View Full Version : Curing live rock with temperate seawater?
craighuckins
28-04-06, 13:16
I've just bought 30 kilos of live rock that has been allowed to die and dry out, I'm going to cure it in a separate 55 gallon tank, and I'm just wondering if there's any problems with using natural seawater to cure it? It's very clean where I live, and the die off in the seawater will just be part of the cycling of the rock? If I do that then drain all natural seawater off once ammonia and nitrite has disappeared, then put it in a fresh salt mix for a couple of weeks with some live sand and live rock, can you foresee any problems?
I don't see any problems, I guess that some would suggest that natural water may be more likely to carry nasty disease which could then be transferred to your tank, but that's always a controversial debate and I don't have any insight into it.
I would add some live sand (or old tank water) pretty much right away - the curing will create "bacteria food" so might as well get them moving into their own home. Not vital, might just speed things up.
JMHO....it's guesswork !
kim
Re: NSW carrying disease. It would seem logical that animals are likely to be resistant to pathogens from their natural environment and less resistant to those from other, alien waters. Surely it's best to reduce the risk of introducing something from temperate waters which tropical animals have no resistance to?
i set up a 7ft tank using NSW only had it up for about 8months as i had to move but everything was fine in that time.
as far as i know jaggy still runs with NSW
jamie
craighuckins
29-04-06, 20:25
I had worried about the pathogens - but wouldn't the increase in temperature kill them all off? Another thought I had was why use saltwater at all? If I soak in RO until any organic matter has decayed and the rock is inert, can it not just go into an established system as base rock?
It might be better to use saltwater....it could take ages for freshwater to seep out of the rock if you soak it in that, which would probably delay it's "conversion" to live. Don't know how long that would be, but I personally wouldn't be patient enough.
kim
Excuse my, perhaps, elementary question but, (I will ask anyway) it is true that one needs to cure any rock that is "dry"? I have a few pieces of LR from my tank that I have removed. It is now bone dry. When it is time to re-introduce it to a system, it will need to be cured...correct?
When it dried, the life on it died (not just stuff you see, but bacteria etc.). So when you put it in water, there's a good chance of decomposition. Best not to add it directly to a living system, at least put it in a bucket of water and test.
craighuckins
01-05-06, 14:45
just to update, we had a very high tide running last night so I got my seawater from somewhere near me that has no land drains, estuaries etc. that are pumping crap out, and have started curing the dried out fiji with it. After 18 hours ammonia is at about 2mg/l ! How much of this is the die-off from the temperate seawater is anyones guess tho'...
Craig,
When you next pop down to the beach for a water change, why not keep a little of the water in a bucket (no rock) and test that for ammonia at the same time as you test the rock tank ? Could be interesting !
Best of luck with it,
kim
I'm just wondering if there's any problems with using natural seawater to cure it? It's very clean where I live,
I've seen what they get up to on the beaches at Whitby :D
craighuckins
02-05-06, 08:48
Craig,
When you next pop down to the beach for a water change, why not keep a little of the water in a bucket (no rock) and test that for ammonia at the same time as you test the rock tank ? Could be interesting !
Best of luck with it,
kim
Hi Kim, was thinking about that myself. Don't think I'd ever go through the hassle of curing NSW for water changes though. Seems too much hassle!
(quote Coling) I've seen what they get up to on the beaches at Whitby :D
So it was you in that raincoat was it Colin? LOL!
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2012, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.