How to acclimate Live Rock?

[reef dude]

When i order my 20 lb box of LR, how do i acclimate them? I know the drill for the corals but what about the LR? Can you just throw them in the tank? Help me please!

 

[nacl-h2o]

I put mine in a bucket of salt water with a pump for airation and cirrculation for a few days to make sure its not going to cause an ammo spike and them cure it if I get one. If I don't I just add it strait in.

 

[reef dude]

so how long should i let them stay in the bucket? wont the water in the bucket get cool?

 

[frankl15207]

If the rock is cured (truly cured) you can stick in right in your tank. Since you show no other inhabitants, it shouldn't cause a problem.
Smell it first to see if it has an odor and look over it and remove and dead sponge that is obvious. If it is cured it shouldn't have an oder to it.
If you want to be safer, either follow the previous post or use a bare tank with a powerhead.

 

[reef dude]

ok cool, is the Fiji rock on this site cured?

 

[rick58]

The rock from swf will need some curing, however, you can cure it in your tank if all you have in there is sand and water.

 

[tropicalreefs]

Even if the sight says it is cured you are still going to get die off because of shipping. So you will either have to cure it again I.E. let it die off for a few days in the bucket or like it has been said let it give a slight cycle bump in your tank. If you have a new tank without any fish it should only take a couple of days to a week to finish.

 

[dsa_mom]

We purchased live rock (from another site) which came in wet newspaper and water double bagged in a styrofoam box. We were IMMENSELY happy that we cured the rock at home in an old 20 gal with a powerhead, heater and a cheap little filter. There was a lot of debris, little shreds of newspaper, etc, as well as some genuine die-off (phew) which we scrubbed with a small wire brush. We just wouldnt want this crud in the good tank. Check out the many sites that sell live rock if you haven't already, there are many different methods of handling the rock as well as prices, etc, so you can make the most informed decision. Hope this helps!