Cured live rock...

marcom12345 · 10/14/2018, 09:21 PM

So I'm setting up a new 75gal reef. My question is.....

My local fish store has already cured rock.... 1000's of pounds of it.... If I buy it and drop it in my tank.... What do I need to do or be concerned about?

Do I still need to cycle for weeks? Just monitor paramaters? If just paramaters... Which ones?

Anything I should be sure of in my tank before getting the rock?

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Anemone · 10/14/2018, 09:59 PM

Depends upon how "cured" the rock really is. Many stores have bins of cured rock that they cycle rock through, and you can end up with some that isn't fully cured. So, drop it in your tank and watch your ammonia and nitrite levels.

Depending upon what has been in the curing tank, and how long the rock has cured, you may have to add livestock slowly to give the bacterial populations time to grow in response to the livestock you add (or, if it's a fresh cure, with lots of die-off in the tank and high ammonia levels, you may have a sizeable bacterial population from the get go). Easiest to add one or two fish and monitor your levels (ammonia and nitrite initially, then nitrate, and keep steady pH, temp and salinity (add calcium and alkalinity if you're going to keep corals)), to ensure you don't get a spike, then add more stock if your ammonia/nitrite levels remain zero.

Kevin

marcom12345 · 10/15/2018, 03:18 AM

I do plan on getting corals but figured I'd get things a bit stable with fish first.

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pshootr · 10/15/2018, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcom12345

I do plan on getting corals but figured I'd get things a bit stable with fish first.

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I think that's a good idea. I would probably give it about four to six weeks at least to monitor the nitrogen cycle after you add fish, before I added any Coral.

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mcgyvr · 10/15/2018, 04:38 AM

Typically when you buy cured live rock from the local fish store there is no cycle as the rock already contains all the needed bacteria to quickly process toxic ammonia into its lesser toxic forms..
The reason they sell that is so that you can buy a tank, rock,water,fish,etc... all in one shot and take it home and set it all up and not need to wait to cycle a tank.

It would be very uncommon to need to wait when starting with locally sourced cured live rock..
You can add fish,etc... right away..

I would however recommend waiting on corals until you are sure you can provide a stable environment for them.

marcom12345 · 10/15/2018, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Typically when you buy cured live rock from the local fish store there is no cycle as the rock already contains all the needed bacteria to quickly process toxic ammonia into its lesser toxic forms..
The reason they sell that is so that you can buy a tank, rock,water,fish,etc... all in one shot and take it home and set it all up and not need to wait to cycle a tank.

It would be very uncommon to need to wait when starting with locally sourced cured live rock..
You can add fish,etc... right away..

I would however recommend waiting on corals until you are sure you can provide a stable environment for them.

I agree on waiting on coral. I don't mind waiting

Thanks on the rock question everyone, it's kinda what I figured. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't a mini-cycle or something lol

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crawlerman · 10/15/2018, 07:18 AM

Set it up, add some Dr Tim's ammonia and make sure it processes it. If it does you are good to go.

marcom12345 · 10/15/2018, 07:22 AM

What is Dr Tims?

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mcgyvr · 10/15/2018, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcom12345

What is Dr Tims?

Dr Tims sells numerous products..
The sell "bacteria in a bottle" as well as ammonium chloride which is a surfactant free ammonia source and various other products.
https://www.drtimsaquatics.com/
The statement to use dr tims needs some clarification about which product they were recommending you use..
But we can assume its the ammonia from the "make sure it processes" comment..

IMO you are just wasting your money adding anything to cured live rock in the bins at the LFS.. They are already cycled/cured/ready to go..
But I understand that some people want that extra blanket of security in life

Adding ammonia will just potentially increase your nitrates but will give you that warm fuzzy feeling if the ammonia is processed in 24 hours or less..
waste of money though IMO..

marcom12345 · 10/15/2018, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Dr Tims sells numerous products..
The sell "bacteria in a bottle" as well as ammonium chloride which is a surfactant free ammonia source and various other products.
https://www.drtimsaquatics.com/
The statement to use dr tims needs some clarification about which product they were recommending you use..
But we can assume its the ammonia from the "make sure it processes" comment..

IMO you are just wasting your money adding anything to cured live rock in the bins at the LFS.. They are already cycled/cured/ready to go..
But I understand that some people want that extra blanket of security in life

Adding ammonia will just potentially increase your nitrates but will give you that warm fuzzy feeling if the ammonia is processed in 24 hours or less..
waste of money though IMO..

Oh I see... I already have some pure ammonia from cycling my two freshwater tanks.

This LFS isn't a chain they are a high quality fish store that I trust fully.

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murphreef · 10/15/2018, 01:59 PM

Depends on the place you get your LR from. One LFS by me has "Live Rock" in a big plastic bin with no skimmer and murky stinky water... knowing that I would think you will experience a true cycle.

Another LFS by me has Live Rock in a nice big bin with clear clean circulating water and a large skimmer running. This rock smells clean and fresh and looks great... I picked up 20lbs to re set up my nano set up with new Live Sand and never experienced a cycle. Days later I added corals from SPS to LPS and Softies and I have not experienced 1 death and my tank is now 5 weeks old. Everything is growing great and looks great. I also carried over all my fish (5 of them) my hermits, snails and cleaner shrimp and nothing died or ever had an issue.

