How to Cure Live Rock
Along with advances in technology, the use of live rock has been one of the recent advances in saltwater aquarium methodology that has lead to widespread success. Live rock comes from tropical regions around the world, and its porous and open structure allows the rock to host a wide array of beneficial bacteria, and animals as well as provide a stable base for coral growth. Because the organisms found on live rock will quickly begin to die once exposed to air, it is always advisable to cure the rock before use.
Curing un-cured rock may be done inside a plastic bin or inside the newly set up aquarium. We recommend using as large of a water container as you can but curing inside the new tank is best overall. It is not recommended to have any substrate inside of the tank, during the curing process, as nutrients will continue to be highly elevated, and possibly extend the curing time.
Equipment necessary to cure the rock properly are as follows:
- Protein Skimmer. The protein skimmer will remove organic waste from the tank before it can break down creating ammonia.
- Powerheads. Run a couple of powerheads as well, for water circulation. You want a strong circulation, so the more the better.
- Heater. The bacteria and organisms found on the rock need to be kept in the same temperature range as your fish and coral; we recommend 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lights. You may run lights during curing, however we would recommend no more than 4 hours a day, and only if the rock is being cured inside of a tank, this is to help reduce the occurrence of nuisance algae.
Do water changes as needed; most likely large water changes of 20-30% will be needed every few days but at least once a week during the curing process. Siphon off all the dead debris you can find and pull off any dead sponges, plants, etc. However, we do not recommend scrubbing the rock unless you see obvious dead areas on the rock itself. During this time, we advise carefully observing the rock for any signs of nuisance hitchhikers such as crabs and mantis shrimp. It is much easier to catch and remove them at this stage then in a carefully arranged display tank!
Throughout the curing process you will want to test frequently for ammonia and nitrites. You will know that the live rock has cured once there are no further ammonia spikes and your nitrite levels start dropping rapidly to zero. You can also do the "sniff" test, cured live rock should smell fresh, if there is a rotten egg smell then the rock will need to cure a while longer.
If you can control these elements during the curing (2-3 weeks) and keep the lights on, the coralline algae, plants, corals, copepods, and other organisms will be alive on the rock when you are done curing.
|