how long?

[subsailor]

How long can i keep a peice of live rock wrapped in newspaper without having to recure it?

[Mr Cob]

How long can i keep a peice of live rock wrapped in newspaper without having to recure it?

I would base my answer on how long live rock is exposed in the ocean when the tides change. If things die on it then you need to cure it.

A lot of the more experienced reefers here on Maast dry their rock out first or atleast quarantine it for some time to make sure that no unwanted critters enter the tank that might otherwise be a real pain to remove or even cause some deaths to existing expensive corals.

Be safe and cure it is my recommendation.

[Joshua]

I'd cure it anyway just to be sure. Lots of times if you buy from LFS it's not fully cured in the first place. Even if it is, there will be some die off no matter what. It also depends on how much life the rock has to begin with, if it's pretty bare it might not be so bad, but if it's full of sponges or tunicates or whatever you'll want to be more careful.

[Gilbert]

a couple of hours at room temp. what are you doing re-arranging your rock work???

[subsailor]

I picked up a rock and had to go back to work for a couple hours before i could make it home. This was a monster 39lb peice and i could'nt fir it into a 5 gallon bcket to keep it submerged or anything. I added it as soon as I got home and I am monitoring the levels to ensure everything is good.

[Joshua]

How big of a tank do you have? There will be some die off from that for sure.

[Mr Cob]

I picked up a rock and had to go back to work for a couple hours before i could make it home. This was a monster 39lb peice and i could'nt fir it into a 5 gallon bcket to keep it submerged or anything. I added it as soon as I got home and I am monitoring the levels to ensure everything is good.

Yeah next time you might want to post the specifics first. I would have definitely cured this rock before placing into my display tank especially from a LFS.

[ErikH]

Is it purple?

[subsailor]

It is not from an LFS, It was from a local reefer. The guy i got it from had had it in his tank for over a year and I have seen all his tanks, So it was not an issue of pests, hitchhikers, etc. I was just curious how long it would be ok wrapped in wet newspaper without having to recure it. I would have dropped it off at my LFS, but unfort he was in Austin picking up his order so I did not have a choice. I checked the rock prior to adding it, and did not observe any die off. it is covered in deep purple and red corraline, I am monitoring all the conditions of my tank to ensure that i do not cause a mini cycle. It is a 75 gallon with around 110 gallons total water volume. Current readings are,

ammo - 0
nitrite - 0
nitrate - .5
phos - 0 detectable
calcium - 420 ppm
alk between 10 and 11.

thanks.

[Joshua]

You may be ok if it was clean, it'll have bacteria and all sort of micro life that died but if your tank is established it may be able to handle it. Looks like your levels are ok so hopefully you're in the clear.