Curing rock (1 Viewer)

[josueS]

I have used dry rock that I want to use for my rescape what would be the best way to go about curing it

 

[Team Turtle]

Just put in a bucket with fresh saltwater and circulation pump for a few weeks.. test for nitrates and phosphate. Water change as needed till its not raising anymore...and no ammonia as well

 

[josueS]

I did

Just put in a bucket with fresh saltwater and circulation pump for a few weeks.. test for nitrates and phosphate. Water change as needed till its not raising anymore...and no ammonia as well

i was thinking of doing it that way aswell I already did half the rock but for that I did left it in bleach and water let it dry and then put it in some to water with prime but wasn’t sure if there’s was a better way

 

[thangbom4321]

You turned ypu live rock into dead rock with the bleach.

 

[josueS]

You turned ypu live rock into dead rock with the bleach.

Correct which is why I only did half not sure if I want to start from scratch or do it the way turtle recommended

 

[thangbom4321]

Curing/cycling rock, sand, aquarium imo all falls under the same umbrella. Curing/cycling is nothing more than the process of stabilizing the bacteria inhabitants of that rock, sand and or water column with the amount of "waste" aka bacteria food. Once that bacterial population meets the waste demand, this is when we pretty much call it cured and stable.

In simple terms, our tank's ecosystem runs off bacteria to break down the waste. The process of breaking down the waste by-product is the junk that we call already bloom, ph swing, nitrates, phos, electrolytes swings and so forth. When we have an equal amount of bacteria to break down the waste in the tank, things are more efficient and balanced. As a result, we are less likely to have those swings and algea blooms mentioned above.

This is why it is recommended to add things slowly into a tank. It allows the bacteria population to grow and catch up to the newly increased waste demands.

You may think why does the rock or sand need cycling then? Well, if it once was "live" then some of the bacteria themselves died off and contributed to the "waste."

Now your thinking then why do we do that with new dry rock? Well, we don't. People just use the wrong word and confuse "seeding" with Curing. The actual physical task for the two process are similar, they both have to do with adding the rock/sand into a water vessel and adding salt water. The difference is that in curing you are stabilizing the bacteria/ waste demands. In seeding you are actually introducing waste to start the bacteria population (well, not just bacteria but that's the main objective. It also adds other critters such as pods, starfish, ect to the new stuff if your seeding from lets say live rock). You can use just about anything that is "waste" to seed new stuff to start the bacteria population, a chunk of dead shrimp, fish pellets, iirc in the old old aquarium days, some even urinated in the vessel to start the bacteria growth (not recommended).

 

[josueS]

Curing/cycling rock, sand, aquarium imo all falls under the same umbrella. Curing/cycling is nothing more than the process of stabilizing the bacteria inhabitants of that rock, sand and or water column with the amount of "waste" aka bacteria food. Once that bacterial population meets the waste demand, this is when we pretty much call it cured and stable.

In simple terms, our tank's ecosystem runs off bacteria to break down the waste. The process of breaking down the waste by-product is the junk that we call already bloom, ph swing, nitrates, phos, electrolytes swings and so forth. When we have an equal amount of bacteria to break down the waste in the tank, things are more efficient and balanced. As a result, we are less likely to have those swings and algea blooms mentioned above.

This is why it is recommended to add things slowly into a tank. It allows the bacteria population to grow and catch up to the newly increased waste demands.

You may think why does the rock or sand need cycling then? Well, if it once was "live" then some of the bacteria themselves died off and contributed to the "waste."

Now your thinking then why do we do that with new dry rock? Well, we don't. People just use the wrong word and confuse "seeding" with Curing. The actual physical task for the two process are similar, they both have to do with adding the rock/sand into a water vessel and adding salt water. The difference is that in curing you are stabilizing the bacteria/ waste demands. In seeding you are actually introducing waste to start the bacteria population (well, not just bacteria but that's the main objective. It also adds other critters such as pods, starfish, ect to the new stuff if your seeding from lets say live rock). You can use just about anything that is "waste" to seed new stuff to start the bacteria population, a chunk of dead shrimp, fish pellets, iirc in the old old aquarium days, some even urinated in the vessel to start the bacteria growth (not recommended).

Ok so the other things I was thinking of doing was put the rock in a tote with some saltwater and adding some type of bacteria like fritz or Microbacter would that be a better option ?

 

[thangbom4321]

As stated above, the source of "waste" does not matter as long as there are some. The bacteria will grow and populate until a equilibrium of with the waste is reached. At that point, it's a matter of keeping the bacteria/waste ratio constant ro maintain that ecosystem balance. This usually means you have to import waste from outside the ecosystem to feed the ecosystem in your tank. We as aquarist do this by feeding our fish friends and they in turn make waste for the bacteria. If you don't have any fish you could just feed the water with a few pellets and that would also feed the bacteria.

 

[josueS]

As stated above, the source of "waste" does not matter as long as there are some. The bacteria will grow and populate until a equilibrium of with the waste is reached. At that point, it's a matter of keeping the bacteria/waste ratio constant ro maintain that ecosystem balance. This usually means you have to import waste from outside the ecosystem to feed the ecosystem in your tank. We as aquarist do this by feeding our fish friends and they in turn make waste for the bacteria. If you don't have any fish you could just feed the water with a few pellets and that would also feed the bacteria.

Alright after doing some research I understand what you are saying

 

[Reefahholic]

Best way to do it is treat it like a reef for 3-6 months. Add nitrifiers once, test it and keep Salinity, Alk, Cal, Mag, PO4, and NO3 in check. Don’t keep adding bacteria. I jacked up my rock like that. The bacteria consumed all the nutrients and turned the rock into a aggressive binding sponge.