Great stuff found in l/r

[RevClyburn]

Hey everyone

thought I would just start a thread about the stuff found in the live rock we bought. If you can include pics. I haven't started curing my live rock, but I'm sure there's some stuff on it, or hide in it I want to keep. What have you found, or want to keep from the live rock you just bought?

rev

 

[lithivm]

do dead shrimp count?

question once the rock is cured do you guys scrub it to remove that "dead" film? also if so do you remove all that stuff that came with it such as branches of seaweed and algea?

Thanks

 

[RevClyburn]

Yes a dead shrimp counts, any pics?

as for after curing the live rock, you shpould rinse it off, and get rid on any other dead items you can't see without doing so, my opinion of course.


If anyone else finds something, please take so pics if you can

rev

 

[RichT]

Here's some information on curing rock.

 

[lithivm]

Thanks, I have read that after posting... I guess I'll remove that stuff

 

[Whitebird1]

I was told that if it is soft scrape it off!
Greg

 

[eholceker]

the first thing I do when curing rock is to scrape off all the sponges. Once they hit air they all die anyways so there is no point to let them fould up your water. After that I do 100% water changes every week until ammonia and nitrite stay at 0.

 

[lithivm]

Sounds good, I guess I'll clean all the rocks tonight and do another water change/

 

[malulu]

I read this link about curing live rock it is very helpfull except one side point:

<quote from the article...>
... to place the rock directly on the sand, this gives the most stable structure. A bed of 2-4 inches of dry fine grain Aragonite sand may be placed in the tank before you add the rock ...

I wouldn't recommend to put Rocks on top of the Sand...

I did some research before about should it be Rock first Sand later, or Sand First Rock Later...  From my own personal experience, i think Sand First then Rock made a perfect presentation, cause you can be more easily to lay out your Rock to the way/angle that you want it to be (comparing to lay it on the bare bottom...) 

But, after few months, when the invert start to go around the sand surface...  the rock formation is in danger... it will shift/move, and possible crash down and could damage your tank. 

I am unlucky (or lucky?) due to some leaking problem on the overflow, I end up with redo the whole setup by removing everything out of the tank and redo the whole setup (cause by the Sand First Rock later approach...)

in short, Definitely - NOT put Rock on top of Sand! 

-David

 

[BobCReef]

I found this curley cue anenome about 10 yrs ago. I still have it

 

[lithivm]

I also found that out after my goby decided to tunnel under all the rocks causing most of it to shift and fall. On my new 72G I have no sand so there's no issue.

i went over every piece and took out all dead sponges and "vegetation" and did find that there were lots of new coral growing on these rocks different shapes and colors... of course they are dead now.... but still cool

 

[RevClyburn]

That's a nice anenome,

it's a shame any of the corals on the live rock have to die. If my tank wasn't already cycled, I would have use this live rock to cycle it with. Maybe some of the corals will survive. I boght some L/R from this guy Chris, had a lot of mushrooms on it. But since I change my lights, I see another coral is growing from it. I believe it's a acro, or a milli, not sure have to take a pic and see what it is. If this rock is anywheres close to the rock I bought from Chris, it will definitely be da bomb

rev

 

[Sorcha]

Wegot uncured rock from Haiti. Spent lots of time curing and scrubbing...smelled like low tide in the house for 2 weeks. Tons of cool stuff on it that had to be scrubbed off. We cured and scrubbed, cured and scrubbed.

Now it's 8 mos. later and we've found baby mushrooms popping up all of a sudden. I'll try to get some pix, one of them is really small still, I'm not sure what type of shroom it is yet. (Brown and sort of looks like a Ric, maybe 1/4" in diameter right now and chowed down on some Prime Reef it caught the other day) But another is really pretty, green with purple edges and lots of "tips" (what do you call that??) all over it.

Seems weird that it would take so long and then we suddenly have a couple of them. Fun though!

 

[IrradiatedReef]

But, after few months, when the invert start to go around the sand surface...  the rock formation is in danger... it will shift/move, and possible crash down and could damage your tank. 

For anything I plan on having stacked, I use acrylic rods/dowels.  Drill a hole with a masonry bit through the 2 rocks and slide the rod through.  You barely see the rod beong clear and in a few months time its covered with coraline algae.  I also see people use clear zip strips to help prevent avalanches.

Just a bit of interesting info here, I just started pulling my rock out of my tank which is about 9 years old.  All of my rock is fused together with coraline algae! I had to use a chisel to seperate them.

 

[salty28]

Haven't seen any thing crawling around yet. Did a light scrub and a 50% water change on Sunday. This week the smell has gone down considerably. . I'm sure a few months after it hits the tank, we'll see all sorts of interesting new life forms in the tank. With all the stuff that was growing on the rock, there's gotta be plenty left deeper in the nooks and crannies.

 

[lithivm]

how much longer....... patience is a virtue which I lack

The basement smells fine now, the water is clear but the rocks smell in open air. I change carbon everyother day and clean the skimmer daily. I also have aticnics on 8 hours a day now how about you guys?

 

[mfisher2112]

I tested the ammonia the other day just for kicks.

The highest color on the chart is a dark green (5.0). The color in the tube was deep BLUE! LOL! I'm thinking a couple more weeks on my end!

 

[Phyl]

We did a 100% water change the day or so after the rock went in and it hasn't smelled since. *whew* That first day had me scared! I haven't spent any time scrubbing or looking for critters yet. Guess I need to do that one of these days.

 

[blange3]

how much longer.......  patience is a virtue which I lack 

When your Ammonia and Nitrite levels say so! (zero)

A real heavy cure can take 4 weeks or so, depending on how much swishing, scrubbing and flushing you are doing.

 

[mfisher2112]

I did a 100% water change about 2 days after I got the rock just by draining the water with the handy-dandy python, and then refilling from pre-mixed buckets.

On Sunday, I filled a 3rd tub, pulled each rock out one at a time and scrubbed the mess outa-it. Emptied the water in the curing tubs, cleaned them and the pumps, then refilled, heated, and replaced the rocks in that water..

I have no smell, and the ammonia is down a bit. From super duper dark blue, to somewhere between 5 and 8ppm on the chart. Still way high. My guess is that I have another couple of weeks at least.

I have 2 pumps running in each tub, so the water is super agitated, and I have standard normal output flourescent strip lights over each tub running a few hours each day. Just in case.

The water is staying pretty clear.

Patients are for doctors! Oh wait, wrong patience.... ;D