Does curing LR stink?

[jwc3]

I've been lurking for a few days and now I'm ready to dive in, so to speak...

I was in my LFS today talking with one of the sales guys about curing LR in the tank. He said he recommends that I buy cured LR from him, not uncured, because the uncured will stink-up the whole house for at least a month until the tank cycles. 8O Of course, the cured LR cost more...

Is this true? Stinky house for a month? If I buy the uncured LR, will I have to pass-out clothes pins to my guests? Thanks for your help.

 

[Len]

Ya, curing live rock does smell a little bit for a while, but the smell goes away and I think it's perfectly managable. I recommend people cure their "raw" rocks in a seperate container, perhaps out in the garage (with a heater and adequete circulation, of course). If your LFS has good quality cured rock, it might be worth the premium. The tank will still have to cycle even if you use cured rock, but the cycle will likely be shorter and less smelly

The smell really isn't all that terrible in my opinion, but each nose (and each rock) will differ. I actually am a little fond of the smell since it reminds me of a new tank

Oh, the stuff that really stinks is dying sponges. The good part of this is dying sponges can easily be removed by hand before you put it in your house/tank. Usually, rocks don't stink badly, but if one does, you know something is dying on/in it and you should remove whatever it is.

 

[taikonaut]

>... I actually am a little fond of the smell since it reminds me of a new tank

I am sure about that

Ditto what Len said. If you can get the better grade LR without paying a lot more than regular mail-order rock, then it can be a good choice, but the smell is not that horrible unless you never open the window a single crack.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey, I like the smell of dirty foam fractionators.

I will always suggest to folks they get themselves the freshest live rock they can find. If you cure it yourself you have the best chance of keeping lots more stuff (read: life!) than if you let it run itself through the gauntlet of the shop. Besides, wouldn't you agree that "the guy at the fish shop" has a rather vested interest in selling you his not-so-live-anymore rock?

Trash cans in the garage, hook up a righteous skimmer, LOTS AND LOTS of water changes, and you'll end up with an awesome base for your tank that simply cannot be substituted in any way, shape, or form.

 

[hillbilly]

Yeah it smells a little, but like others have said above, it's worth it!