Is my live rock dead?

My wife and I are jumping into the reef tank hobby with both feet.  Got a 175 gallon bow front, plumbed a 100 gallon Rubbermaid trough/sump in the basement, ordered 240 pounds of Haitian live rock from eTropicals ...

I pulled out the rock and did a quick dip in a bucket (DI purified / 1.035 specific gravity) to rinse off the worst of the shipping gunk.  I noticed that with only a couple of exceptions, the rock didn't smell bad at all.  It was then transfered into the sump which was filled with water I'd made the day before (DI purified / 1.024 specific gravity).  Power heads move the water while two air stones percolate under the rock.  The coraline algae is pretty abundant; green, purple ... nice.

I started testing with a Red Sea kit I'd picked up at PetCo and the Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate all measured at the low end of the scale.  The next day (this morning, actually) I tested again and the levels hadn't moved ... at least not more than could have been user error trying to read those nasty Red Sea color cards.  I thought that was odd (was expecting more ammonia) and tested again in the late afternoon.  Once again, the exact same results.

The Red Sea kit went back to PetCo for a refund, and I picked up some FasTest kits.  (Ammonia, Nitrite, PH)  Aother quick test shows Ammonia at 0ppm, Nitrite at 0ppm and Ph at 8.2.  Now I know the rock couldn't be fully cured.  It spent at least two days in a damp box just getting to me from Florida!  But, the coraline isn't turning white, there's no fishy smell (nothing strong enough to detect from more than a couple feet, anyway) and everything looks fine.

So what's the deal?  Did I buy dead rock with purple and green paint??  I'm probably the first person to complain about his new live rock NOT stinking, but ARGGHH!!!  I just want to know if this rock is safe to put in the tank.  And I was planning to use it to seed the sand (I already have the dry aragonite) and can't be sure if there's anything there to seed with.

Can anyone lend some insight?  :-/

 

I would say no your rock is not dead! There may not have been a lot of die off in shipping so you are not getting a large Ammonia reading. I purchased some LR on line my self and one shipment I received from one supplier did not have any smell to it at all and I also did not get a high Ammonia reading when I tested the water I had it curing in. But I also got some that smelled bad from a different supplier. I would say just let it go for a few more days and if the ammonia and nitrites both still test zero I would put it in the tank. But that is just what I would do and I may be wrong but maybe someone else that has more experience than I do in this area will chime in that can be of more help............. John

 

Sounds like you are on the right track with Live Rock.
Since this sounds like a new setup. I think you could add rock to the tank and aquascape. You still need to cycle the tank, but if there is really no smell you are on your way.
I've been curing 180 lbs pukani LR in the garage for about 3 weeks now. It is finally loosing most of the dead beach odor.
Sounds like you will have an awesome new reef. Keep us posted on the progress and more info about your setup.
Good luck, Scott

 

Most of the smell comes from algaes and sponges and other hitchhikers that are dieing off. If you don't detect a lot of odor, it is possible that your supplier scrubbed the rocks real well before shipment.

Scott,

The Pukani that both Maxx and NaH2O got was the best looking LR I have ever seen in my life. I want to make sure that you observe well for rock boring sponges.....they seem to go real deep in the Pukani. I would recommend that you do what Mojoreef did with his new shipment of Pukani. He would take out a rock and sniff all over the thing until he found a sponge....then he would dig it out with a screwdriver.

 

Thanks for the heads-up Curt. The Pukani LR is really awesome looking stuff. I helped Mike. Or maybe I just got my big butt in the way at his tank scaping get together. : Anyway the sponge issue never came up. I will be sure to do lots of checking. I'm having to force myself to keep the rock curing and out of the tank. A coupple more weeks ain't nothin in this hobby. ;D
Scott