One of my lfs stores has cured live rock, and I was wondering if by buying this do I still need to cure it when I get it home?
Live rock help!
- Thread starter fisher12889
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Find out how long it has been curing and also for peace of mind, you can put it in a barrel when you get home with salt water and a good pump to move the water around. But, I usually do the smell test, if it stinks, its not cured, if it doesnt really have an odor then it is cured. I usually just put the rock that doesnt smell right in my tank, but you may still have an amonia spike so keep testing your water for about 2 weeks after you put the new rock in.
When I put the rock in the tank how long should i wait before adding fish? The first thing Im getting will be 2 clownfish, because I have read that they are very hardy.
Your supposed to wait 6-8 weeks but if you think the rock you have used is already cured and you dont have access to a test kit i would just go buy a few cheap damsels or chromis or whatever you can get cheap and chuck them in there. I have had some survive some pretty bad conditions. If you have a small tank and are stocking it with community type fish i would use chromis though as damsels get abit agressive.
chrisdef15;625289; said:
Mollies would be easier than Damsels, but the 1 raw shrimp per 50 gallons method works too.
Cured rock isn't actually cured until it's been "flushed" so to speak for several weeks. Someone else mentioned the "smell test". Believe it or not, it's actually a pretty good way to determine readiness. Inverts and other crusties who co-habitate in crevices on rock die during collection and distributions and the process of curing the rock removes those dead little guys, as well as plant matters and the like which die off and essentially rot. Since rock is very porous, heavy currents, continuously pounded over the rocks, turning them every now and then, for the most part ensures the majority of decaying matter is discarded, not to mention, more often than not it helps to flush out pesky hitch-hikers too, who could become a burden in your tank. If the rock you purchase - or are looking to purchase has a relatively clean smell (more earthy), then it can be considered as cycled. If you smell rock that is sour (dead fish smell, rotten plant smell, etc.), it has a ways to go before you should buy it. Some people opt to buy un-cured rock, as they prefer to cure it themselves. For the average aquarist though, this is a lot of work with too many variables to consider, so they stick to cured rock. Also note the appearance of the rock. Keep in mind that naturally colors and textures will vary with different types of live rock, but that overall - even ones encusted with corr. algae, should not have a slimy, or dingy appearance. If it looks like there is gunk on it, or if the rock is brittle and breaks easily, don't buy it. Look into which particular type of live rock you want in your aquarium, and then go from there. Another tip for scaping your rock in your aquarium : Have a general idea of how you want your rock structures, which shapes you would like and how you plan to interlock the pieces. Live rock can come in some amazing shapes and sizes, so if you plan ahead and know what yo are looking for, you can create a wicked scape in your tank!! As far as adding fish, I typically use Chromis or Damsels, they are cheap, small, and pretty hardy. Both can be aggressive, so keep their numbers small, and pick one or the other. I don't like adding shrimp, and allowing it to rot, I gave all my reasoning in another post a few months back, and it would be way too much to type over again, lol, but if you get a hair up your butt and are curious to my reasoning I can try to locate it later, lol. Once you introduce the rock, I typically give it a standard two weeks before adding the fish, just to boost the cycling, watch the params, and note any significant issues that need addressing before I have fish in there getting in the way, lol. Plus I add the rock slowly - by that I mean I dont go out and buy 50 pounds at once, lol, I add 10 or so pounds each week or so until I reach my goal. Some people just dump it in and go from there, so maybe I am just narrotic, lol, but thats how I prefer it. Anyways, hope this helps some. Good luck!
-Em
-Em
Thank you very much for all tat help. So basically, no matter what type of rock I buy, I should at least cure it for 2 weeks, and if its uncured I should wait longer?
LOL pretty much. Even when you buy cured rock from a LFS, once you get it home and ready to go, it will naturally have some additional die off, so it's usually a good idea to keep it seperate in a "rock tank" with high power heads for a week or two and then move into your display tank and arrange your structures. That is of course unless you enjoy working harder and not smarter, and want to clean up all the sludge and junk it looses in that time from your main tank, lol.fisher12889;627129; said:
Well the only tank I have to use is the 20g, and I dont have any powerheads, just a bio-wheel 330 in the tank. There is also 20 pounds of live sand in it.