Mind you I have set up many tanks over my years so I know what to look for when picking rock. But if you can find a place with true cured healthy live rock and you have a tank with all the right equipment and good new live sand I doubt you will experience a cycle.

marcom12345 · 10/15/2018, 02:24 PM

So if it's cycled already and I put it in my tank, but don't get any fish for a week or two.... Do I need to and anything to keep it cured?

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homer1475 · 10/15/2018, 02:26 PM

Absolutely not. Bacteria have been shown to live well over a year with no food source. just keep it wet and warm and water moving so it doesnt stagnate.

mcgyvr · 10/15/2018, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcom12345

So if it's cycled already and I put it in my tank, but don't get any fish for a week or two.... Do I need to and anything to keep it cured?

If you get the rock just put it immediately in saltwater and keep a powerhead running.. Thats it..
Never hurts to have some sort of water circulation to prevent stagnation..

marcom12345 · 10/15/2018, 03:32 PM

Great, thanks guys

always nice to get confirmation on what I think I can do lol

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10/14/2018, 09:21 PM	#1
marcom12345 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Battle creek, Michigan Posts: 101	Cured live rock... So I'm setting up a new 75gal reef. My question is..... My local fish store has already cured rock.... 1000's of pounds of it.... If I buy it and drop it in my tank.... What do I need to do or be concerned about? Do I still need to cycle for weeks? Just monitor paramaters? If just paramaters... Which ones? Anything I should be sure of in my tank before getting the rock? Sent from my LG-LS993 using Tapatalk

10/14/2018, 09:59 PM	#2
Anemone Cloning Around Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Valencia, California Posts: 25,267	Depends upon how "cured" the rock really is. Many stores have bins of cured rock that they cycle rock through, and you can end up with some that isn't fully cured. So, drop it in your tank and watch your ammonia and nitrite levels. Depending upon what has been in the curing tank, and how long the rock has cured, you may have to add livestock slowly to give the bacterial populations time to grow in response to the livestock you add (or, if it's a fresh cure, with lots of die-off in the tank and high ammonia levels, you may have a sizeable bacterial population from the get go). Easiest to add one or two fish and monitor your levels (ammonia and nitrite initially, then nitrate, and keep steady pH, temp and salinity (add calcium and alkalinity if you're going to keep corals)), to ensure you don't get a spike, then add more stock if your ammonia/nitrite levels remain zero. Kevin __________________ Back in the pool, swimming with the sharks... Current Tank Info: Red Sea 425XL w/Kessil AP700, Vertex 180i Skimmer, 2 x Vortech MP40s

10/15/2018, 04:38 AM	#5
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	Typically when you buy cured live rock from the local fish store there is no cycle as the rock already contains all the needed bacteria to quickly process toxic ammonia into its lesser toxic forms.. The reason they sell that is so that you can buy a tank, rock,water,fish,etc... all in one shot and take it home and set it all up and not need to wait to cycle a tank. It would be very uncommon to need to wait when starting with locally sourced cured live rock.. You can add fish,etc... right away.. I would however recommend waiting on corals until you are sure you can provide a stable environment for them. __________________ Who me?

10/15/2018, 01:59 PM	#11
murphreef Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: simi valley Posts: 3,208	Depends on the place you get your LR from. One LFS by me has "Live Rock" in a big plastic bin with no skimmer and murky stinky water... knowing that I would think you will experience a true cycle. Another LFS by me has Live Rock in a nice big bin with clear clean circulating water and a large skimmer running. This rock smells clean and fresh and looks great... I picked up 20lbs to re set up my nano set up with new Live Sand and never experienced a cycle. Days later I added corals from SPS to LPS and Softies and I have not experienced 1 death and my tank is now 5 weeks old. Everything is growing great and looks great. I also carried over all my fish (5 of them) my hermits, snails and cleaner shrimp and nothing died or ever had an issue. Mind you I have set up many tanks over my years so I know what to look for when picking rock. But if you can find a place with true cured healthy live rock and you have a tank with all the right equipment and good new live sand I doubt you will experience a cycle. __________________ Justin Current Tank Info: 25G cube (finally back in the hobby in a small way)

10/15/2018, 02:26 PM	#13
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	Absolutely not. Bacteria have been shown to live well over a year with no food source. just keep it wet and warm and water moving so it doesnt stagnate. __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

10/15/2018, 03:18 AM	#3
marcom12345 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Battle creek, Michigan Posts: 101	I do plan on getting corals but figured I'd get things a bit stable with fish first. Sent from my LG-LS993 using Tapatalk

10/15/2018, 07:18 AM	#7
crawlerman Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 503	Set it up, add some Dr Tim's ammonia and make sure it processes it. If it does you are good to go.

10/15/2018, 07:22 AM	#8
marcom12345 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Battle creek, Michigan Posts: 101	What is Dr Tims? Sent from my LG-LS993 using Tapatalk

10/15/2018, 02:24 PM	#12
marcom12345 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Battle creek, Michigan Posts: 101	So if it's cycled already and I put it in my tank, but don't get any fish for a week or two.... Do I need to and anything to keep it cured? Sent from my LG-LS993 using Tapatalk

10/15/2018, 03:32 PM	#15
marcom12345 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Battle creek, Michigan Posts: 101	Great, thanks guys always nice to get confirmation on what I think I can do lol Sent from my LG-LS993 using Tapatalk