Tonga Live Rock

[Chris Jones]

OK, so I have 40 pounds of live sand and a lone tomato clown in a 46 gallon tank. I want to add live rock. i think i found a good deal on Tonga Branch Rock. 30 pounds for $99 delivery included. I want to get about 15 pounds of Figi, and then build the tonga on top. the supplier says semi cured. http://petsolutions.com/product.asp?pn=169100L
can i(because of the Clown fish) , and how do i finish curing the rock??? (is anything other than letting sit required?)

Get a cheap trash can from home depot and clean it with RO water.

Put some rock in there with a power head and salt water. do this for a week and drain 1/2 the water and then smell the rock. If it smells like gunk then replace fresh water and sit for a couple of days and redo smell test. Once the smell is gone then add slowly over the next week or so and keep testing the water.

[Chris Jones]

thanks

[Jason McKenzie]

The Smell test is good but to be safe I would actually perform water test like Ammonia and Nitrite test just to be sure. If you getting the rock mail order it will need a full cure after it arrives.
Not to contradict Nautilus, but I would skip the water changes and this is why:
curing LR is a process of building up the bacteria levels in the rock. This bacteria eats Ammonia and nitrite. Removing salt water and replacing it with new salt water removes ammonia and nitrite and there fore reducing the amount of helpful bacteria needed to convert ammonia and nitrites because there isn't as much for the Bactria to eat.
Keeping the same water for the entire cycle ensure a high level of beneficial bacteria in your Live Rock.
Also with water changes during the cycle you can actually stop the cycle process (or slow it down) because or the removal of ammonia and nitrite.
This water change/ no water change during cycling has been debated for a long time and equal amounts of very successful tanks have been started either way.
But one thing remains constant -> you must have zero Ammonia and Nitrites before you introduce fish or corals to the LR.

Good luck and keep us updated.
J

Thanks J

[Chris Jones]

Wow Jason, you said a mouthfull. And it all made sense. thanks a bunch. I was even thinking of using the 55 gallon mentioned in my signature to cure it. What I have learned now is that my only fish will not survive the roller coaster water ride it would receive while in with curing rock. karma to you J.

[Chris Jones]

Oh, also, during my reading on the curing process, I heard that I should not try to get and cure the total amount of rock i need (approx 45 pounds) at once, *as the ammonia spike may be so great that I will lose alot of the life on my rocks.

so I was thinking of getting half form the most reasonable lfs, and then ordering the other later.

In the other post I said I was going to use mostly tonga branch. since then I have learned that it is a denser rock than fiji or carribean, and therefore does not house as much flora. so i've decided to only have a portion at the top branch.

[NaH2O]

hehehe....water changes or no water changes; lighting, or no lighting; skimming or no skimming. *I think the ways to cure live rock are so varied - it makes my brain hurt. *Why isn't any method clear cut in this hobby? *My take on water changes is they would be beneficial to preservation of life. *You could also look at the lack of light as not allowing life to grow on the LR as well. *At any rate, Jason is absolutely correct....be sure your ammonia and nitrites are zero before introduction. *While you rock is curing, scrub off any dead matter or blast with a power head to help the rock shed the detritus. *Another item to have while curing in a tub is a heater.

Anyway, hope that helps!

[Chris Jones]

Thanks sodium water, I always welcome input! But NaCl, sodium chloride, is salt BTW. sorry if i offend.

[NaH2O]

No problem. My forum nick was chosen because the first forum I joined someone already had NaCl-H2O, so I chose to be NaH2O. Now it's who I am. No offense taken. I can also justify the N.A. as part of my initials