wasp Posted October 29, 2004 Report Share Posted October 29, 2004 This is something I tried worked so well I thought I'd share. A little over 2 months ago I got a bunch of dried rock, which needed curing, but it had a lot of dried crap on it, and I did not want it "stewing in it's own juice" and loading with phosphate, so I took it down to Milford beach and dumped it in a pre - selected deep, clean, rock pool. Covered it over with large boulders to hold it down. Sweated a bit during that big blow we had, thought it might get washed away, but went back 3 days ago & got it, right where I left it. It's now in my frag setup, smells sweet, perfectly clean and white, and no ammonia or nitrate has showed. Just got a few "looks" from 2 old ladies who wondered why I was taking a wheelbarrow of rocks to the beach. Oh well, at least they didn't call the cops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petplanet Posted October 30, 2004 Report Share Posted October 30, 2004 Sound plan. You never know what nasties might climb aboard. Probably nothing worse than you can get already. Sure beats doing it in your own tank. I will have to check rock pools more closely in the future! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted October 30, 2004 Report Share Posted October 30, 2004 it would be interesting to see what climbs out of them and dies after a week in a tropical tank, i think i'd prefer to set up a curing barrel, unknowns creep me out worth a try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted October 30, 2004 Report Share Posted October 30, 2004 sort of defeats the purpose of live rock though doesnt it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted October 30, 2004 Report Share Posted October 30, 2004 interesting method, never heard of any1 doing this before? Shae 250 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted October 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2004 Quote " I will have to check rock pools more closely in the future!" Yes, that was my other concern. Would anybody who knew what it was find it! However, it blended in surprisingly, I don't think anybody would have given it a second glance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted October 30, 2004 Report Share Posted October 30, 2004 Hmmm, I don't see the point. Three days isn't long enough to do much more than get it wet, say you put it in for 3 weeks enough that something might start growing on it most of it would die off when you put it in your tank anyway(unless it's a coldwater tank). Either way, I'd say you're better off if you're worried about debris on it giving it a good spray with a hose and a scrub with a brush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted October 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2004 Hi Ira, I think maybe I did not quite explain properly in my first post what I did with the rock. Marine rock is a little different to fresh water rock in that before use, if it is not cured already, it has to be cured. What this entails basically is leaving it in salt water for 6 -8 weeks for all the organic matter to be "cycled", or in other words break down, and the full complement of nitrogen cycle bacteria to be established in the pores in the rock. Even if the rock already looks clean, this has to be done before the rock can be safely used in an established tank. So I departed from the norm of doing it in a tank, and instead did it in a rock pool, leaving it there for around 10 weeks. After that, I felt the rock was cured to a better standard than would have happened with the traditional "in tank" method, as it was washed with clean water throughout the process, and would have accumulated a lower than normal level of phosphates. ( I think, anyway) Apologies if you already knew all that, just wasn't sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skuzza Posted October 31, 2004 Report Share Posted October 31, 2004 My mate has got 2 big sacks of coral rock. His mate is going to drop out in the ocean behind some island where no one dives.Mark with his GPS.(like a cray pot).Going to pick them up in late jan early feb.Putting them in a new set up and or his sump to see how things go.Should give the nastys if any time to show them selves.I will let every one know how it goes. 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted October 31, 2004 Report Share Posted October 31, 2004 Oh, you left it in for 10 weeks, not 3 days, I misunderstood. And yes, I know about curing rock. However, I still stand by what I said. Curing really is for live rock, not dead dried base rock. You curing the rock is essentially letting what is dead and dying die off and leave the living stuff on the rock. You don't have any dying on it, it's ALL dead. So there's no point trying to save any living stuff on the rock. In addition, like I said, most bacteria or animals that did collect on the rock over the 10 weeks would die when you put it in the tank and crank up the temp by 10 degrees or so. If anything you'd need to cure your "Cured" rock before putting it into your tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted October 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2004 Good one Skuzza, just hope it's still there when you go back though. Just one thought, an open weave type bag may be best to allow any larger type crud to wash out. Read a study done by Hagen on several of the nitrogen reducing bacteria, they can operate in a fairly wide range of temperature, just they will be quicker at around 27 28 or so degrees, but will still function at lower temperatures. The pores of "dead and dried" liverock are filled with tiny organics that need to be cured, even if the rock may appear clean. Agreed about the other livestock though, did get a few crabs, starfish etc which I endevoured to remove, also got a smattering of coraline which I was happy about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RnB Posted October 31, 2004 Report Share Posted October 31, 2004 maybe put them into a spare tank before your mainone to make sure all nasties gone, not that i can imagine anything thats a reef nasty living in NZ temp waters..... This is exactly what these guys are doing on a commercial scale in florida... http://www.tbsaltwater.com/ lots of leases given by florida authorities..... Reef tanks are big business in the US! while being 1/200th of the us pop size... we are a lot smaller then the US in marine uptake.... IMHO we will equalise over the next 10-20 years, most growth will come via traditional tropical people moving across.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted October 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2004 Quote - "most growth will come via traditional tropical people moving across...." Well let's hope so, it would be good for the hobby. Just that our average per capita income is lower than the US, could be a hindrance, however many prices are trending down, so, we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RnB Posted October 31, 2004 Report Share Posted October 31, 2004 agree... because experienced tropical hobbiest often already have a a spare pump/tank/heater sitting around, its really only skimmer / rock etc cost. I have sourced a good buy on some 12"/8" and 6" PVC pipe for homemade DIY skimmer.... Its not clear acrylic but the water level indicater tube will be... more importantly i need a large skimmer for the import room and I do not want to drop silly $$$$$. I will be starting the DIY - Skimmer thread shortly, I just want some piccies of "comparable" units. I am going to dive in my spare rock near rangi... I do not think it will move around much.... if i find a nice hollow spot, takes a LOT of a storm to move rocks around 10m down. Just have to wait for the new rudder 8( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 This is exactly what these guys are doing on a commercial scale in florida... Their water is a LOT warmer than here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted November 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 Here's the traditional Australian method http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthrea ... ost3688247 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RnB Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 re water temp they are culturing the rock... we are just flushing the rock of dead crap... way different... given the water movement I suspect 3 weeks in NZ NSW would have way cured rock... then just a gentle 1 week temp change up to 25c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.