Handling Live Rock

[wbzorker]

I'm currently studying the section on LR in the Reef Invertebrates guide written by A. Calfo and R. Fenner. I understand that the rock must first be quarantined and that aggressive water changes and skimming will be needed to minimize die off. I've a few questions though on technique and timing.

When you first set-up your tank, you add the LS and possibly a plenum. Does the LS need to be "cured" separately from, and prior to, the LR or can you do it all together in the main tank for your initial purchase? Would curing the LR be easier in a remote tank because you could more easily net out dead matter and unwanted life forms?

Understanding that preventing a "bad" algae bloom while curing the live rock is a very important consideration, would setting up two remote tanks be a viable system? Set the live rock on racks in one tank and every few days relocate the racks to the second tank. This allows you to drain and wipe down the first tank, removing algae on glass. Repeat a few days later etc.

As part of the curing process, each rock is inspected for dead matter while it is curing and tweezers are used to remove it. Can this be done above water?, or will that just stress the rock even more? Practically, how do you do this without standing on your head to look through the tank :-)

Thanks for all your help, folks,

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Calfo is a great read for getting started, however there is likely a slight difference between what he is talking about and what you are wanting to actually do. If you have uncured live rock then you must go through all the trouble of putting it in a separate tank and doing the aggressive water changes, however if you buy cured live rock from your LFS and bring it home, the die off will be minimal and that whole process will not be necessary. As for "curing" live sand, live sand doesn't really go through a "curing" process per se. When you buy live sand in the bag from your LFS, it is live simply because it contains the necessary bacteria for biofiltration. Your sand will become much more live as the tank matures, in the beginning you will have only bacteria, but eventually you will have all manner of organisms living in your sand. The description that you have given above simply describes the maturing process of a tank. The algae stages of starting a marine tank are unavoidable, you will get them no matter what. The tweezer thing isn't necessary either, I wouldn't worry about it.

[wbzorker]

Please see the text in bold below:

Calfo is a great read for getting started, however there is likely a slight difference between what he is talking about and what you are wanting to actually do. If you have uncured live rock then you must go through all the trouble of putting it in a separate tank and doing the aggressive water changes, however if you buy cured live rock from your LFS and bring it home, the die off will be minimal and that whole process will not be necessary. "

So if I buy LR from the LFS it can go straight into my tank. Does that apply to cured live rock received in the mail as well?
Once the tank is up and running, and my initial purchase of LR has settled in, if I buy a new piece of cured LR, should I quarantine it for a few weeks?

"As for "curing" live sand, live sand doesn't really go through a "curing" process per se. When you buy live sand in the bag from your LFS, it is live simply because it contains the necessary bacteria for biofiltration. Your sand will become much more live as the tank matures, in the beginning you will have only bacteria, but eventually you will have all manner of organisms living in your sand. The description that you have given above simply describes the maturing process of a tank. The algae stages of starting a marine tank are unavoidable, you will get them no matter what. The tweezer thing isn't necessary either, I wouldn't worry about it.

It's good to know that the tweezers can be skipped. My eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be :-).

Thanks a bunch for your help,

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Ordered Live Rock will have much more die off then locally purchased Live Rock. If you order cured live rock online, it won't be cured by the time it gets to you. Also, once the initial purchase of LR has been made an placed in your tank, any additional LR you add should be quarantined.

[Halelorf]

Once your tank with LR is placed in the tank and cycled you would want to quarantine any new rock. This is to prevent a mini-cycle from the die-off of the new rock polluting your cycled tank. Once you have corals and fish in the tank they do not handle ammonia and nitrite so putting some new LR could cause your tank to crash.

[wbzorker]

Thanks folks, that makes complete sense to me.

[Dave66]

Thanks folks, that makes complete sense to me.

Just FYI, Wendy. You should handle the rock with aquarium-safe gloves. Never know what kind of critters are on/in it, and it'll take you only once to accidently touch a live bristleworm bare-handed when lifting up a rock from the box to understand the wisdom of using gloves to handle the rocks.
You can buy gloves specifically for aquarium usage or use those designed to protect your hands while cleaning or dishwashing. Be sure both are ONLY for aquarium usage, nothing else.

