adding live rock

[hunt]

I want to add more live rock when i have the money but -
i can only find uncured live rock and If i added uncured live rock to my tank, that would prabably cause an ammonia spike, right?
So if i am correct, how do i add live rock to my tank

 

[hunt]

o, just for those of you that dont know the tank is a 29g going on three years with fish and coral

 

[luvmyreef]

You need to cure the rock in a seperate container, then add it to your tank.

 

[hunt]

how exactly do you cure it. I only need like one or two medium to small peices

 

[luvmyreef]

Put it in a container like a rubbermaid tote, add a powerhead and heater, and let it cure. When you say uncured, you are not talking about dead rock (white), right? If it is dead, you can add it to your tank, but it takes awhile for it to become "live rock".

 

[hunt]

yeah, its the stuff you get from the tanks in the pet store. How do you know when its done curing?

 

[luvmyreef]

Just test the water daily, when your ammonia and nitrite readings are ZERO, then it is done. Your nitrates will climb steadily, so expect the reading to rise daily until the cycle is done. Then add the rock to your tank. But only add it after your levels stay zero, except for nitrates of course. And during this cycling...it is a good time to keep a close eye on it for unwanted pests like mantis, aiptasia, etc...

 

[hunt]

seems easy enough, just like cycling a tank. Thanks