Question about curing LR

[pmike25]

Hello all, I just got a bunch of UN-cured LR and I am wanting to know how to cure it and all

1 do I need lights to do this?
2 do I need to use a skimmer?
3 I have a 1400 GPH pump circulating in there now, do I need some sort of filteration?
4 What should the temp be or does it not matter?


Thanks all, I have never had to cure LR before and have really no clue how to. I do have a 100 gallong Rubbermaid tube that I am going to use. I can drill for bulkheads if I need to.

THANKS

 

[AnimaliA]

You need lights, but you dont need extremely powerful ones (PC's work well). If you can manage the temp issues, natural sunlight works well also. You will want to have a lot of flow around the rocks themselves. Also run the skimmer and do frequent water changes. The temp should be between 74-80F.

As for using a filter, that is up to you. Filters do cut down on the particles floating around and are a good place for activated carbon, but if you do frequent water changes, you should be ok without a filter.

The key here is to let the dying and dead material process out into their components while keeping the healthy animals/plants alive. This time also allows for the micro-organism populations to stabilize and, hopefully, grow



As the rock is curing (a process that will most likely take around a month or more), check the rock for any crabs, starfish, urchins, anemones and/or macroalgae that you may not want in your display tank and remove them.


Hope this helps

 

[barbra]

There are methods of curing that don't involve lights at all, the difference is explained here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1036531

You don't say if this is a new setup or not. If it is, you should add everything to the tank from the start and let it cure there. You don't need too much light, and coraline can withstand substantial periods of darkness.

 

[pmike25]

Thanks all for the help...


yes I did forget to add that this is a brand new system JUST for the rock, I got a pump going with PVC piping on the bottom for under the rock circulation, and than Ill be running some 1200s maxi jets on it towards the surface. As far as filteration Im going to have to come up with something for that. I am using a 100 gallon Rubbermiad tub thingy I got from Tractor Supply, I also have a 60" PC hood that I will run on it if needed, I also have some T5s. The only thing Im lacking is a skimmer for it. I have one running on my current tank and I am supose to be buying a bigger one for my current tank and than take this rs80 and was going to run it on the rock tank.

What is the salinity I should have it at?, right now I have it at 1.026 like my display tank.

 

[AnimaliA]

Salinity should be between 1.024 and 1.026 (ideally)