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Questions on Curing Dry Rock


BombBuster12

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BombBuster12

Hey guys, I am setting up my first reef tank and stumbled on a video about curing dry rock on BRStv. I currently have both dry rock and dead sand, but there are little pieces of dry algae and stuff left on the rock. The thing is that I have already aquascaped the rock and have it glued together. So I was wondering if I could just cure the dry rock and sand in my tank, then just do a 100% water change quickly to get rid of excess nutrients before adding livestock? Thanks in advance!

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What type of dry rock do you have? Some is worse than others as far as nutrient load is concerned. Seeing as you say there is organic matter still attached I would say you will have a fairly lengthy cycle and it will probably stink a little at first. I used Pukani dry rock for my latest tank and when I first started cycling the rock in a tub it smelled like a combination of low tide and cat pee.

 

Short Answer: Yes you can cure it in your tank but it will probably smell and you might grow some algae.

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Yes you can cure the rock in your tank. Nothing different than using a bin or whatever. I think most would advise against using the light, and you might be able to make it cure a little quicker by elevating the temperature a little bit and taking the time daily to baste off the rocks. As pieces of dead organic material become loosened you can dislodge it quicker and remove it with a baster.

 

It will still probably take a while. Not sure if a 100% automatic water change is even needed. Test the water at that point when you think you're ready and that should help decide if you need to do a 100% water change.

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C00kieduster

I started with 100% dead Fiji rock. I cured in a tub. The only reason I did this rather than in the display was convenience of doing a 100% water change after curing, oh and to avoid an argument over any smells.

 

I dosed with LC a few times to remove phosphates and I didn't want to run the chance of any remnants of that being in the tank

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HecticDialectics

Do not add sand until the rock is cycled. You'll be amazed how much debris you can blow off every few days with a direct hit from a powerhead. If you add sand while you're cycling, you won't be able to easily suck all that nasty nutrient laden debris out with a water change.

 

And agree with no light. You'll just grow algae.

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