Curing Rock

[heymargo]

If you go to www.reefcentral.com and do a search for cooking live rock or curing live rock, you can find a lot of threads there too!

Wow! That's way cool!!! I cannot imagine the FUNK that'll be coming out of that trashcan at waterchange time...the chihuahuas are gonna wanna roll all up in it! I'll show my hubby these threads and we'll decide from there...I don't think we'll cook it but he might just want to get all dirty. In any case, thank you so much for your assistance! I really appreciate it.

[apedroza]

Save the money and cure it on the patio. You can use the extra dough to stock your tank!!!!

[alton]

Welcome to MAAST! Also why are you reading Bob Fenner when you could be reading Gary Powel in the archives here on MAAST? Part time home loan officer, aquarium guru, and male model (Okay I went too far). The advice you have been given so far is excellent, but I did this along time ago on my bosses tank and it worked fine for me. You said you are purchasing a Red Sea 34 gallon aquarium? I believe it comes with a skimmer, perfect way to cure your live rock. Because this way you can build your dream aquarium one piece at a time. In other words if you at your fish store and you see the perfect piece or two of live rock buy it, take it home and insert it in your tank. As you continue to add you can see what you are missing in rock to get that perfect look you are trying to achieve in your tank. Once a week do a 5 gallon water change by vacuuming the debris off the bottom. And as far as the smell it only smells if the rock is ripe, most of the time our sponsors have rock that is almost cured. If not buy some Glad Pluggins. The smell is only short time. Just don’t turn the lights on or add sand until your tank turnover takes place. And then slowly but sure run the lights a little more each day until you feel like you won’t have a brown algae attack. Just remember like everyone said take your time and have fun.

[mathias]

why don't you just get small part of your rock cured and the rest uncured and let the cure rock seed the rest?

[heymargo]

apedroza - we're seriously thinking about it! it makes the most sense.

alton - i found the fenner book before i found maast. i dragged hubby to border's one night because b&n had no fish books. yes, we are going to purchase the red sea tank but this is our first time out so we don't want to get too complex. and thanks! we're very happy to be here!

mathias - we read about that and it seems like a really good idea. thanks!

[erikharrison]

When you buy some sand, make sure it is not play sand from HD. Buy aragonite based sand only!!!!! Otherwise you will be fighting algae! Also, once your tank get up and running, post in the WTB/Trade section here, and we could give you some cups of sand to help seed your new sand. "Live" sand that you buy in the store has usually been there for months, so it's not really live anymore, but the color choices are second to none!

This is a fantastic hobby, and I am extremely glad that you stumbled onto this site. Aprilmayjune told me about MAAST when I bought my first setup, and I adore it! This is a great group here, and everyone is eager to help!

Oh yeah!!!!!!!!! I almost forgot...... Look up wetwebmedia... Bob Fenner is all over that site, and there is also a ton of good info there!

[jroescher]

Buying uncured rock and watching it cure in your tank can be really interesting. Watching all the life forms while it cures in the tank is facinating all by itself.

[heymargo]

When you buy some sand, make sure it is not play sand from HD. Buy aragonite based sand only!!!!! Otherwise you will be fighting algae! Also, once your tank get up and running, post in the WTB/Trade section here, and we could give you some cups of sand to help seed your new sand. "Live" sand that you buy in the store has usually been there for months, so it's not really live anymore, but the color choices are second to none!

This is a fantastic hobby, and I am extremely glad that you stumbled onto this site. Aprilmayjune told me about MAAST when I bought my first setup, and I adore it! This is a great group here, and everyone is eager to help!

Oh yeah!!!!!!!!! I almost forgot...... Look up wetwebmedia... Bob Fenner is all over that site, and there is also a ton of good info there!

Oh gosh no! I would never buy anything but a live aquatic sand and I would talk to the sponsors here to see who could provide me with some.
And I was all over wetwebmedia today reading the logs about live rock. I think Mr. Fenner is the MAN! Thanks for the tips!

[brewercm]

Save the money on the live sand and get the dry stuff and place it in your tank. Once you have the tank set up ask a few different folks on here for a cup of their sand to seed yours. That is the best way and you get a diverse group of different life forms that way. I know I'd be willing to give up a cup when you're ready.

BTW, those Red Sea tanks are really cool. I saw one up and running and really like the concept of that one more than any other all in ones I've seen. That would be a great way to cure your rock by just setting it up in the tank since you have the skimmer built in to help keep it all clean. Do your water changes regularly and in no time your rock will be cured and your tank will be cycled at the same time.

[heymargo]

ya know what, cliff? you're right. that's what we're going to do. it makes the most sense and is the easiest way to go and everything gets broken in just fine. the coolest part is getting a little bit of live sand from everyone...it's like stone soup for fish! and i am looking forward to seeing the life forms that emerge. i read on wetwebmedia that one guy had an octopus emerge months after curing. that'd be a cool thread, huh? "what's the most amazing thing that came out of your live rock?" or somesuch...and that red sea is one slick tank. we're just shopping around to make sure we don't get our eyes poked on the price.

thank you all for your assistance! i knew this would be the place for us!