Live rock question

[Special-K]

whats the difference between buying live rock and cured rock?

like on these 2 different boxes:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1949
http://www.etropicals.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=44&pCatId=1359

[cocoa_pleco]

the nano is just smaller pieces for small tanks.

LR can come from allover, Fiji, carribean, etc. ive found Fiji to be the best by far though

[Special-K]

i was just wondering what "cured" live rock is.

oh and why is fiji the best?

[cocoa_pleco]

cured is when its got some age and stuff on it, and is main tank ready. if its not cured you have to cure it in a separate tank. if you just start the tank, try to add all of the LR at once so that it can cure in the main tank. if you cant add all at once you need to cure anymore purchased later in a separate tank.

Fiji is the best because its known to have the most cool animals and critters on it.

[Special-K]

thanks cocoa. i have a few more questions since saltwater is new to me.

Is cycling a tank different in SW?

also, would you recommend buying live rock online, or in the lfs... im pretty sure its cheaper per pound online but it says that it must be recured because of die off from shipping???

[Rue]

Every time live rock is out of the water for more than a few minutes, there can be die-off of organisms. Very simply, this die-off adds ammonia to your water. The ammonia starts the cycle in SW tanks (if set up this way).

The longer the rock has been out of the water the more die-off there will be and the tank will take longer to cycle.

If you have live rock shipped to you, it's usually wrapped in wet newpaper...and as a rule, will take a good 4 weeks to 'cure' in your tank...that's why you should get all your live rock at once. If you get it in bits and piecs, you'll have to 'cure' the new stuff in a separate tank as Cocoa mentioned.

[cocoa_pleco]

i would say LFS buy it, not online, and saltwater cycling is basically the same as FW, just theres more ways of doing it, like by letting the stuff on your LR dying causing ammonia.

[Special-K]

if die off is good for cycling, couldnt ordering it be a good option since it would have a bit off die off already? i dont know what kind of live rock the lfs has but its kindof white and not attractive. i think the shipping on the website is 2 day or something

[cocoa_pleco]

white is usually dead, cured has many creatures and some good coloring

[Special-K]

so when i get the tank system, should i mix the water and run it and everything before getting the live rock? would you also recommend live sand with it? i just really dont wanna screw it up so im going to ask alot of questions :)

[Rue]

Live sand is useless, unless maybe if you're not putting any LR in your tank at all.

For the very first time, you can mix your salt in your tank. Use R/O water.

Once you have your specific gravity set, buy Aragonite substrate...texture is up to you, I have a medium (vs. fine or coarse). Rinse the aragonite several times to remove the 'milky' part of the dust, and then slowly add to the tank.

Your water will be very cloudy at that point but will settle in a day...

Since you don't have anything in your tank yet, you can rinse your substrate with cool tap water...any chlorine will dissipate long before you put any stock in the tank, and that wee bit of tap water isn't enough to be a concern.

Once the water is clear (only so you can see what you're doing) you can add your live rock directly!

[Special-K]

thanks Rue! that helps alot. whats R/O water though?

it would be nice to find a step by step guide for first time saltwater hobbyists

[Rue]

...I thought I wrote one? LOL...I'll have to do a search...

R/O is reverse osmosis...

...you want pure water for SW (and NOT for FW tanks) tanks so that you know there are no harmful impurites in it, such as phosphates or heavy metals...when you add the synthetic salt, you are adding all the essential minerals that your livestock need...and you replentish those through regular water changes...

Distilled water can also be used, but consensus prefers R/O

Although we have an R/O system for our own drinking water (we have a well with impurities) I prefer to buy mine from my reef store.

[Rue]

Found it! Hope it helps!

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=7253

[Special-K]

Yeah, my lfs recommended buying a box of premixed saltwater from them to make it easier.. i dont think it was very expensive

[unleashed]

thanks Rue! that helps alot. whats R/O water though?

it would be nice to find a step by step guide for first time saltwater hobbyists
another guide here

http://www.reefersworld.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=152

[unleashed]

woohoo. just realised that i have reached 250 posts. Bronze activity award here I come - i think ;)

[stunner]

really dumb question, but does live rock have to be...acclimated? Not for the rock obviously, but for all the little critters and bacteria living on it? In all my reading, I haven't read that it needed to be.

[cocoa_pleco]

i never have, i believe the live rock is adaptable