Killing live rock and why

[keats]

Hi all
I have just been reading some threads on how to eliminate unwanted life on newly purchased live rock and some interesting ways to do it EG: using bleach or heavy salt consentrated water and soaking

My question is when i get my live rock i choose peices with corali algae on it and will pick peices with any life i think will survive. I don't see the point of buying live rock and then killing it. won't killing the rock mean the rock will have to cycle again while rebuilding it's body of life.

Wondering what others think ???

[reef_guru]

won't killing the rock mean the rock will have to cycle again while rebuilding it's body of life.

no, dying "cycles"

[bawest]

Most of the time in here when they talk about nuking the rock or bleaching it, the rock came from unknown sources, or known sources which could bring contaminates and unwanted pests into an otherwise perfect existing tank.

Most people who buy live rock for their main rock in the tank don't do this. Only if starting over to get rid of existing problems, killing known critters, or when adding additional rock to an existing tank.

[omard]

Originally Posted by keats

Hi all
I have just been reading some threads on how to eliminate unwanted life on newly purchased live rock and some interesting ways to do it EG: using bleach or heavy salt consentrated water and soaking

My question is when i get my live rock i choose peices with corali algae on it and will pick peices with any life i think will survive. I don't see the point of buying live rock and then killing it. won't killing the rock mean the rock will have to cycle again while rebuilding it's body of life.

Wondering what others think ???

Heck no...you don't want to kill off life on LR.

That is why you are spending so much $$$ on it.

You can dip it in some concentrated salt water to run the possible pests out that are hiding in it. (bristle worms, crabs, etc)

Other "pests" should die out during cycling process, and if not you can take care of the later.


Keep us posted.

[coral reefer]

When you consider live rock, the potentially problematic hitchhikers far underscore the numerous, beneficial inhabitants often found on and in live rock.
A thorough examination will help you to see and remove many of them such as predatory snails, crabs, mantis shrimp, aiptasia and mojano anemones, and nudibranches.