Curing Live Rock

I have a 150 gallon Fish Only with the primary filter a wet/dry with bioballs. I do have around 25 pounds of BRS Pukani Live rock (been in the tank for 6 months maybe longer) and two large dead coral Skeletons in the tank. Tank is around 18 months old.

I took around 30 pounds of Pukani Rock and silconed 10 to 15 pieces together to make a piece to replace one of the Coral Skeletons. I have had it curing for around a month so far in a can with a heater and power head. Last weekend ammonia was zero. So I added some table shrimp.

My question is, it is good to add the table shrimp to continue to cure and build bacteria or should I have not added the shrimp and let is sit another month (for 2 months total) without feeding it?

I can leave the shrimp in there for now and check the levels in a month or I can take out the shrimp (in a filter sock) and let it sit another month or so.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Here are some progress pictures. I never took pictures of the final piece before I put it in the can to cure. So there are some more pieces added along with some egg crate on the bottom. I actually printed a footprint of the tank on some 24" wide paper to provide the layout on the tank bottom.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5728038/live rock/IMG-20110728-00074.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5728038/live rock/IMG-20110731-00087.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5728038/live rock/IMG-20110731-00088.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5728038/live rock/IMG-20110731-00089.jpg

Here is a pdf of half the floor bottom if anyone wants it. I have a Perfecto 150:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5728038/live rock/Fish Tank Drawing Model - Cropped.pdf

thanks,

Mike
 
If Ammonia and nitrite are 0 it should be good to go. The point of curing isn't so much to build up bacteria, but to get rid of all the die off. Adding shrimp will make the amount of bacteria on the rock go up, but it will level off again once in your tank.

If this is the Pukani base rock then nothing was alive on it and no need to cure at all.

The shrimp is normally used in place of fish waste to cycle a tank. It sounds like you have a cycled, running tank.
 
Thanks guys. The tank has been running with Fish for around 18 months, I am just adding live rock now more as decoration, but will get the benefit too.

The Pukani does come with a lot of dead on it. Dead crabs, etc.... so it did give a good spike (and stink) in the 55 gallon can.

I took the shrimp out and may wait another month (I am in no rush - for once). Also, last weekend, I change the water in the 55 gallon can and cleaned the can and also washed off the rock in the sink. A lot of brown dirt came off. I did not hose it off at all when it was dry at first.

Here is the tank. Not a great pic - taken with an Network Cam.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5728038/150_20110930.jpg

I will be taking out the dead coral skeleton on the right and replace it with the live rock piece and then shift the current live rick and the other dead coral skeleton a little more to the left.

Once I see how it looks in the tank, I am eventually plan on taking out the other dead coral skeleton too.

thanks,

Mike
 
Silicon on Live Rock

Silicon on Live Rock

Well I put it in. will get a pic or two up later. However, one of the pieces, the silicone broke. this is one of three sides that is siliconed and is a smaller piece so it is still attached. I think it snapped when I was rotating the piece a bit int he tank.

I used the Marineland Silicone. My question for anyone is if there a concern with the silicon coming loose on other pieces as time goes on? I would think not, but curious if anyone else used silicone on live rock.

thanks,

Mike
 
after you have enough live rock working , I would get rid of the bio balls. That will become a nitrate factory. Just my 2 cents.
 
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