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rize2 
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 Topic: Best way to cure dry rock?
Posted: May 05 2013 at 8:31pm |
When I move sometime this summer I will be setting up a 60 cube and I am wanting to use dry pukani rock. I want to use dry so I can get the aqua scape just how I want it. I plan to have have two or three main structure pieces built from several smaller pieces that I have epoxied together. I have a couple questions about curing it. 1)What is the best way to cure or prep the rock to cycle without putting it in my display? I ask because I want to have it clean and completely ready to cycle when I set the tank up.
2)Should I cure it before or after I have it put together?
Thank you for your help in advance. I just want to make sure I do this right.
Edited by rize2 - May 05 2013 at 8:31pm
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badfinger
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Posted: May 05 2013 at 8:33pm |
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Watch the video on bulk reef supply. It explains it quite well
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rize2
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Posted: May 05 2013 at 9:33pm |
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I watched the video, It does explain it well. I was wondering if I can cure it and then leave it dry until I am ready to cycle it in my aquarium. My hopes are that I can start to cure it within the next month. Then once it is done curing, keep it dry for a a month or so(whenever we move). Then once I'm all set up after the move, put the rock in and dr. tim's stuff so I can have the tank running as soon as possible.
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Bryce
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Posted: May 05 2013 at 9:36pm |
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No, you can not leave the cured rock dry if that is what you are asking...that would leave you with dead rock, or rocks formally known as live - kinda like Prince.
I used some dry Pukani when I set my tank up and I left it in bins with a heater and a few powerheads for a month and did weekly large partial water changes and kept testing the water. I was mainly worried about phosphates as I had read that this rock leeches it but I never saw that but the rock did have some junk come off it so I dont have regrets doing it. I suggest waiting until you move to start the cure and dont add Dr Tims or any bacteria until you set the tank up.
Edited by Bryce - May 05 2013 at 9:41pm
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65g Reef
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rize2
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Posted: May 05 2013 at 9:40pm |
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I thought the point of curing was to make sure everything in and on the rock was dead. Once cured, there wouldn't be anything in/on it to die if it was dried out. Am I way off here? The BRS video explains how curing and cycling are different.
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Bryce
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Posted: May 05 2013 at 9:42pm |
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BRS dry Pukani is as dead as you can get.
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65g Reef
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Bryce
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Posted: May 05 2013 at 9:46pm |
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The term "curing" can be used for different things...curing dry rock is often used to refer to get any dry dead debris off it and to see if the rock is "leeching" anything...curing "live rock" is to wait until any die off from shipping has cycled out/off...you wont have a cycle with most dry rock unless it was pretty freshly "dry"...BRS Pukani will not have a cycle unless you add ammonia/bacteria as its been dry for a long time.
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65g Reef
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rize2
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Posted: May 05 2013 at 9:49pm |
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I guess Im just not understanding, because in their video they say you need to cure it. Which they say, "Curing the rock is a process of cleaning and prepping the rock for a new aquarium."
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Bryce
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Posted: May 05 2013 at 9:56pm |
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Yes I agree but you shouldnt "cure it" and then let it dry out at least not IMO. If your using dry rock curing is pretty much just getting junk off it. If you really wanted to cure it and dry it Im sure you could but I dont see the point of doing that, might as well just wash it off in a shower if you just want to clean it off. Even if you dont add bacteria or ammonia the process of curing it will add some bacteria to the rock that if you let it dry is just gonna be lost/dead worthless process...maybe others will chime in but IMO you want to cure, then add to aquarium while those rocks are wet.
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65g Reef
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Dion Richins
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Posted: May 05 2013 at 11:29pm |
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If you "cure" it and then dry it out again it will need to "Cure" again.
Dry rock just needs to be cleaned off as best you can. Glue it together and cycle it when your ready. Really the only curing that has to be done is on fresh live rock that has been transported and old live rock that has a bunch of die off on it.
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wickedsnowman
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Posted: May 05 2013 at 11:31pm |
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Curing it is just to prevent things leaching out later in your tank. If u cured it for a month or so u will be fine to dry it out and then use when your ready. Of course then you would just have to cycle the tank with live rock or dead shirmp or whatever method you choose before adding livestock. When I set up my 120. First I cured it in ro water for a month. Then let it dry out. Then I set up the tank with all the dry sand and saltwater etc. I then took the dry rock and made my structure. I used acrylic rods instead of epoxy but I am sure that wouldnt make a difference. I then cycled the tank using the raw shrimp method. I took about 25lbs of live rock out of my existing tank and put it in the sump of the 120 added a couple cups of live sand and some macro. Then just waited for my levels to be solid and transfered all my live stock. I didn't have a single death. Everything worked out great. The only thing I would do different is use some micro bacteria to speed up the cycle a little
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wickedsnowman
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Posted: May 05 2013 at 11:36pm |
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I think the confusion that everybody is having is just the terms beings used. Curing dry rock is not to make it live rock it is just to remove things like phosphates.
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rize2
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Posted: May 05 2013 at 11:53pm |
 wickedsnowman wrote:
Curing it is just to prevent things leaching out later in your tank. If u cured it for a month or so u will be fine to dry it out and then use when your ready. Of course then you would just have to cycle the tank with live rock or dead shirmp or whatever method you choose before adding livestock. When I set up my 120. First I cured it in ro water for a month. Then let it dry out. Then I set up the tank with all the dry sand and saltwater etc. I then took the dry rock and made my structure. I used acrylic rods instead of epoxy but I am sure that wouldnt make a difference. I then cycled the tank using the raw shrimp method. I took about 25lbs of live rock out of my existing tank and put it in the sump of the 120 added a couple cups of live sand and some macro. Then just waited for my levels to be solid and transfered all my live stock. I didn't have a single death. Everything worked out great. The only thing I would do different is use some micro bacteria to speed up the cycle a little |
Thank you for posting this! This is exactly what I was wondering if I could do. Just want to have as little leaching as possible from the rock when I set up the tank.
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