high ammonia curing live rock

we purchased 35 lbs of fiji live rock from lfs and have been curing it in a 55g trashcan for the last 2 weeks. ammonia is sooo high that theres bubbles around the edges of the can and were starting to worry if it was ever gonna go down. when we cured our 120g tank the ammonia didnt get near as high. we add prime every day and bacter-x and still theres no break in the ammonia. theres a bubbler for water movement and oxygen and a coralife bulb that were using for lighting. the ammonia appears to have killed off all the foram trees. is there a quicker way to drop the ammonia or a different chemical we should be using to stop the ammonia?

 

I would let it cure another week and see where you stand. Increase the flow if you can.

Hard to judge time as I assume it was not cured, 2-4 weeks (8 weeks on the outside) seems routine.

I would not use any other chemicals and just let it cycle.

 

the air bubbler is on as high as it goes and now the water is getting murkey and theres still bubbles around the rim. surprisingly tho it doesnt smell bad but we havent smelled the actual rocks, im sure that would be different. lol. weve stopped adding the chemicals and will update in a week. thanks for the advice

 

By Drs. Foster & Smith Veterinary & Aquatic Services Department
Thanks to its vibrant colors, interesting inhabitants, and water clarification benefits, live rock continues to grow in popularity among aquarists. Each year, aquarists add thousands of pounds of live rock to new or existing reef aquariums. Live rock, while a huge benefit to reef aquariums, requires you to perform a few extra steps - especially curing - to ensure the health of your reef inhabitants.

What is live rock?

Live rock is actually small pieces of old coral reefs that were naturally broken off during storms or by wave action. These pieces then washed into shallower water where they were colonized with naturally occurring marine life - invertebrates, corals, sponges, and millions of beneficial nitrifying bacteria. All varieties of live rock available on LiveAquaria.com are harvested with the highest ethical standards and removed passively from the ocean floor - not manually broken off of any live or existing reefs.

Where does live rock come from?

Live rock can come from anywhere in the ocean. The varieties of live rock found on LiveAquaria.com come primarily from the pristine waters of the Indo-Pacific area, with the majority coming from Fiji and Tonga.

Must you cure your live rock?

You must cure your live rock, even if it arrives precured. Precured live rock is harvested, then continually sprayed with a mist of sea water and scrubbed to remove unwanted debris. The spray tends to drive out unwanted species such as bristle worms and mantis shrimp. Uncured live rock contains a wider variety of organisms. Either type of rock can work great in your home reef aquarium. Regardless of whether your rock arrives uncured or precured, you must cure your rock in its new aquarium.

Why must you cure your live rock?

Live rock must be cured to allow the plant and marine life - especially sponges which were living on the rock - to undergo a natural die back without polluting the aquarium water. This die back occurs in all transported live rock and is necessary to provide a solid foundation for the remaining species to grow and flourish. As the organisms on the rock go through a die back, they will produce a large amount of waste material and cause toxic levels of ammonia to be released into the aquarium. Most of the very beneficial nitrifying bacteria survive the curing process by hiding deep in the pores and crevices of the live rock. In addition, some of the corals and invertebrates will also not die off completely and will begin to re-emerge in the new aquarium over time.

How do you cure your live rock?

While you may cure your live rock in many different ways, the following method has been shown to be very effective. Curing typically takes from one to three weeks.

Place the live rock in a new 30-gallon plastic garbage can.

Cover the rock completely with freshly mixed saltwater.

Use a heater to keep the water temperature near 80 degrees to speed die off.

Create constant water movement with a powerhead or air stone.

Keep the area dimly lit to prevent algae blooms.

Perform 100% water changes twice a week.

Scrub the rock between water changes to remove dead material.

Consider adding bottom drains to the container to speed draining and water changes.

Check water quality and test for ammonia. When ammonia tests are negative, the rock is safe for your aquarium.
What happens if you don't cure it properly?

If you add improperly cured rock to your aquarium too quickly, it will still be in the process of a die back, which can harm (if not kill) existing tank inhabitants with toxic levels of ammonia. In addition, if you do not maintain proper aeration and temperature during the curing process, then high levels of beneficial nitrifying bacteria will die, reducing the initial effectiveness of the rock as a biological filter. Live rock is not difficult to cure properly and the benefits of high quality live rock are well worth the effort. Be sure to follow the simple steps above, and you can be confident that you are adding clean, healthy live rock to your aquarium.

 

How old is your test kit? Seriously, the ammonia should not have gone that high, nevermind sustaining that level for so long, as your LR has nitrifying bacteria that can grow rather quickly and would deplete the ammonia. I would suggest that you test a fresh-mixed batch of SW. If it shows ammonia, then the chemicals for the test kit have gone bad. You'll still need to verify that there's no more ammonia coming from the LR, of course.

 

You're doing fine. Change your water once a week..it will cure. Mine took almost 4 weeks to cure, but it did cure. Soon your Nitrites will go sky high and your Ammonia will zero out. Change the water, though. I'm not sure why you're using a light while curing, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I know a lot of people suggest using a light, but in all honesty...your rocks will look terrible after curing, with or without a light, so save the money. In a year or so...it all comes back.

 

the test kit is actually very new and it works in my dt so i dont think theres anything wrong with it. were using the light to help speed up the die off. the ammonia is still pretty high but not as bad as it was.
thanks for the advice!

 

well, the ammonia still hasnt 0ed out and its been over 6 weeks. the level is really low so hopefully im really close to bein able to put it in my dt.