Beginner's guide to Live Rock

Hello To All :)

I have about 60 lbs of Caribbean rock curing in a 20 gal. Rubbermaid
Probably only about 16 gal of water total.

I scrubbed it for the first 2 water changes, had to use a steel brush on some parts due to the excessive amount of sponge die off. The rock is pretty clean now & the water is very clear. I have 2 PH in the tub for circulation.

This rock has been curing now for 1 week & here are my results

Temp 80.5
Sg 1.024
NO2 2
NO3 < 50
NH4 <.025
dKH 11 (salifert, don't know if the kit is bad or not)
dKH 8.4 Different kit

My question is when can I place the LR in my display.
This is a new display that will need to cycle also.
I also plan on using 80 lbs of LS with it.

Any Opinions :confused:

Thanks for a reply

Steve 926

:smokin:
 
Steve,

I'd let that nitrite level drop to zero before moving it to the display. It is almost there but full nitrification has not begun so I'd wait just a bit more.

Nan,

In the my New Tank Thread I said you can tell a new reefer is curing LR when--


  • A man wearing a black suit drives up in a hearse and asks if he can remove the deceased
  • You neighbors put up a sign in your yard saying "Bates Motel"
  • Your spouse, who wasn't into this saltwater thing in the first place, has their lawyer draw up divorce papers on the constitutional grounds of cruel and unusual punishment

:D
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the reply Waterkeeper.
I have been doing 100% WC every 3 days.
I was planing to do partial WC every 4~5 days now and let it sit for about 2 weeks

Any advice :confused:

Steve 926

:smokin:
 
Steve,

At this point weekly water changes of about 15-20% should be plenty. My guess is you will see nitrite decline and nitrate increase in under a week and perhaps less.
 
Live rock curing cycle

Live rock curing cycle

Hello I have this 40 gal tank I started with established sand and eqipment ehiem 2212 pump 1200 max jet with overflow and 50 lbs of live rock which was partially cured in my opioion and after 2 weeks test it and the ph high 8.9 and amonia high so I am wondering do I do partial water change or let it cycle..for a few more days.. llocal fish sstore says to leave it alone and let it cycle but thinking about the rocks as a coral and it isn t good to keep in a high amonia enviroment I am needing some new input... I dropped another power head in it with two airstones thinking the increased oxengenation would help..is that a good idea..hope to keep the live rocks from alot of dieoff ... thanks everything is smelling ok ..Mary
 
WK,

I am curing my first load of un-cured live rock. I have 3 powerheads in the trashcan with a skimmer as well. 60 LBS. of rock and 25 gallons of water. My ammonia right now is off the charts, measuring 8.0.

Is it more accurate to follow my water parameters to dictate the quantity and frequency of my water changes?
 
Water quality is not important because, truthfully, there is no quality at this point. Things are changing from moment to moment and you'd need a team of lab technicians doing hundreds of tests each day to assess it.

I like to do massive water changes at this point until ammonia goes down. All that ammonia is causing more things to die and hence less and less will be left on the rock at the end of the cure. In professional curing lines a line of vats are used. The first vat has the newest rock and after a day that rock is moved down the line. That first vat is then dumped and filled with new water and moved to the far end of the line. The next day the second series of vats are emptied and dumped and the process repeated.

At the stage in the game the more water changes you can afford the better will be the final quality of the rock. Save the money on test kits and spend it on salt mix.

BTW-Using a heater on the curing vat does hasten the overall process.
 
Excellent! I have plenty of salt mix and RO/DI

Currently I am keeping the temp at 76-77 degrees. I should have included that information as well.

Thanks!
 
This thread is great - I've read a lot of it, but can't find what I'm looking for. I hope no one minds me bringing it back again.

A while back I read something about using previously 'live' rock that used to be completely covered with coralline, and has since been removed from the tank, dried, and stored safely. To re-use this rock, I was thinking I'd just drop a few pieces at a time in a tank I have set up as basically a QT with some good live sand and LR in it already.

My question is, since it had so much coralline on it before, do I need to do anything to it first to get the dried coralline - which is now white and powdery off of it, or will it be fine to leave it as is?

I have about 25 lbs of it.
 
Dry coralline is dead coralline. You can't resurrect it unless you are a relative of Baron von Frankenstein.
 
sand, rock, water, what order???

sand, rock, water, what order???

I put my Live Rock in immediately after the sand settles. That is what starts your cycle. Cured or uncured will work just fine, although I do like using at least partially uncured rock when starting a new tank because of the way it stimulates the cycle.

Darren Walker
www.PalmettoReefs.com [/B][/QUOTE]

I posted a thread recently regarding whether live rock should be placed directly on the bottom of the tank, or on top of the sand; the concensus seemed to be to place it on the tank bottom so that sand sifting creatures did not burrow under and possibly topple things. Also, I have read that when setting up a new tank, it is easier to do the aquascaping without water in the tank. So, I am really confused as to what the best order is to add these items to the tank. My actual situation is that I will be moving the contents of a 29 gallon tank to a 58 gallon tank, and adding about another 35 lbs of live rock that I have curing in a small tank right now. I will be using new argonite sand in the new tank.
 
WaterKeeper - I know the coralline is dead - I don't plan on bringing it back from the dead, lol- I just wasn't sure if I need to scrape it off, or let it sit in a vinegar and water bath, or what...
 
i'm new to the hobby, my tank has been cycling for 2 months now. I've got figi rock in my system, at first it looked white with some purple on it, now it looks rusty. any advice?
 
i'm new to the hobby, i've got figi rock in my 85 gallon, at first it looked white with purple on it now it looks rusty. any advice?
 
Whew, just read 10 pages of great info and I will be crusing in "new to the hobby" for awhile. I made the mistake of jumping into other forums and was pretty much in over my head. I am in the process of building my cabinet for a 90gal tank. Just glad there are great questions being asked.
 
shpak - I'm not sure what your rusty look is coming from, but I'm sure someone out there will know. Sounds like algea growth of some sort, might not be a bad thing. If you post a picture it might help us figure it out. If you haven't posted pics before, photobucket.com is a good tool to use for digital pics.
 
moving rock with aptaisa

moving rock with aptaisa

Iv'e got some rock in one reef tank that has aptaisa on it, that I would like to move to another existing tank that doesn't have aptaisa.
How would you suggest I move it?
 
Sara,

Scrub as much as you can off before using vinegar. You can also soak it in a 1 part bleach to 3 part water solution overnight. Then rinse it well and allow it to dry for a couple of days. That removes any bleach residue.

shpack,

Most likely cause is diatoms growing on the rock. Very common on a newly set up tank. They go away on their own in a week or two but are usually replace by green algae. Water changes will help speed the process and adding some snails can also help.

Ed,

You don't want Aiptasia in a tank that doesn't have it. It can be really hard to remove. First use a paste of pickling lime to kill it before adding it to the uninfested tank. Commercial products like Joe's Juice are also used. Dosing these with a turkey baster, directly on the anemone, is a good way to apply them and you won't need the baster until next November anyway. :D
 
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