live rock arrived...

[jerseysaltwater]

now how long should i leave it in the rubbermaid tub with the heater and powerhead before i move the pieces into my display tank? i'm thinking it's best to move one piece in every couple of days (depending on my ammonia readings), but not sure how long before i start moving them?

 

[shanev]

Is it existing tank with livestock or a new tank?

 

[jacksonpt]

is it cured? how does it smell (like the ocean, or like a dead fish)? Where did you get it (lfs or online)? If lfs, did they have it in a tank with fish/inverts, or just a LR tank?

 

[jerseysaltwater]

my display has a mandarin, a maroon clown, 6 snails, 40 lbs LS and 25 lbs LR. i ordered the new batch of 25 lbs LR online, and it arrived with a funky smell. i put them in the rubbermaid last night with new saltwater, a heater, and power head.
so how long til it's safe to start moving it to the display tank, one piece at a time?

 

[birdy]

You will need to test the water that the rock is in currently, When you have a 0 reading of Ammonia and Nitrate then the rock is fully cured and you can put once piece in at a time several days apart (better yet a week).

 

[jerseysaltwater]

just checked ammonia - off the scale in the rock bin. it's a 13 gal container; i think i'll swap out 5 gallons now and check each day.

 

[birdy]

Sounds like a plan, probably would be beneficial to do water changes and keep the ammonia level low to keep the amount of die off low.

 

[toddpolish]

I'm curing LR right now myself. I've had to do 100% water changes just about every day now since I've gotten it. It's starting to smell less and less. Has only been 6 days though.
I think it's interesting that you say to add the rock 1 piece at a time with days (week) in between. Is this to avoid any sorta spike in the tank? makes sense to me.

 

[birdy]

Yes, even fully cured rock can possibly cause a spike because of changing the bioload. I would think if the rock was truly fully cured a few days would be fine but it is always a good idea to test the water after any new addition to see the effect.