Will my rock die?

portugee

Member
Ive been setup for 6 days now. 90 gal w/ 150# lr.
The rock is starting to fade. Is this part of the cycling w/ lr or is their something I can do to keep it colorful and live?
 
G

get reel

Guest
Was the rock cured? It may just be part of the curing process. Be patient.::D
 

portugee

Member
Im not sure. It's fiji. When I picked it up from the store it was still moist with a pretty strong sea odor.
The reef guy at the store said the supplier pulls the rock then lets it dry out a bit to get rid of unwanted critters like mantis shrimp.
Then ship it. It only took 3 days to arrive.
How do you tell if its cured, and what difference does it make?
 
G

get reel

Guest
It sounds like it's not cured to me. What the supplier did was start the curing by letting it dry out ( killing off some of the living organisms inside the rock). Now your job is to finish it by letting it cure in you tank. By doing that you are letting any dying organisms die off. Are you running a protien skimmer while cycling? If not, you should. It will remove any of the waste coming out of the rocks from the water. Are you doing tests on the water?
 

portugee

Member
Yeah a protein skimmer sound like a good idea. This is a lot of rock with alot of stuff thats dead or on its way out. I havent done any water tests yet,
I seem to be taking a much more relaxed approach to this set up for some reason.
Can you buy a protein skimmer at petsmart I think their open late?
 
G

get reel

Guest
I'm not sure if they will have what you need. Do you have an lfs you frequent. They should be able to help you out. It may run you around $100 to get a good skimmer for your tank. Being relaxed is good. You have to be patient if you want it done right. BTW, I wouldn't run the lights while your curing your rock. There's really no need for it, plus it will start the algae thing a little too soon.
 

portugee

Member
No lights huh. I dont know if I can keep it dark, it looks so cool.
$100 bucks sound reasonable. What sould I look for in a protein skimmer? Any features to have or skip.
I dont have any room behind the tank for hang on stuff.
 
G

get reel

Guest
Do you mean NO room, cause Red Sea's Prizm is kind of skinny. Or maybe you could hang one off the side. If not, do you have a sump underneath to put one in. There are a few good skimmers out there, and all work pretty good. As far as the lights, I guess it wouldn't hurt to run them for a couple of hours a night. But I wouldn't start running them "normaly" the rock has cured.
 

portugee

Member
Get Reel youve been really helpful. thanks,but
Ive got another guppy question.
What the hell is a sump?
 
P

pa reef pig

Guest
If you are asking the question "what is a sump" then I have a feeling the very next thing you should buy is a good reef book and read it. Try to learn as much about reef aquariums in this time while the tank is cycling.
To answer your question, a sump is an extra tank or container located underneath the main tank that is generaly used to hold equipment such as heaters, skimers and a return pump.
You will need a siphon/overflow box that hangs on the back of your tank and emptys into the sump (large rubbermaid container or 20 gal tank should work) under the tank. In the sump you put your skimmer (turbofloator 1000 or berlin turbo would be good) a heater (150 watts) and return pump that pumps back up to the main tank from the sump (mag drive 7 or bigger).
 
G

get reel

Guest
A sump is another tank/container of water underneath, that is plumbed to the main tank. Some people have them for a place to put their heaters, skimmer, etc.. Some just have it for extra volume of water. A wet/dry filter could be used as a sump. That's what mine is. I just removed the filter media. Some don't have them at all.
 

portugee

Member
PA reef pig, your right I just got some good suggestions on books to read on the guppy board. Its funny, Ive run a 55 gal salt and 125 gal successfully with undergravel and canisters. Whole different story now, Wet-drys,skimmers,sumps,lighting,live rock,live sand and water supplements.
Feels great to be starting a real setup.
While Ive got it cycling, you think I should take out the crushed
coral and go with live sand.
I think a wet/dry vac could get rid of the coral. It might be easier just to pull all the rock out.
 
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