Curing rock in new tank okay?

tsouth · 10-25-2007, 01:08 AM

Hey everyone how are ya? I just wanted to know if it is okay to cure my rock inside of my new tank. I have a 55 gal with about 50 lbs of rock in there right now. My setup includes a pro clear aquatics wet dry with live rock rubble in the wet side, overflow set up, 220w PC's, 60 lbs of oolitic sand, one maxijet 1200, and a jager 150w heater. I've recieved 20lbs about 2 weeks ago and another 30 today and decided to place it in my tank for it to fully cure while it cycles. Is this okay? I figured since my tank is so new that it would be okay to cure the rock while my tank cycles. Anyways thanks for looking!

b16drag · 10-25-2007, 01:56 AM

Its fine.... just follow the water chemistry... ammonia, nitrate, nitrites...

Fly Guy · 10-25-2007, 02:23 AM

no.....and this is why.

Assuming you are using a sandbed and not a BB tank, by curing the rock in the tank you are instantly loading up that sandbed with crap that would be better off dumped in a bucket in the garage.

Why intentionally subrtract life from a resource that already has a limited lifespan when it can easily be cured and cycled in the garage in a garbage can where the loads of crap that dump out of it can be simply removed? Now if you have a BB tank.....disregard the above as you CAN simply remove what drops out of the rock.

To be sure....

can you?? Yes. Is it ideal?? Not even.

I actually would recommend cycling away from the display as well. Much less tempting to want to add critters if it is all closed up in a garbage can in the garage too.

b16drag · 10-25-2007, 02:30 AM

I guess I've been doing it wrong all along... I'm sure he knows more than me.

Fly Guy · 10-25-2007, 02:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b16drag

I guess I've been doing it wrong all along...

nah....not doing it wrong......there are just better ways and other things to consider.

I am also a huge advocate of NOT using live sand. Whenever you get the oppportunity to start in this hobby with a fresh clean slate as far as sandbeds go........take advantage of it. New dry sand will become live soon enough on its own. Your going to be stuck with that sandbed for a long time......so the cleaner you start off with and the cleaner you keep it......the more likely it is that it will be your friend.........for a while anyway

tsouth · 10-25-2007, 02:46 AM

Thanks alot to both of you. Now about the rock. The 20 lbs I had purchased was cured. The 30lbs I had gotten today were free from a friend who had broken down his tank. Tons of coraline on it and I'm very happy with the rock. I'm not sure if this qualifies for uncured rock or not but I just figured it's not my water so its not cured lol Idk if I have this right or wrong but yes if it is still a better idea to take it into a tub then i'm all for it.

Fly Guy · 10-25-2007, 02:59 AM

If the rock you got from your friedn never left water it is probably good to go and will hardly even cycle much. Add to that that the rock you already had was already cured you could be ready to go much sooner than you think. You still should cycle the stuff in your garage until ammonia and trites are at zero...then start your tank up and you would be reasy to start adding a clean up crew within a couple of weeks and critters soon thereafter

However, you would be amazed at how much crap you could still get to dump out of it if you were to "cook" it before actually starting your tank up.

Cooking your rock is a huge benefit to starting a healthy happy reef tank of any kind, although not mandatory by any means. After cooking several hundred pounds of rock I would bever start another tank without doing so, but Ill be honest.......the whole process is kind of a serious PITA, although one you wont regret in the long run

tsouth · 10-25-2007, 03:05 AM

Man that sounds intense! I think I might have to try it out. Good things happen to those who wait anyways. Plus patience is the name of the game in this hobby so why not?

Fly Guy · 10-25-2007, 03:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsouth

Man that sounds intense! I think I might have to try it out. Good things happen to those who wait anyways. Plus patience is the name of the game in this hobby so why not?

I promise you wont regret it. The only downfall is you wont have prior experience of NOT cooking your rock to see just how much better it is...but thats ok.

If you really want to do it a few things are key:

Good circulation and aeration in your garbage can. I would get a mag 7 or 9.5 for the amouont of rock you are talking about and TWO 30-50 gallon trash cans. The can with rock and water in it only needs filled with water a few inches above the rock. get a pvc fitting to go on the output of the pump and drill a hole in it to hook a airline up to. With the lid on your trashcan you just took care of heat(probably anyways), circulation and aeration all with that one pump. The second trash can is to make your rock swishing assembly line to each week.........back and forth from can to can and fresh new ASW each week. You dont have to have two containers, but it will make your life easier.

I do highly recommend it and feel free to ask any further questions that I or that link I provided didnt offer.

As far as the patience thing goes you mention.......all that time you spend cooking it is not actually a delay by any means. You will be starting your system with healthier, better rock and actually have a huge head start and advantage vs if you didnt. Assuming you maintain your alk and calcium levels you will start to see coralline growth within a month or so on a system you start with cooked rock.

tsouth · 10-25-2007, 03:27 AM

Thanks alot fly guy. Id repp ya or give ya karma or something but I don't see anything like that on here. Well anyways the information is greatly appreciated!

tellycoleman · 10-25-2007, 06:11 AM

I cured my rock in my tank but I didn't put sand in it for two months. And I am glad I didn't. I had alot of die off.

Loverotties · 10-25-2007, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tellycoleman

I cured my rock in my tank but I didn't put sand in it for two months. And I am glad I didn't. I had alot of die off.

That was smart.

tellycoleman · 10-25-2007, 08:35 AM

since you got some time on your hands now would be a good time to make a rock lift

Geoff · 10-25-2007, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tellycoleman

I cured my rock in my tank but I didn't put sand in it for two months. And I am glad I didn't. I had alot of die off.

it prolly was not die off. most of the detritus you get from LR is actually phosphate laden bacterial flock!! die off is easily seen as algae on the rocks and sponges under them and is large and clumpy. bacterial flock is fluffy.

G~

Rob_Reef_Keeper · 10-25-2007, 10:39 AM

I agree with the die off factor and getting rid of that then in the sand but the problem I have with curing the LR in a trash can in the garage totally is that there is NO light for the rock. I am not saying the LR needs intense lighting but wouldn't some actinic or NO light be beneficial to keep some coralline and good light needed algae/and etc alive?

Cooking is the method of no light and when I did that it killed off ALL coralline and everything else on the rock (except for the evil mushrooms). The coraline never recovered on the LR.

I was planning on curing my LR in my tank when I get around to getting it going again (too much going on). I was planning on running the actinics for an hour a day and increasing that to a few hours a day by week 4 or 5. No sand in the tank at first. after the 2 months and at least 2-3 weeks with 0 ammon, nitrates, etc I will then add some sand to the tank. Then wait another month of testing and etc before adding a few snails and monitor. I figure I can add a fish of coral at about the 5-6 month period to be safe.