Why is my Live Rock Not Curing???

lubeck

lubeck

Active Member
It will be 3 weeks on Thursday. I have done 5 or 6 water changes and my nitrites and trates are all very high. My amonia is 0. I initially did not scrub the rock when I got it.. but... i did buy a wire brush and scrubbed the crap out of it on my 4 water change. I breifly scrubbed them again on my last change... which was sunday.
What should I do? :notsure:
Why is it taking so long? :notsure:
I read in the Archive thread for DIY LIVE ROCK that it should not go longer than 4 weeks if it is pre-cured... which it was. It does have alot of diatoms on it now if that matters. I am using ro/di water with tropic marin pro reef salt. This has been VERY EXPENSIVE. I have gone through 100 gallons of salt water. 1/2 a bucket of salt so far.

I really need some advice to speed up this process.
 
alyssia

alyssia

Active Member
I had the same problem last month. It took my rock between 6 and 7 weeks to cure. Is your circulation really good in the curing vat?
 
lubeck

lubeck

Active Member
ya i have a 9.5mag drive in a 30gal tank. I hope it doesn't take that long... i'll be pissed.
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
What, it does take time for the bacteria to grow. The rock IS cycleing. The bacteria that changes ammonia to nitrite has grown and now that you have nitrite, it will let the bacteria to grow that will change the nitrite to nitrates. Because you have both now then that means its there and doing its job. You may have just set it way back by scrubbing because you may have scrubed off the bacteria that you are wanting to grow in the first place.
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
You may have just set it way back by scrubbing because you may have scrubed off the bacteria that you are wanting to grow in the first place.
Ummm, that would be kind of hard...
Think of a gooey sucker on the sidewalk...you can "scrub" all you want and will get the ants and dirt off...but you never kill the bacteria and germs... (and no, the five second rule does not apply...
)
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
So I should NOT do a water change, right???
Depends...Ammonia at 0 is good, if nitrIte less than .5 should probably just let it simmer out...
If much above that a WC will lower toxic levels that can harm micro fauna (same as the >.25 ammonia)
 
lubeck

lubeck

Active Member
Nitrites Are waaaayyyyy higher than .5
I am a little confused on your last sentence squidd.. soo... a WC will harm micro fauna... which would be a bad thing right?
So with my nitrites being high should I scrub them down again and get another batch of fresh SW?
 
lubeck

lubeck

Active Member
Originally Posted by Squidd
Nahh...6 max...

(your kidding right...?)

NO... someone in the fish forum asked how many tangs could fit in a 180gal. and dogstar said 5 yellows plus 2 hippo and 1 orange shoulder tang... or something like that.
unless i read wrong... which is possible. I thought 8 was the number.
 
lubeck

lubeck

Active Member
I just wanted to say thank you again for all your help with my sump/fuge and everything else. You have more patience than i ever will.
and one more thing.... NO MORE BUBBLES :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:
The fuge is finally starting to mature. And for the first time since the tank has been set up I have 0 nitrates and of course the other toxic readings are 0. Cheato all the way.
 
viper_930

viper_930

Active Member
Just to clarify, did you make your own rock or did you buy it already as live rock from an established system? Curing DIY rocks is for almost a completely different purpose than curing live rocks.
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
Originally Posted by Lubeck
Nitrites Are waaaayyyyy higher than .5
I am a little confused on your last sentence squidd.. soo... a WC will harm micro fauna... which would be a bad thing right?
So with my nitrites being high should I scrub them down again and get another batch of fresh SW?
No just the opposite (sort of...)
Scrubbing removes excess "die off" so less to process...once is probably good, but scrubbing wil not remove "bacteria"... (fresh water dip/rinse would kill it though...)
WCs if "over" .5 lessen toxic effect of nitrite and promote survival of diversity of micro fauna and other life forms...
If "under" .5 let it go and will soon complete cycle with out/minimal "additional" dieoff...
Die off and need to process "waste" lengthens cycle...but once your that far (<.5) let it go and bacteria levels will balance out and take care of rest...
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
Im trying to help you understand your cycle, what that has to do with another thread I dont understand. I have had a 180g with 5 yellow tangs and I may know something about them, They dont get too big and get along fine. I dont know if your comment was to imply if I did not know anything and Im not sure if I should take it that way or not. JTTH....
 
dejaco

dejaco

Member
Hey slow down, okay look and think about the nitrogen cycle. Waste products =
Ammonia (NH3). When your NH3 spikes high there is an over abundance of food for
a nitrifying bacteria (nitrobacter sp) which cuases a population explosion. NH3 is consumed and the levels drop. The NH3 is converted to Nitrite (NO2) and as it's levels climb another nitrifying bacteria (nitrosomas sp) goes thru a population explosion and the
NO2 is converted into nitrate (NO3). So at this point in a tanks cycle you should have seen
the NH3 spike. Then the NO2 spike. Now the NO3 is trying to spike and what happens -
You dilute the water with a water change. When curing the live rock remember that most
nitrifying bacteria are living on the surface of "everything" in your tank. Since it is on the surface they are in a relatively oxygen rich environment. The final stage of curing you are looking for is for denitrification and those bacteria are found in oxygen poor / defficient places (in deep sand beds / or deep inside your live rock. This is why the porosity of your live rock is important. Lighter rock is better than heavier rock. At any rate you should keep the water movement up and the temp at 78 - 80 F and only do 1 water change after NH3 spike, one after NO2 spike, and one after NO3 spike. The last change takes the most time as populations in a oxygen poor / anarobic environment
develop slower. Patience - it happens in nature on it's own, don't try to rush it. When your NO3 / nitrate fall and only then will the rock be cycled.
Sorry for the book but that is the topic in a nutshell.
 
lubeck

lubeck

Active Member
Originally Posted by Dogstar
Im trying to help you understand your cycle, what that has to do with another thread I dont understand. I have had a 180g with 5 yellow tangs and I may know something about them, They dont get too big and get along fine. I dont know if your comment was to imply if I did not know anything and Im not sure if I should take it that way or not. JTTH....

By NO means did I mean to disrespect your comments. You are one of the members hear I look for advice. I appoligize if it came off the wrong way. I was just wondering if thats what you ment about the tangs.
 
lubeck

lubeck

Active Member
Originally Posted by ViPeR_930
Just to clarify, did you make your own rock or did you buy it already as live rock from an established system? Curing DIY rocks is for almost a completely different purpose than curing live rocks.

I purchased them online and it said it was cured. Although.... it took FOUR DAYS before it reached my house. :mad:
 
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