Dave

[Dave66]

Ordered Live Rock will have much more die off then locally purchased Live Rock. If you order cured live rock online, it won't be cured by the time it gets to you. Also, once the initial purchase of LR has been made an placed in your tank, any additional LR you add should be quarantined.

GB,
Aqua-cultured live rock shipped in sea water has little if any die off, meaning it depends how the live rock is shipped whether it's worth it to order online. Also, as soon as the rock is exposed to air life dies on it, so in a brand new tank, it isn't worth the cost to by 'cured' rock over un-cured, really. You'll still have to do a series of water changes 'til things even out anyway.
You are of course correct the new rock for an established must be quarantined and aggressive skimming and water changes following until that rock is cured.

Dave

[gem]

Honestly....all that stuff in the book you're reading makes it sound over complicated. If you get LR from your lfs, even cured, you will still likely have some die off and go through a cycle. Uncured LR will smell quite bad. Cured LR can be placed in your main display and sand can be added. The die off from the LR will aid the cycle. Frankly...I only do normal weekly water changes during this time. Once amonia and nitrites are undetectable, you should start seeing a diatom bloom. This is an anooying brown film algae that will cover rock, sand, and glass. This point is when I add a clean up crew consisting of astrea, turbo, and cerith snails, as well as some nassarius snails. Also hermit crabs. IME zebra hermits are awesome little scrap pickers. Not quite as pretty as red leg or blue legs, but IMO they do a better job. They snails should take care of alot of the diatom on the rocks, and you can blow it off powerheads and rock with a turkey baster and use a mag float on the glass. Keep your skimmer going at this point.
Uncured LR can be cured (recommend doing such in the garage...it's gonna smell) in a brute trash can, rubbermaid tub, or stock tank. All you need is the container, a couple powerheads, and ample ro/di and salt mix. You don't even have to put light on it. 50% water chnages every couple days minimum. Once the LR doesn't stink anymore....it's ready to go in your tank.
Whenever I get new LR to add to an existing tank....I run it for at least a week in a tank of SW to be sure it's ready for my tnak and won't cause a mini cycle.

[gem]

Just FYI, Wendy. You should handle the rock with aquarium-safe gloves. Never know what kind of critters are on/in it, and it'll take you only once to accidently touch a live bristleworm bare-handed when lifting up a rock from the box to understand the wisdom of using gloves to handle the rocks.
You can buy gloves specifically for aquarium usage or use those designed to protect your hands while cleaning or dishwashing. Be sure both are ONLY for aquarium usage, nothing else.

Dave


Yep yep.....little baby mantis shrimp could be hiding in there too....or big ones. OUCH!!!!

[cocoa_pleco]

Just FYI, Wendy. You should handle the rock with aquarium-safe gloves. Never know what kind of critters are on/in it, and it'll take you only once to accidently touch a live bristleworm bare-handed when lifting up a rock from the box to understand the wisdom of using gloves to handle the rocks.


DITTO, always wear gloves. last year i bought some rock, and it looked pretty bland, and i figured i dont need gloves. got hundreds of bristleworm bristles in my finger, and it took alot of skin ripping off to get them all off

and with the mantis, they can break bones and attack you. i think i have one in my tank, i always hear clicking. thank god it never attacked me yet

[gem]

If your just hearing clicking it's possibly a pistol shrimp. A mantis....more like "Crack" and you'd start missing your snails and hermits and cleaner shrimp...and even fish sometimes.

[Kuli_Loach]

I have always handled my LR bare handed but that is just me. I am going to start wearing gloves for now on after reading some of ya'lls injuries and such.

[wbzorker]

Definitely, gloves.

(notetaking) "To keep fingers, wear gloves" also "Live Rock talks in it's sleep and can attack." "Needs to be cured".:hmm3grin2orange:

Just being silly, folks. Thanks for all the tips. :11: I may not tell hubby about mantis shrimp yet lol. In retrospect, FW tanks seem so safe :-)