Live Rock: Cured VS Uncured ?

[wsboyette]

Exactly what is the difference between cured and uncured live rock ? I recall reading a FAMA article about a reefkeeper's bad experience with some crabs that came with uncured live rock, and of course that makes me skeptical of any advantage it may have...

 

[kevin2000]

Cured usually means that the dying material on live rock has decomposed and placing it into your show tank won't create a major water quality issue.

Hitchhikers are a different story ... you can find nasty crabs, algae and other unwanted things on any live rock (cured or not).

 

[crvz]

uncured live rock usually comes straight from the collection location, and you can get it dropped shipped right to you by a number of places. cured, as kevin points out, just means it's had time to clean up a bit, and hitchhikers can be a problem with either kind.

 

[wsboyette]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13292191#post13292191 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kevin2000
Cured usually means that the dying material on live rock has decomposed and placing it into your show tank won't create a major water quality issue.

Hitchhikers are a different story ... you can find nasty crabs, algae and other unwanted things on any live rock (cured or not).

I see... Is it good practice, then, to put new live rock in a quarantine tank and try to bait the critters out of it with some shrimp or something ?

______________________________________
Crabz iz destructive an' ain't too tastee, either.

 

[tmz]

QT is a good idea since even cured rock will cure more and you may be able to find and remove unwanted hitchhikers. Intorducing large amounts of new rock into an existing system can cause ammonia pikes and/or nutrient issues.Mixing in dry rock saves some money and eliminates some hitchikers.

 

[Flipper62]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13293628#post13293628 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tmz
QT is a good idea since even cured rock will cure more and you may be able to find and remove unwanted hitchhikers. Intorducing large amounts of new rock into an existing system can cause ammonia pikes and/or nutrient issues.Mixing in dry rock saves some money and eliminates some hitchikers.

tmz....YA...kinda agree.....BUT whats wrong with hitchikers..???
I have got Feather Dusters.......Some CoCo worms..........And other things...... JUST Asking ?

 

[tmz]

Generally nothing is wrong with hitchikers. They are a great addition to the reef. Except the bad ones,such as aiptasia,mantis,gorilla crabs etc. Segregating new rock can offer an opportunity to cure it some more limiting the potential for nutrient increases in your display and give you a chance to observe and remove unwanted hitchhikers.

 

[kevin2000]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13294097#post13294097 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tmz
Generally nothing is wrong with hitchikers. They are a great addition to the reef. Except the bad ones,such as aiptasia,mantis,gorilla crabs etc.

And lets not forget some of the chronic nasty algae (turf etc) that gets introduced into out tanks via live rock. I am a big believer that starting a tank with mostly base rock saves not only money but lots of headaches in the long run. I have never had a hitchhiker than came on live rock that I could not buy for a few bucks at a local reef club.

 

[tmz]

Yes, At this point with established tanks , I like to add only dry rock. However, many have really nice displays started with even carribean uncured live rock and even get a few surprises like coral on them. So it's a matter of taste and choice in the typ[e of reef you wan't to keep.

 

[ripthesystem]

This seems to quickly be getting off topic but hopefully you'll find this all helpful. Regardless of which type of rock you get it will need to be cured again. Essentially this means that you need to cycle whatever live rock you get before you put it in a display tank. There is always the potential for die off and you don't want that affecting your Nitrogen cycle in a running tank.

Cured means that it mostly can happen a bit quicker when you cycle it and there will likely be less die off and Non Cured means that you might have to wait a couple extra weeks and scrub the rock a bit more with a brush a few times when you get it. Neither is better or worse... just all depends on what you're looking for.

Uncured can be a bit cheaper but cured will rock out a bit faster so..

 

[Flipper62]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13294097#post13294097 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tmz
Generally nothing is wrong with hitchikers. They are a great addition to the reef. Except the bad ones,such as aiptasia,mantis,gorilla crabs etc. Segregating new rock can offer an opportunity to cure it some more limiting the potential for nutrient increases in your display and give you a chance to observe and remove unwanted hitchhikers.

I got ya... Ya .....I did get a new frag....6 months later there are 2 aiptasia polips in it.........Sorry......I have doing this for a while.....HOWEVER...Always learning..... :dance: