Cooking LR (?)

bruffin · 08/07/2006, 08:31 AM

What exactly is cooking Live Rock? Does this mean actually baking it in an oven . . . ? Is it only for removing Phosphate in rock that has been out of water?

TekCat · 08/07/2006, 11:48 AM

bruffin, you can turn off your stove now

Cooking is just a term that describes following process:
First of all, it is designed for LR, though I don't see why this wont work for dead rocks as well.
The idea is to create bacterial environment for rocks instead of algal. Rocks placed in a total darkness for about 8 weeks (in salt water of course). Every week 100% of water changed, and rocks get dunked and swished in number of fresh saltwater buckets to remove detrius and other junk.
What this does is: algea dies off, pores get open, and bacteria as a predominant occupant of rocks will remove phosphates (there is a scientific termin of this process, but I forgot the name).

At the end of the cooking process you'll get clean rock however it is still a LR, it has bacteria thriving; pods and sponges are going to survive too. The only life lost is a photosynthetic kind - algea.

hth.

bruffin · 08/07/2006, 11:56 AM

Neat. Thanks TekCat. Can this be combined with curing/ skimming?

TekCat · 08/07/2006, 12:08 PM

In a way, you could think of LR cooking as an extending curing in total darkness.

bruffin · 08/07/2006, 12:10 PM

Cool . . . So cure first, then cook?

TekCat · 08/07/2006, 12:17 PM

yep
I am cooking my LR right now, I wish i knew this upfront, so I could cure and then cook them. There is a better explanation of cooking process somewhere here on RC. search for it... they explain pretty much everything.

Cheers

outy · 08/07/2006, 01:27 PM

most of the time the main reason for cooking is to get rid of HA

ive got 3 20g tubs rite now under the house lol

djperezo · 08/08/2006, 03:57 PM

Is temperature important in cooking LR? Reason I ask is because I plan to cook LR in my garage where it's very hot this time of year, around 90's

TekCat · 08/08/2006, 04:27 PM

Temperature is important, we don't want to kill more than we need to. Slightly raised temp IMO would help bacteria as with rising temperature their metabolic rates also increase. However at some point, I suppose, very high temp would work against them.

08/07/2006, 08:31 AM	#1
bruffin Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 114	Cooking LR (?) What exactly is cooking Live Rock? Does this mean actually baking it in an oven . . . ? Is it only for removing Phosphate in rock that has been out of water?

08/07/2006, 11:48 AM	#2
TekCat Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: MN Posts: 3,130	bruffin, you can turn off your stove now Cooking is just a term that describes following process: First of all, it is designed for LR, though I don't see why this wont work for dead rocks as well. The idea is to create bacterial environment for rocks instead of algal. Rocks placed in a total darkness for about 8 weeks (in salt water of course). Every week 100% of water changed, and rocks get dunked and swished in number of fresh saltwater buckets to remove detrius and other junk. What this does is: algea dies off, pores get open, and bacteria as a predominant occupant of rocks will remove phosphates (there is a scientific termin of this process, but I forgot the name). At the end of the cooking process you'll get clean rock however it is still a LR, it has bacteria thriving; pods and sponges are going to survive too. The only life lost is a photosynthetic kind - algea. hth.

08/07/2006, 11:56 AM	#3
bruffin Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 114	Neat. Thanks TekCat. Can this be combined with curing/ skimming?

08/07/2006, 12:08 PM	#4
TekCat Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: MN Posts: 3,130	In a way, you could think of LR cooking as an extending curing in total darkness.

08/07/2006, 12:10 PM	#5
bruffin Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 114	Cool . . . So cure first, then cook?

08/07/2006, 12:17 PM	#6
TekCat Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: MN Posts: 3,130	yep I am cooking my LR right now, I wish i knew this upfront, so I could cure and then cook them. There is a better explanation of cooking process somewhere here on RC. search for it... they explain pretty much everything. Cheers

08/07/2006, 01:27 PM	#7
outy Moved On Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: auburn CA Posts: 4,021	most of the time the main reason for cooking is to get rid of HA ive got 3 20g tubs rite now under the house lol

08/08/2006, 03:57 PM	#8
djperezo Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 223	Is temperature important in cooking LR? Reason I ask is because I plan to cook LR in my garage where it's very hot this time of year, around 90's

08/08/2006, 04:27 PM	#9
TekCat Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: MN Posts: 3,130	Temperature is important, we don't want to kill more than we need to. Slightly raised temp IMO would help bacteria as with rising temperature their metabolic rates also increase. However at some point, I suppose, very high temp would work against them.