Curing Rock *Please Help*

[fernalfer]

Ok i have 100lbs. of Marco Dry Rock that i want to cure but i'm unsure of the proper process. This is what i was going to do and let me know if it is fine.

I bought a 32 gallon Brute NSF (Food Certified) Can. Was going to fill that with RODI water, then mix in salt to around 1.022 salinity, add a powerhead and a heater and throw in my Marco Rock. Was going to do a 50% water change around every week or so.

1. Do i add Dr. Tims Bacteria and ammonia to feed in the Brute to get some beneficial bacteria going prior to going to the main display?

2. How long do the rocks need to stay in the Brute container to be deemed cure?

3. Is my above plan ok?

 

[dkeller_nc]

In one sense, dry reef rock doesn't need to be "cured" in the manner that truly live rock from the ocean would.

Many folks do pre-treat dry reef rock to remove any adsorbed phosphates. This procedure involves acid-washing the rock with diluted hydrochloric acid to remove the outer coating on the rock (an any adsorbed phosphate with it), but that's not strictly "curing" in the traditional meaning of the word.

As for populating your rock with bacteria, you can do that in a separate tub as you've noted, or you can do it in your tank if it's going to be newly set-up from scratch. One procedure is exactly as you describe - a bottle of bacteria and a few milliliters of ammonia to serve as food for the bacteria. You can also simply aquascape your tank, fill it with 1.026 sp. gr. saltwater, and add a bit of fish food or a raw shrimp from the grocery store. Bacteria will populate the tank from the air - nitrifying bacteria are all around us, and you couldn't actually prevent them from getting in the tank if you wanted to.

 

[PAXpress]

I tried Dr Tims and had nominal luck if any at all. Try the cocktail shrimp method or just ammonia. May take an extra week but be patient you will thank yourself afterwards.

 

[fernalfer]

So because my rock is truly dry rock not from the ocean do i need to even cure then. Is the phosphates going to pose a huge issue?

 

[PAXpress]

So because my rock is truly dry rock not from the ocean do i need to even cure then. Is the phosphates going to pose a huge issue?

It may cause algae blooms. I didn't treat my dry rock and I've had a bit of algae. If you plan on a fish only tank it most likely wont cause a problem aside from unsightly algae for the first few months, which is typical with new tanks anyways. As for corals someone else may have to recommend something to you. You can also run GFO which would most likely soak up all the phosphates before they become a real problem.

 

[SnoopyDaPimp]

The last batch of dry lace I cured I never used new water or supplements. Every WC I did on my 110g replaced the water in my brute container. Only thing in the container was a powerhead and pellets I feed once a day w/o lights. If I remember it was ~6 weeks of bi-weekly 50% WC before I was reading no PO4.