curing LR

[jc]

I got about 40 pounds of fresh rock right from the airport and when I got home I gave it all a quick rinse with the hose just to knock off the debris. Then I added the rock to my 180 that has nothing in it. It was a little smelly up close but when I finished putting it all in the tank it was late at night. Big Mistake! I woke up at about 2 a.m. and the whole house smelled like a bait stand. I heard that you could cycle your tank with uncured LR. No one mentioned anything about the smell. Since then I moved the rock into an ice chest with some freshly mixed water and a powerhead. Can I keep the chest outside? It's been out there since sunday and the smell is slowly getting better. How long does LR typically take to cure?

[GaryP]

Rinsing with the hose was probably not something I would do. It could have killed more then what was already dead but there is nothing to do about that now. Spilt Milk.

I would suggest taking a tooth brush to the rock and cleaning it well to remove any dead material and then putting it back in water with a skimmer. Running some carbon should help with the smell. It can take up to a month to totally cure. Just test for ammonia. They will be a good indication of where it stands in the curing process.