If you got space on the patio of your apt, get a Brute trash can at the local hardware store. Buy new...since you don't want to use a old one! You can cure rock &/or cook it at the same time. The difference between the two options (cured and cooked) live rock would be that cooked live rock would get rid of nuisance algea and critters. People go with the cooked rock for a clean, worry free solution to starting up a tank. Most of those people also go barebottom with their systems too (sans sand). The rock will still stay biologically active, since the bacteria will still be alive and multiplying.

Curing the rock would still work too. You can use the trash can, or another type of container. The differences between the two are that cooking live rock takes a lot longer than curing live rock. Cooking requires the rock placed in a dark container, so that there is no light entering. Light promotes algea growth....which is what your trying to eliminate. The cooking process usually takes 2 months. Over that time you will want to keep up with weekly 100% water changes. Towards the end though, you can get by with bi weekly changes. In that time frame whats going to happen is the algea will consume itself, leaving clean (but white) looking rock. One of the downfalls is that the micro life (pods and other criters) is greatly reduced.

If you just want to cure the live rock, I'd buy some dry reef bones, and just seed it with some cured live rock. Within a month or so, the dry reef bones will be biologically active enough to enter you tank without a big cycle. The cured rock will more than likely retain any wild critters (pods/algeas) from the rock you used to seed it with. It all depends on what your going for. But do keep up with the weekly water changes when curing the live rock. If you were going to buy a skimmer (probably won't since your getting the Red Sea all-in-one tank), that would help in the curing process. Also a powerhead will help oxygenate the water and help keep the bacteria alive in the process. You don't want stagnate water.