Live Rock

[firedave]

I currently have only decorative corals in my tank. Is is ok to slowly add live rock or do I need to remove the deco corals first.

 

[bdhough]

And don't add slowly, add all at once if you can.... I assume you have fish so that's probalby not an option.

 

[saltwaterdude]

so can you add lr in an established tank
I have the same problem, about 10 lbs of lr and hoping to get more for 30g tank

 

[steve40]

I would definately get it in all at once because of the cycle it has to go through. You should buy in bulk online, that will save alot of money rather than getting it from the LFS.
oh yeah and definately cure it before putting it into the tank

 

[bdhough]

SaltwaterDude yes you can add to an existing tank but you have to make sure the rock is cured before adding it to an existing tank. IF you add uncured rock then you risk spiking your harmful levels and killing everything off because you started a new cycle in your tank. Your bacteria will remain but thats about all that may live through it. If youre lucky some of your larger organisms will survive but i SERIOUSLY don't recommend trying.
Its more an inconvenience as it limits your sources of live rock that you can add to the tank.

 

[firedave]

Could someone explain how to cure the live rock..

 

[phil1964]

So other than it costing more and taking longer would it be advisable to add 2 or 3 peices of LR to a tank.
And as for curing, If I see some LR in a LFS tank and it has been there for a few weeks could it be considered safe?

 

[krishj39]

Firedave, you cure LR by putting it in its own tank/container with some powerheads, a heater, and maybe a protein skimmer. I have mine curing in a 20 gallon bucket right now. Basically, you let the tub cycle, once it finishes cycling you can add it to your main tank. This may take several weeks to a month.
Phil, it obviously depends on the size of the rock and the size of your tank, but yes, it is better to add LR a few pieces at a time in an established tank. You can still buy it all at once though and put it in a tub to cure (as described to Firedave). If you don't have a tub, heater, powerhead, it would probably still cost less to go buy them and get bulk LR than it would just to buy the LR piece by piece at a LFS. As to assuming the LR is safe because it has been sitting. No. You can't assume that. You can assume it will take less time to cure though. To test if it is cured or not, I'd put it in a bucket and fill it with tank water. Let it sit for a while and then do a water test. If there is ammo in the bucket, you know it isn't cured LR yet.