Pre-cured rock - reliable?

[Capslock]

I have read many opinions on the reliability of cured live rock. Some say you should cure it anyways some say it will have minimal impact and it would be fine to add pre-cured live rock into a new system.

I have a new system and I will be adding water to the tank this coming Wednesday.

So with that said, do I need to cure pre-cured rock if the system will be brand new? Will I go to the fish store tomorrow and find that my choices are limited with pre-cured?

If I need to cure rock regardless even though the system will be new, then I want to start curing tomorrow to get a jump while I am waiting on filling the tank.


I could be asking the same question here but, if I am just starting out with a new tank regardless of the rock being pre-cured or not pre-cured (maybe that matters for this question) can I add it to my tank while I am filling the tank with water?

I ask because I read that it would be bad to place non-cured rock into an established tank; makes sense, but what about new tanks?

Thanks for any tips

 

[Len]

Pre-cured rock will have a lot less die off then freshly transhipped rock. In that sense, you won't have to fully cure it yourself once you get it, but be prepared to experience a mini-cycle due to further die off after transport. If you keep the rock fairly moist coming home from your LFS, you will minimize any die-off. I would not get delicate organisms during the first week, and I personally prefer to just wait a month to let things settle down.

To answer your question, you can choose to place the rock in the tank directly while you are filling the tank. It's my recommendation to have the no sand during this time so you can siphon off any die-off that will occur (and this can be a lot of die-off if you go with uncured rock). This is why a lot of hobbyist prefer to cure the rock separately, getting their new tank off to the "cleanest" possible start.

All that said, be absolutely sure your LFS or whoever you are getting your cured rock from has a curing system that is free of pests. I am always paranoid that I will get flatworms, aiptasia, etc. from holding systems that have seen lots and lots of rocks and organisms go through them over time. I prefer to cure my own transhipped rock for this reason, and also because transhipped rock can yield more biological diversity.

 

[Capslock]

If the die-off is significant as you say then I will go ahead and cure it in its own thing. Or atleast until I start getting the water in the tank.

Last question about this.

Since I do not have my RO filter yet, would it be fine to cure live rock in salt water mixed from the tap? Since the only bit of that is going to be on the rock when I put it in the tank I cant imagine it having any signifcant side effects.

Thoughts?

 

[metalac]

If the die-off is significant as you say then I will go ahead and cure it in its own thing. Or atleast until I start getting the water in the tank.

Last question about this.

Since I do not have my RO filter yet, would it be fine to cure live rock in salt water mixed from the tap? Since the only bit of that is going to be on the rock when I put it in the tank I cant imagine it having any signifcant side effects.

Thoughts?

I think tap should be fine, since the main reason to do RO is to prevent algae growth and traces of copper and other elements that might hurt the animals from getting into aquarium. Although what I would recommend for you is to buy salt water from LFS. This water is cheap $1/gallon and you probably wouldn't need more than 20 gallons or so, just enough to cover the rocks. This will also provide least amount of stress to the rock since this water is probably what the rock was in originaly. BUT what's even more important than quality of water is the water movement, so don't let the water just sit there, put a small pump in and let it circulate water through the rock, this will minimize die off as well.

 

[Len]

Tap will be okay, but any metals and impurities in it may leech into the rocks and become an issue down the line. If you have nice tap/municipal water, then I say go for it. Otherwise, go to the market and buy some purified water.

 

[metalac]

I'm not sure where you live also, but stores like QFC (local grocery stores) sell dionized water for .89/gallon.