new live rock

[mcknz323]

i just got 25 lbs of live rock from swf.com and i was wondering if i shoud wash it before i put it in my tank? I have a 75 gallon tank that has been going for about 3 months. I have 3 fish and some coral in it. also there is about 20 lbs of live rock in there now. any help would be great

 

[nacl-man]

You should cure that rock prior to putting it in your tank.
Run out to Walmart, get a 10 gallon container, fill it with some saltwater, put a powerhead and a heater in it and wait until the Ammonia gets to 0, change out the water in the rubbermaid and test the water until it is ready to put in the display tank.
You may run into some serious problems putting new live rock into an established tank. HTH.

 

[mcknz323]

this may be the "newbie" coming out of me but the web site says that it is "pre-cured". my question is do i still need to cure it? Is the reason i need to cure it because they ship it dry? i did go get the supplies you suggested and i will cure it again i am just on of those why people. Thank you for your help

 

[doodle1800]

It wouldn't hurt to brush off some loose debris off the rock. Putting in an established tank might be a little risky - a mini cycle possibly, depending on how much it is uncured in the process of shipping. If you do, take some water tests and do a water change after the ammonia spikes, if it does.

 

[nacl-man]

IMO it is best to not risk it. I ordered 'pre-cured' LR and used it to cycle my first 44, let me tell you if there had been fish in that thing when I put the rock in they would not have lasted long. Ammonia off the charts for 5 days and it stunk to high heaven.
That LR is 'pre-cured' can be debated. All LR is 'pre-cured' and IMO all LR needs to be 're' cured when you get it home due to the die off that invariably happens during shipment (two days usually from online retailers, a few hours in your car) which will cause a mini-cycle.
I'm glad you took my advice, like I said, it is best to not risk it. Nothing happens fast or easy in this hobby.
Cheers!

 

[tizzo]

Please, please please read the live rockin' thread... (I still don't know how to do quotes).

 

[doodle1800]

Originally posted by Tizzo
Please, please please read the live rockin' thread... (I still don't know how to do quotes).

go to the persons post and click on the quote tab at bottom right - do this before you hit "post reply"
plus - after you do that, you can delete parts of the quote if you don't want the whole quote printed...