Curing Live Rock on substrate or not?

eaglesatc · 02/01/2006, 12:00 PM

I have been reading different info on the curing of live rock. Some say to put your sand in and then cure the rock on top of it. Others say that you should cure your live rock without any substrate down. Any opinions?

ralphvg · 02/01/2006, 12:10 PM

Easier to siphon dead pieces off the bottom when it's bare. I would live the substrate out for now. Also, it's a good idea to build the LR platform on the glass. Better support when the substrate is placed around the LR. Less possible movement when the fish start moving the substrate around.

TekCat · 02/01/2006, 12:15 PM

IMO, don't use sand bed for curing LR. I've done it, and had soo much trouble with it. First, all kinds of junk will fall from the rocks, and you don't want to get it buried in the sand. It is alot easier to siphone it out from bare bottom. Second, area of the rocks that will be in contact with sand wont get water flow that is one of paramount things in curing process, so you'll have to turn rocks often, and curing will take forever. Third, since sand is new and does not have enough bacteria that glues small particles together you'll have sand storm every time you take your rocks for cleaning, or rotating ....

In short, go barebottom.

inwall75 · 02/01/2006, 12:30 PM

I did it once, I'll never do it again. I had to use a freshwater gravel siphon on a regular basis to clean up all of the waste that popped out of the rock and landed on the sand. No matter how careful I was I couldn't avoid making sandstorms. Not only that, I couldn't get all the waste up. It ended up rotting in the sandbed.

eaglesatc · 02/01/2006, 12:44 PM

Ok so do it on the bare bottom. Then once its cured do you pull it out and then add the sand and put the rock back in during the sand storm?

TekCat · 02/01/2006, 01:13 PM

IMO, better to put rocks first on the bottom, and then add sand around them for stability. If you don't like burring parts of valuable LR under the sand. You could construct stands for them from 2-4" PVC pipes, or put dead (granite, basalt) flat rock on the bottom as a base. Then put LR on top of it, and poure sand around.

02/01/2006, 12:00 PM	#1
eaglesatc Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 38	Curing Live Rock on substrate or not? I have been reading different info on the curing of live rock. Some say to put your sand in and then cure the rock on top of it. Others say that you should cure your live rock without any substrate down. Any opinions?

02/01/2006, 12:30 PM	#4
inwall75 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,877	I did it once, I'll never do it again. I had to use a freshwater gravel siphon on a regular basis to clean up all of the waste that popped out of the rock and landed on the sand. No matter how careful I was I couldn't avoid making sandstorms. Not only that, I couldn't get all the waste up. It ended up rotting in the sandbed. __________________ Curt If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Current Tank Info: 7.5g nano, 75g Inwall, 18g nano, 12g nano, 200g prop tank

02/01/2006, 12:10 PM	#2
ralphvg Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 21	Easier to siphon dead pieces off the bottom when it's bare. I would live the substrate out for now. Also, it's a good idea to build the LR platform on the glass. Better support when the substrate is placed around the LR. Less possible movement when the fish start moving the substrate around.

02/01/2006, 12:15 PM	#3
TekCat Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: MN Posts: 3,130	IMO, don't use sand bed for curing LR. I've done it, and had soo much trouble with it. First, all kinds of junk will fall from the rocks, and you don't want to get it buried in the sand. It is alot easier to siphone it out from bare bottom. Second, area of the rocks that will be in contact with sand wont get water flow that is one of paramount things in curing process, so you'll have to turn rocks often, and curing will take forever. Third, since sand is new and does not have enough bacteria that glues small particles together you'll have sand storm every time you take your rocks for cleaning, or rotating .... In short, go barebottom.

02/01/2006, 12:44 PM	#5
eaglesatc Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 38	Ok so do it on the bare bottom. Then once its cured do you pull it out and then add the sand and put the rock back in during the sand storm?

02/01/2006, 01:13 PM	#6
TekCat Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: MN Posts: 3,130	IMO, better to put rocks first on the bottom, and then add sand around them for stability. If you don't like burring parts of valuable LR under the sand. You could construct stands for them from 2-4" PVC pipes, or put dead (granite, basalt) flat rock on the bottom as a base. Then put LR on top of it, and poure sand around.