The best part about it is that it ships from Los Angeles and thats where I live, so with out shipping charges this is a great deal (by the way it is Fiji LR).

So before I get too excited, my question is: Can I cycle the tank with this UNCURED live rock? With maybe one little damsel also? How should I approach this?

The "cured" stuff is usually $5+ at the LFS and this would be an awsome deal if I can make it work.

Thanks, B.

[reefrunner69]

Can I cycle the tank with this UNCURED live rock?

Absolutely, IMO, it is the best way to cycle your tank.

With maybe one little damsel also?

Don't use the damsel, the LR alone will provide plenty of ammonia for the cycling process.

Click the articles link in my sig and look for the article on curing live rock

[captivereefs]

Be prepared it can get rather smelly. At least you are in LA were you can open a window! Run some carbon to help with the smell. Also alot of the die off will cause the water to go acidic. You can drip kalk to help keep it alkaline. Water changes help to.

[mrpope]

Good!

Now how should I clean off the rock before hand, with just some tank water and sometinhg to scrub with?

Oh, also, reefrunner69 I noticed that in your how to cure live rock article it said to do water changes 50% everyother day (thats a lot of salt mixin!). That would be 25 gallons everytime. Is this right?

Anything else I should know?

-B.

[Biggen]

Now how should I clean off the rock before hand, with just some tank water and sometinhg to scrub with?

I made up a fresh batch of SW the day before I expected my LR to come in and put in in a 5 gallon bucket. When the LR finally arrived, I used a stiff brush and brushed off as much gunk off the rock as I could while holding it underwater. I had a lot of die off on my second batch of rock so there was a ton of black dead matter that I needed to remove. Brushing the rock is probably the quickest and easiest route to take when cleaning it.

Oh, also, reefrunner69 I noticed that in your how to cure live rock article it said to do water changes 50% everyother day (thats a lot of salt mixin!). That would be 25 gallons everytime. Is this right?

Yes this is correct. I changed 50% of my water every other day for about 2 weeks. It makes for a lot of work (not to mention water and salt) for these 14 days, but I really do believe that it helps preserve whatever life is leftover on the rock. It also really seems to shorten cycle time as well. My first batch of LR only took about 4-7 days to cycle. Really fast!!

Darin's comment about the water turning acidic are valid only if one weren't doing water changes in the middle of the cycle. However, since you would be changing the water every other day, I wouldn't worry about it. In fact, I wouldn't worry about water chemistry at all until your cycle has complete.

[NaH2O]

Here is a link to a thread I had started on cycling with uncured LR, and hope it serves as a nice supplement to the advice you have already received:

Cycling with Uncured Live Rock

[mrpope]

Thanks for the info, you guys (and gals)are great.

Just one more question. Im going to do that 50% or so water change every other day method like you suggested. When do I stop those dramatic water changes? When ammonia drops and nitrite rises or after when nitrite falls?

- B.

[reefrunner69]

When the cycle is complete...no ammonia and no nitrite.