Dry Fiji Live Rock (ECO ROX)bulk reef supply

pugmommie

Griffy Lover
We just ordered 50lbs of Dry Fiji Live Rock (ECO ROX) from bulk reef supply. They state:

How do I cure Eco RoX ?

We recommend soaking your rock in heated saltwater for a few days and swishing it occasionally to get the dirt off. Add a pump to make sure the water is moving over the surface. You may cure it for longer or use more elaborate methods of curing if you wish.

Now I think we should use ro/di water and mix with salt, my other half says just regular tap water with salt because we're just getting the garbage off it.
Who's right? :rolleyes:
 
Deffinately use RO/DI water. Take the rock and gently scrub it with a scrub brush to remove dead organizms and die off on the rock. I scrubbed mine while dry then put in water and scrubbed a little more. Put a heater and a powerhead in the container that your curing the rock in. And just place rock into that container for about 2 weeks and should be cured. Do 25% water changes every other day or you will be left with some rancid smelling water. Trust me I just had it happen to me and my room smelled for days. Good Luck! PM Waterkeeper if you have any questions he helped me out alot along the way.
 
use rodi to avoid soaking your rock in impurities that are common in tapwater and will later leach into your tank.
 
I just put it in my tank and went with it!LOL! It is really not bad when you get it , you'll see.
 
I cured mine for 2 mo with a skimmer and carbon. The first couple of weeks it was REALLY bad. The rock it's self is great, but there is a lot of dirt etc inside it. Smelled horrible until ammonia levels dropped. I would never through this stuff directly into my tank.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14141861#post14141861 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by noboddi
If it's dry, how can it be live rock?
Same thing I was wondering. I got there spaggehti rock and it is lifeless and dry.
 
as it says in the description, it's rock that was once live but has been dried out. technically, it's not live rock. the advantage, aside from the cost, is that along with being void of bacteria, it's also got no pests. you'll still need to add a bacteria source, which most folks will do by adding some live rock to it. you'll also be needing a healthy dose of patience, since it will take some time for this rock to become colonized with bacteria and eventually start growing coralline algae as it spreads from your liverock.
 
You don't even have to add live rock to it. The rock is it's own ammonia source if you cure it in salt water the bacteria will grow from that ammonia and begin to cycle the rock vat water.

I cured mine in the garage, the smell was horrendous. I changed the water once every 3-4 days to keep the smell down, and I had a crappy CSS65 Skimmer on there as well.

The ammonia spike will cycle the tank just fine. you can add live rock to it if you wish, but it isn't necessary.

I've got about 1/2 my rock work as the Eco Rox Shelf Rocks. The stuff is awesome and in a few months you can't tell the difference between the live rock and the eco in my tank.
 
The smell won't be as bad if you rinse/scrub the rock in a bucket of RODI before putting it in your curing container. If you want, you can cure it in the to-be display tank (if there is NOTHING else in there) where it is easier to skim, heat, etc as long as you can clean it easily. My eco-rox have been in my newest tank for only about 3 months and are already covered in coraline, etc. Great stuff!
Best of luck.
 
I ordered 50 lbs too and am expecting it on Thursday. Won't have water in the display for 1-2 more weeks but I think I'm just going to throw it in the new tank (will be just saltwater, sand and rock). Skimmer will be running and hopefully getting rid of some of the stink while the ammonia goes down.. Geesh I didn't know this stuff puts a bad stench out like some of you are talking about.. I hope it's not bad enough to make my roommates mad! :lol:
 
IMO- wait to add sand until after your rock has cycled. All sorts of nasties will work their way out of the rock and it's easier to remove them in a bare bottom tank. Just my .02 though.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14164297#post14164297 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pugmommie
our rock has arrived. we received 3 beautiful pieces and they are huge!
Good thing our tank is 120 gal.
Pictures?
 
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