Kill it or add it live? (Update ? 3/10/13)

Hey everyone, I have picked up some live rock for a buddy's tank and I will not be adding it all to the tank. There will be some left over and I want to add it to mine. I have a established 125g and my question is, should I go the process of killing the rock (and how do I do that) because I do not want any unwanted hitchhikers or do I go through a curing process. What are your opinions and what would you do?
Thank you in advance for your help.

 

if you want to "kill it" boil the rock let it dry and toss it in

 

First, boiling live rock is a very bad idea. You might get away with it and you might not, all depending on exactly what is in/on it. A lot of critters and even some types of nuisance algae have toxins; boiling them vaporizes those toxins and releases them into the air. There was a thread not too long ago on that very subject where the aquarist and his wife ended up in the hospital with severe respiratory problems and other alergic reactions.

That said, if you have a small tank or container, you can place them in there for curing and to see just what comes out. A lot of maricultured rock doesn't have any bad hitch hikers. If you're sure you just want to kill it, bleaching would be the safest option.

 

ah yeah!? iv boiled a couple a rocks before with no issue but ill keep this in mind for future times.

 

Bleach water the rocks. Then use some tap water dechlorinator. After hearing that story about that guy and his wife + there dog just about dieing we need to spread the word not to boil rocks.

 

Thank you for your help, I really want to go about this the right way. I don't want to jeopardize all the time and effort I put in.

 

I would get a cheap WalMart storage tote, a little powerhead from their aquarium section, and a shop light fixture with a 6500K CFL bulb. Cure it for 4-6 weeks with some tank water. Any unwanted hitchhikers should show up in that time.

 

If it's not broke don't fix it. Do you Need more rock?

 

While I agree with your ideals- it's for certain that a lot of established systems have crashed after the aquarist decided to add a new filter- adding (or even removing) a small amount of rock won't have that type of impact. The bacterial colonies are far more forgiving as they will simply shrink or grow as necessary to match the bio-load.

 

While I totally agree with that, I need more rock to get the look I'm going for. All the rock that is in my 125g came from my 80g and it looks a little bare to me. I want a more full look. The rock that I have has been cured but I just do t want to add any unwanted pests. It looks free of aptasia but I see tube worms that I do not have in my system. It is only about 30lbs. What are your thoughts. Should I continue to cycle it for a couple more weeks?

My bio load is not very big but I do intend to add more fish to my system at some point. I just feel there also isn't enough hiding spots currently.