Curing BRS base rock

[KJAhp098]

Those of you that have brs base rock how do you cure it? Their site says to throw it in some water with a heater and powerheads for a few days, but it smells pretty bad. I'm hesitant in putting it in my tank until I know it's safe to. Thanks

 

[pugbreath13]

I just soaked mine in buckets of saltwater for a couple days. Mine had no smell at all....I got the eco rock.

 

[jcovercash]

I just swished mine around in some RO/DI water to clean off the sediment from bumping around in shipping and then put it directly into my tank......

Only been a few days but I see no problems yet.

 

[KJAhp098]

Good. Thanks, guys. I'm only worried about the smell and adding 100lbs to my already cycled 300 gallon.

 

[screwtape]

IMO you will probably want to fully cycle that rock if you're adding that much. Test the water for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. I don't know if a few days will do it you might need a couple weeks just like a regular cycle. The smell is probably the stuff decaying that may re-cycle your tank if you add it now.

 

[jjstecchino]

Base rocks have, even if bleached, dead organic matter on their surface. Reading other threads on the subject, some recommend a dip in diluted acid or vinegar. This is followed by a variable time (usually about 4 weeks) in salt water and in the dark. This time is referred as "cooking". There is a trend among those who used base rocks and did not cook them to experience high PO4 and algae blooms.
Search "rock cooking" to find more reading material.

You can also look at my thread Here where there is a description of how I am doing mine