Cleaning new live rock.

[spanko]

Okay I have a 29 gallon bio-cube up for five months now. Everything is aok.
It have about 30 bls. of rock in it now.
I would like to add more. I have seen the cycling tanks at my LFS for the curing of their live rock and the method and time that they cure and am confident that buying rock there labeled as cured really means what it says.
The store is 1 mile from my house. They pack the rock in water not wet newspapers for transport home.
My question is if I purchase this rock, take it hom and do a freshwater ph adjusted dip for a minute or two am I killing the nitrifying bacteria on it.
The reason for the dip is to drive out any creatures residing in the nooks and crannys. I am tired of capturing unwanted hitching crabs from my existing rock and would like to get them out of the new if they are there before putting the rock into my tank.
Whadaya think??

 

[lacyqueen]

I've read somewhere to mix your water in a container at a SG of 1.040 and dip the rocks in it for about 3 minutes. That should get rid of any unwanted hitchhikers.

 

[florida joe]

# Gently rinse each piece thoroughly in saltwater.
# Place the pieces in a new 30-gallon plastic container.
# Immerse the rock in freshly mixed saltwater with a specific gravity between 1.023 and 1.025.
# Use a heater to keep the water temperature between 72-78ºF.
# Create constant water movement with a powerhead, or an airstone.
# Keep the area dimly lit to prevent algae blooms.
# Perform 100% water changes twice weekly.
# Use a nylon bristle brush between water changes to gently remove white film or dead material.
# After one week, check the ammonia and nitrite levels periodically. When water conditions stabilize and ammonia and nitrite test zero, the rock is aquarium ready