ADDING 50lbs more LR need curing advice

mrinelfrlz

mrinelfrlz

Member
ok i need some advice
im going to order (from this site) 50lbs more LR and i know i cant add that to my tank because its already cycled with animals in it
so im going to cycle it in a container and so far i have as follows
31 gallon rubber maid container
water will be RODIed
x2 power heads 250 gph
protein skimmer
48" 40watt MARINE GLOW light (to help keep coraline algae alive
im already storing the water to get room temp but i dont have a heater for it but in the back room i closed off the air conditioning vents and since its summer i think i will be ok?
but just how long do i need to cure it(i know its already precured but there is always die off i learned that from you helpful people
) before i can add it to my tank
thanks
 
grumpygils

grumpygils

Active Member
Originally Posted by MrineLfRlz
ok i need some advice
im going to order (from this site) 50lbs more LR and i know i cant add that to my tank because its already cycled with animals in it
now
so im going to cycle it in a container and so far i have as follows
31 gallon rubber maid container
water will be RODIed
x2 power heads 250 gph
protein skimmer
48" 40watt MARINE GLOW light (to help keep coraline algae alive
im already storing the water to get room temp but i dont have a heater for it but in the back room i closed off the air conditioning vents and since its summer i think i will be ok?
but just how long do i need to cure it before i can add it to my tank
thanks


IMO, no need for a protein skimmer. Probably should cure with in 2-3 weeks. I would let it sit for a week, do 1/2 water change and test ammonia at the end of week two. If low or 0, then submerse shake/rinse in clean water and put it in the DT. That is how I have done it and never had a spike.
Good luck!
Mc
 
mrinelfrlz

mrinelfrlz

Member
Originally Posted by grumpygils
IMO, no need for a protein skimmer. Probably should cure with in 2-3 weeks. I would let it sit for a week, do 1/2 water change and test ammonia at the end of week two. If low or 0, then submerse shake/rinse in clean water and put it in the DT. That is how I have done it and never had a spike.
Good luck!
Mc
thanks for the fast reply

but unfortunately for the protein skimmer i already bought me a extra one
(not real expensive though) so i will try it with that
 
mrinelfrlz

mrinelfrlz

Member
Originally Posted by grumpygils
IMO, no need for a protein skimmer. Probably should cure with in 2-3 weeks. I would let it sit for a week, do 1/2 water change and test ammonia at the end of week two. If low or 0, then submerse shake/rinse in clean water and put it in the DT. That is how I have done it and never had a spike.
Good luck!
Mc
but as for the curing since this site said it was already cured shouldnt it take less time to make it ready for my DT?
ALSO ROCK CAME IN GREAT SHAPE!!
VERY HAPPY
 
dawman

dawman

Active Member
Originally Posted by MrineLfRlz
but as for the curing since this site said it was already cured shouldnt it take less time to make it ready for my DT?
ALSO ROCK CAME IN GREAT SHAPE!!
VERY HAPPY


Cured rock does not need to be cured if you get it at a LFS or shipped in water . Since shipping in water is not economical it is shipped with damp paper or cardboard . All the die off during shipping will create an ammonia spike . Recuring and removing die off will need to happen before putting the rock in a tank with livestock . Curing the rock slowly removes the ammonia build up and keep the rock alive .
 
mrinelfrlz

mrinelfrlz

Member
Originally Posted by Dawman
Cured rock does not need to be cured if you get it at a LFS or shipped in water . Since shipping in water is not economical it is shipped with damp paper or cardboard . All the die off during shipping will create an ammonia spike . Recuring and removing die off will need to happen before putting the rock in a tank with livestock . Curing the rock slowly removes the ammonia build up and keep the rock alive .
its curing now but for how long i should leave it in the container i dont know does it really have to be about 3 weeks though i know there is die off but it got to me fast and the rock didnt even have a scent of foul oder to it i even found a sponge on a piece of rubble an i put it in the DT and its doing fine the bag it was shipped in had no tears still had a little (barely) standing water and everything else was nice and moist
 
dawman

dawman

Active Member
Originally Posted by MrineLfRlz
its curing now but for how long i should leave it in the container i dont know does it really have to be about 3 weeks though i know there is die off but it got to me fast and the rock didnt even have a scent of foul oder to it i even found a sponge on a piece of rubble an i put it in the DT and its doing fine the bag it was shipped in had no tears still had a little (barely) standing water and everything else was nice and moist

