curing vs cycling
- Thread starter Johnb123
- Start date
gone fishin
New member
IMO essentially they are the same. I usually see curing rock referred to when folks have the rock in a trash can or something other than the Display tank.
I usually see cycling when folks have the rock in the display.
Either way we are promoting and getting bacteria to grow and live on the rock. Just my 2 cents.
I usually see cycling when folks have the rock in the display.
Either way we are promoting and getting bacteria to grow and live on the rock. Just my 2 cents.
CStrickland
New member
what they said
but it seems like people say curing more when they are talking about rocks that have dead stuff already on them, like it's more about getting that stuff processed whereas cycling is whatever you are doing to get the biofilter up to snuff
you can buy dry rock that's functionally sterile dug out of the ground, or dry rock that is covered in dead stuff that needs to rot away before, and dry rock that is all different sorts in between the two. it's really confusing for new reefers.
but it seems like people say curing more when they are talking about rocks that have dead stuff already on them, like it's more about getting that stuff processed whereas cycling is whatever you are doing to get the biofilter up to snuff
you can buy dry rock that's functionally sterile dug out of the ground, or dry rock that is covered in dead stuff that needs to rot away before, and dry rock that is all different sorts in between the two. it's really confusing for new reefers.
gone fishin
New member
It can be confusing with all the terms like cycling, curing, I hate "cooking rock". Then there is live rock, cured rock, dead rock, dry rock and my all time favorite live dead rock.
mcozad829
Premium Member
Curing- it is a process that involves allowing rock to sit in water to allow dead organic material to rot off. It's sole purpose is to prepare rock for aquarium use. Curing is necessary when using live rock that has been out of the water for a little bit (such as in shipping) or when reusing dead rock.
Let me clarify these terms..
live rock- rock that comes from the ocean or another tank that has organisms and bacteria living on it. When it is shipped or out of the water for a bit some of the organisms will die, this is referred to as "die-off"
dead rock- used to be live rock however it has been removed from water long enough that the vast majority if not all of the life on it died and dried up.
Dry rock- rock that has not been in a tank yet and was pulled from the ground, has no (detectable) organic matter on it.
If you were place dead rock or live rock that has had die off on it into an aquarium, the die off and dead organic matter will begin to rot which will add nutrients to your water and cause an ammonia spike. This is where curing comes in, curing is basically allowing your rock to sit in water long enough that all of the dead organic matter on it rots off and all you are left with is live rock. Normally this is done in a trash can because the rotting material causes an odor that most wouldn't appreciate in their home. In addition if you cure rock in your tank you will likely be faced with high nutrient levels as a result of the decaying matter, basically you start on the back foot if you cure rock in your DT. It is doable and many have done it, however most do not consider the easiest way to do it. The amount of time it takes to cure rock depends solely on the amount of organic matter that is present on and in the rock. If rocks came out of a tank covered in algae and then dried out, it will take much longer to cure than live rock that was shipped overnight.
Cycling- is a process of building up a biological filter in your aquarium that will be able to process fish waste through the nitrogen cycle. It involves placing your rock into your display tank and feeding bacteria with a source of ammonia, as the bacteria multiply the ammonia levels will be converted through the nitrogen cycle into less harmful nitrates.
So in conclusion- Curing prepares your rock for the aquarium, Cycling prepares your aquarium for fish. They can be done at the same time however there can be complications to the process (notably the smell). Live rock that has not been out of water for any length of time and Dry rock require no curing process. This is one of the factors leading to growth of dry rock popularity in the hobby.
Hope that helps
Let me clarify these terms..
live rock- rock that comes from the ocean or another tank that has organisms and bacteria living on it. When it is shipped or out of the water for a bit some of the organisms will die, this is referred to as "die-off"
dead rock- used to be live rock however it has been removed from water long enough that the vast majority if not all of the life on it died and dried up.
Dry rock- rock that has not been in a tank yet and was pulled from the ground, has no (detectable) organic matter on it.
If you were place dead rock or live rock that has had die off on it into an aquarium, the die off and dead organic matter will begin to rot which will add nutrients to your water and cause an ammonia spike. This is where curing comes in, curing is basically allowing your rock to sit in water long enough that all of the dead organic matter on it rots off and all you are left with is live rock. Normally this is done in a trash can because the rotting material causes an odor that most wouldn't appreciate in their home. In addition if you cure rock in your tank you will likely be faced with high nutrient levels as a result of the decaying matter, basically you start on the back foot if you cure rock in your DT. It is doable and many have done it, however most do not consider the easiest way to do it. The amount of time it takes to cure rock depends solely on the amount of organic matter that is present on and in the rock. If rocks came out of a tank covered in algae and then dried out, it will take much longer to cure than live rock that was shipped overnight.
Cycling- is a process of building up a biological filter in your aquarium that will be able to process fish waste through the nitrogen cycle. It involves placing your rock into your display tank and feeding bacteria with a source of ammonia, as the bacteria multiply the ammonia levels will be converted through the nitrogen cycle into less harmful nitrates.
So in conclusion- Curing prepares your rock for the aquarium, Cycling prepares your aquarium for fish. They can be done at the same time however there can be complications to the process (notably the smell). Live rock that has not been out of water for any length of time and Dry rock require no curing process. This is one of the factors leading to growth of dry rock popularity in the hobby.
