curing dead live rock vs clean man made rock

[johnfallon135]

there a difference between curing dead rock and clean man made rock from scratch (not to a existing aquarium)?

 

[shifty51008]

Kinda, the dead lr will already have stuff on it to start the cycle where as man made rock you will have to add some type of ammonia to start the cycle.

 

[johnfallon135]

so if you just add fresh salt mix to dead live rock it'll cure on its own right?

 

[CStrickland]

Depending on the cement used, sometimes man made rock needs to cure for a while until it stops raising the ph of the water.

 

[shifty51008]

so if you just add fresh salt mix to dead live rock it'll cure on its own right?

Yes as the stuff that was on it when it was live will produce ammonia, however this is to say they didnt clean it really good before drying it out. The only way to know for sure is to check with an ammonia test kit.

 

[johnfallon135]

what's faster curing dead live rock or curing man made rock and creating ammonia with additives or shrimp?

 

[johnfallon135]

bump!?

 

[Quiet_Ivy]

what's faster curing dead live rock or curing man made rock and creating ammonia with additives or shrimp?

They'll take about the same amount of time. The bacteria have to establish themselves in sequence and they can only reproduce so fast.

The absolute fastest way to cycle is to buy already-cured live rock-if well treated it's already cycled.

Check your man made rock supplier, some brands have been found to leach phosphates which can cause major algae issues down the road.

Many swear by bacterial additives to speed up the cycle. I'm not convinced these are a good idea.

hth
ivy

 

[shifty51008]

They'll take about the same amount of time. The bacteria have to establish themselves in sequence and they can only reproduce so fast.

The absolute fastest way to cycle is to buy already-cured live rock-if well treated it's already cycled.

Check your man made rock supplier, some brands have been found to leach phosphates which can cause major algae issues down the road.

Many swear by bacterial additives to speed up the cycle. I'm not convinced these are a good idea.

hth
ivy

+1
If you want a fast setup and dont mind picking out a few pests then check out tampa bay saltwater. More spendy but youll have a fully cycled tank right from the start and alot of dioversity as it comes straight from the ocean to your house and shipped under water so barely any die off.