Do water changes every few days and test for ammonia . When the ammonia gets down to 0 or close to it you can put the rock in your tank . When you do water changes you should scrub off any die off that you see and rinse the rock with saltwater . Typically it takes anywhere from 1-3 weeks . Curing will mainly depend on how much die off there is . If you have any fish or inverts in your tank I would put the rock in slowly not all at once just to be safe . Also you should have a heater in your container .
 
mrinelfrlz

mrinelfrlz

Member
Originally Posted by Dawman
Do water changes every few days and test for ammonia . When the ammonia gets down to 0 or close to it you can put the rock in your tank . When you do water changes you should scrub off any die off that you see and rinse the rock with saltwater . Typically it takes anywhere from 1-3 weeks . Curing will mainly depend on how much die off there is . If you have any fish or inverts in your tank I would put the rock in slowly not all at once just to be safe . Also you should have a heater in your container .
i checked the ammonia as soon as i got home from work this morning
i checked it with 2 kinds of test kits just to be positive
and they both came out to 0.25
SALIFERT/ API
also the water in the container is crystal clear
 
stanlalee

stanlalee

Active Member
skimmers arent neccessary but actually a good thing to have in a curing bin and most large capacity liverock suppliers have large ones on their curing tanks. Helps keep ammonia from skyrocketing by removing gunk before it breaks down which in turn will speed up the curing time and keep more stuff alive. You could probably achieve the same thing with an abundance of water changes. unless you can keep the water at least in the mid 70's I would get a heater. they are only $20. Otherwise you seem to have everything covered. Its just a waiting game after that. the more water you use to cure in the smaller the ammonia spike will be and the need for water changing will be reduced so use as big of body of water you can. I would get a bigger bin.
 
mrinelfrlz

mrinelfrlz

Member
Originally Posted by Stanlalee
skimmers arent neccessary but actually a good thing to have in a curing bin and most large capacity liverock suppliers have large ones on their curing tanks. Helps keep ammonia from skyrocketing by removing gunk before it breaks down which in turn will speed up the curing time and keep more stuff alive. You could probably achieve the same thing with an abundance of water changes. unless you can keep the water at least in the mid 70's I would get a heater. they are only $20. Otherwise you seem to have everything covered. Its just a waiting game after that. the more water you use to cure in the smaller the ammonia spike will be and the need for water changing will be reduced so use as big of body of water you can. I would get a bigger bin.
thanks i dont have another heater so im using a oil radiator type heater and keeping it at 80 in the room and my water is at 78
 
dawman

dawman

Active Member
Originally Posted by MrineLfRlz
thanks i dont have another heater so im using a oil radiator type heater and keeping it at 80 in the room and my water is at 78

That will work !
 
symon

symon

Member
I wouldn't think you would need to recure it for so long, But as said before i would do some testing just to be sure! Sounds like you are on the right track to make it happen! Luck to ya!
 
mrinelfrlz

mrinelfrlz

Member
Originally Posted by Symon
I wouldn't think you would need to recure it for so long, But as said before i would do some testing just to be sure! Sounds like you are on the right track to make it happen! Luck to ya!
thanks i know i need to cure a little longer but i would like to at least take the biggest piece out so i can finish my foundation for my LR scaping
 
mrinelfrlz

mrinelfrlz

Member
Originally Posted by Stanlalee
thats a great looking curing set up. you didn't need any help!
i wouldn't know much if it wasnt for all you nice helpful people on here just want to learn more so i can help others out as well
 
mrinelfrlz

mrinelfrlz

Member
did full water change testerday and today all ammonia tested less then>0.25 so i went ahead and put them in i really like it

here are the old and new pics


 
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