Uncured Rock?

[aquaman2000]

Hi
can some one help me answer a dilema
i tried looking for the answer but have had no success therefore the post
If i were to buy uncured rock to cycle a new 140 tank
(no water, fish, or anything in it yet),
do i have to just set it in there and make water changes
or
do i have to brush of the excess things it comes with and then set it in the tank for cycling
if i set it in the tank once i receive it (which i think is the way to go) will the excess of things come of?
will there be unwanted hitchhikers that will hurt the tank in the long run?
will the hitchhikers die of during the cycling period

 

[ejensen]

I did the same thing when I started my SW tank. First thing is if they say the rocks are cured they are not. If you have it shipped to your house they you will have some die off. I would just leave the rocks in a tub for a week or two depending on the smell. Do all the water changing and scrubbing in the garage. If the rocks have alot of die off then you will a bad smell in the house. Then put in the tank. I jus t bought somemore rock and I am cureing it right now in the garage. Best part about it is it was only 1.99 a pound for Fiji LR. Stright from one of the so call importers.
Depending on how fresh your rock is you should have some kind of hitchhikers but what a while wiered things start growing.

 

[aquaman2000]

Originally Posted by From the Live Rock Thread
For a new tank, get uncured live rock. Uncured live rock can have more varieties of life on it, that you may get lucky enough to have survive the cycle. With uncured live rock, the dying matter on the rock fuels the nitrogen cycle, so all you have to do is test your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels until the cycle is over and your tank becomes safe for fish. If you start with cured rock, you'll have to add the fuel to start the nitrogen cycle.
I still don't get it

When cycling the tank with uncured rock do you just set the rock in the tank and let it be with all the things that came stuck with it
OR
do you have to scrub all the dead things of (curing process) and then add it to the tank to cycle it?
pls :help: :help: :help:

 

[f14peter]

The documentation that came with my LR suggested if curing in the tank to scrub before going into the tank, then doing weekly significant water changes (IIRC, 20% minimum, might have been more), scrubbing right before-hand. Also suggested to run the skimmer.
This would also probably cycle the tank. Now, water changes and running the skimmer during the cycle goes against a lot of what I've read. However, you are going to have a lot of crud in the water, and you don't want ammonia to get too high, even when cycling.
It also suggested to rid the rock of hitch hikers (at least the animal types) to dip the rock for one minute in water with a SG of around 1.038-1.040 before going into the tank, which would spook the critters out of the rock. Then you would be able to sort through them and discard the ones you didn't want.

 

[dogstar]

IMO, useing uncured rock...( were gloves ) best to pull or knock off any large pcs. of dead stuff and then vigerously rinse it off in a seperate temp controlled SW. Its ok to scrub a little if something is being stuburn...then cycle in a system useing equipment as if an established system..( filters, skimmer, heaters, ect )...test and do water changes as needed to keep ammonia below 1.0 ppms and then nitrites below 0.50 ppms and control smell if that becomes a problem....
Most hitchhickers are benificial.....attempt to keep from killing as many as you can.

 

[wrenchsnipe]

Originally Posted by ejensen
I did the same thing when I started my SW tank. First thing is if they say the rocks are cured they are not. If you have it shipped to your house they you will have some die off. I would just leave the rocks in a tub for a week or two depending on the smell. Do all the water changing and scrubbing in the garage. If the rocks have alot of die off then you will a bad smell in the house. Then put in the tank. I jus t bought somemore rock and I am cureing it right now in the garage. Best part about it is it was only 1.99 a pound for Fiji LR. Stright from one of the so call importers.
Depending on how fresh your rock is you should have some kind of hitchhikers but what a while wiered things start growing.
Can you send me an email on where you got the live rock from?

 

[memphis]

I would also suggest a dip. I alway dip my rock in RO for about 3 minutes. This will have most hitchers jumping off. Just look through them and pick out the ones you want to keep. I have many, many Guerrilla (Gorilla)? crabs in my rock. I keep waiting for something really great but so far just those.