Live Rock hell

[Anonymous]

I received a shipment of ca. 100 lbs of live rock just before leaving town on Wednesday. I put it all into a trash can with salt water and 3 power heads for circulation, hoping for the best,

Upon return, the stench is really quite phenomenal. Am I completely screwed, or is this relatively normal for rock damp-shipped (waxed boxes, wet newspapers, etc)?

What is the best way to deal with this? I don't want it in my house, so I was thinking of setting up an old 55 gallon aquarium outside and cure it there, and then bring it in piecewise? Or is it simply too late?

 

[SnowManSnow]

I think the rock will be fine. Just keep water changes going for a while..d ecent circulation.. and it should recover.. IMO

B

 

[Anonymous]

If the rock was ordered as uncured, it's normal. If it was ordered as fully cured it's not normal and you got taken.
The odor of curing uncured rock can last up to 2 to 3 weeks. Curing it outside is not a problem if the smell is overpowering as long as it doesn't get too cold and you don't let other animals go swimming in it.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Anonymous]

It has been 8 years since I last did this. I guess I forget how bad it smelled. Yeah, it is uncured. My wife says it stank as much last time.

 

[Anonymous]

Once I got it into the 55 gallon tank, it didn't look or smell so bad. It looks slightly better than the day it arrived. I think I'll cure it outside for a couple of weeks. I stuck in a heater to try to keep it around 75F. I guess the cooler it is, the slower the curing process. I like the idea of not having all the darn nitrogenous waste in my aquarium from day 1. Once it is all nitrate, I'll transfer a few rocks at a time. I think I got the darn tank in August. I am kind of dragging this out (hectic competing commitments).

I guess I am losing my mind if I am flipping out over my live rock.

 

[bleedingthought]

Pictures?!??

 

[Anonymous]

Pictures?!??

 

[bleedingthought]

Is that a piece of live rock?