Hope that helps
stingeragent
New member
+1 to above. Couldn't have been better said.
dry rock needs ammonia manually added to cycle it right? since it has no organic matter?
stingeragent
New member
There is a difference. Re-Read the above post. Curing rock is the process of getting rid of the dead stuff on the rock. (you do this before the cycle). You could do it at the same time as the cycle but it will take much longer as the die off can shoot ammonia through the roof. You can cure/cycle at the same time, but it all depends on the rock. I started a 55g with live rock that got shipped to me. My ammonia went higher than my test kit would register. Took about 2 months to get it to 0. If you cure the live rock beforehand in a smaller container, you can easily do 100% water changes, and get rid of the ammonia. As I "cured" it in the 55 gal tank, I had to do several 100% w/c's , it wasted a whole lot more salt/ ro/di water than if it was done in a tub.
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mcozad829
Premium Member
Yes through adding pure ammonia directly, shrimp from the store sitting in the tank, ghost feeding, or a fish (this method id generally frowned upon these days). My personal favorite method with dry rock is to add a bottle of bacteria such as bio-spira or dr. tims, and then feed the tank as if there was a fish or two in there for a few weeks.
yes but isn't that what cycling is too? to begin the nitrogen cycle by starting up the ammonia (die off) and turning it into nitrates?
you add bacteria when you get ammonia right? so if you're adding a bottle of ammonia you add bacteria immediately with it? would i leave the shrimp in there or take it out as soon as my test reads for ammonia?
stingeragent
New member
You don't have to add bacteria. It will grown on it's own. You can for sure start a cycle with the die off from live rock, but it's gonna take the cycle longer to complete. If you cure the live rock out of the tank beforehand, it lets shorten your normal cycle. For example. You can get dry rock, stick it in your tank and dose 2ppm of ammonia. The cycle will complete in 2-4 weeks. If instead you used all live rock that has a bunch of die-off, your ammonia could go to 8ppm or higher. To get the bacteria needed to reduce that to 0 might take 1-2 months. However, this only applies to live rock that has die off. If you go to your LFS and buy live rock from an established tank, you can drop it in your tank and may not even have a cycle. But if you order live rock online, it will be shipped out of water, and by the time it arrives you'll have a bunch of stuff in the rock that will die because it's been out of the water for 24-36 hours.
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mcozad829
Premium Member
The difference really is in the quantity of die off. If you take rock that has a bunch of dead organic matter on it and cure/cycle it in your tank it is going to take a longer time than cycling alone and the excess die off is what creates the odor that you will often hear complained about. Make no mistake, they can be done at the same time but if just cycling you will never smell the tank, if curing while cycling you are basically creating a liquid compost pile in your future display. It can be done, and in the long run there will be no difference... Just make sure your wife is on board lol.
But back to your original question, when you hear the term "curing" it means preparing rock, when you hear the term "cycling" it means preparing the aquarium, that is the real difference between the two. Yes both utilize the nitrogen cycle if that is what you are wondering.
Not the same thing. Even when you start with totally live rock straight from another tank five feet away, you may have a 'cycle', which is not curing the rock ---it's just letting the bacteria spread through the sandbed and reach a level of population that can handle poo and convert it to nitrogen instead of nitrate.
mcozad829
Premium Member
Bacteria will arrive whether you add them or not, by adding bottled bacteria you are just speeding things up. The bacteria (bottled or not) feed on ammonia. If there is no ammonia for the bacteria to eat, they will die or go into dormancy. If you add a bottle of bacteria the same day you start ghost feeding, you shouldn't have problems, they are not that finicky. I'm not big on the shrimp personally because once you add your first fish you won't be adding a shrimp every week, you'll be feeding daily. This is why I prefer to ghost feed.
Quiet_Ivy
New member
Yeah this is one of those lumper/splitter arguments. Curing rock as described here IS cycling it. It isn't 2 processes. (Not going to touch curing rock for phosphates or algae here; that actually is a different process) The reason people 'cure' (in fact this is cycling) real live rock in a tub is because it's easier to deal with the disgusting mess in a bigger volume of water. After 'curing' the live rock IS cycled.
OP, if you are using dry, man made rock that you're putting in a new tank you probably should call it 'cycling'. You don't need to add a bacterial supplement but some people think it speeds things up. You can add a shrimp or fish food if no ammonia shows up after a day or two.
are you confused yet?
ivy
Yeah this is one of those lumper/splitter arguments. Curing rock as described here IS cycling it. It isn't 2 processes. (Not going to touch curing rock for phosphates or algae here; that actually is a different process) The reason people 'cure' (in fact this is cycling) real live rock in a tub is because it's easier to deal with the disgusting mess in a bigger volume of water. After 'curing' the live rock IS cycled.
OP, if you are using dry, man made rock that you're putting in a new tank you probably should call it 'cycling'. You don't need to add a bacterial supplement but some people think it speeds things up. You can add a shrimp or fish food if no ammonia shows up after a day or two.
are you confused yet?
ivy
no ammonia can show up in dry man made rock since there was no die off to begin with right? it would have be manually be added? also from what you're saying curing and cycling is the same?
