(not just) curing dry live Fiji rock

Jim Scannell · Sep 7, 2017

I've read everything I could find on curing dry live rock and basically they just state how to get it safe to put in the display tank. My goal is to make the rock a biological powerhouse, not just safe. I got my 100g reef tank last November. It was set up for 2 years before I bought it from a widow. I tore it down and moved it 75 miles to my home and set it up with existing rock, sand, and water. I was never able to detect any ammonia and nitrite but nitrate was high. I did numerous 40% water changes but it was still high. I added 40# of live sand and 40# of live rock which still didn't bring down nitrates. 2 months ago I added a 29g sump with a deep sand bed (40# in a 12"x12" section 6" deep) which I put on top of 16oz of Microbacter 7. It seems to have reduced nitrates some but they are still high.

Yesterday I got 50# of dry live Fiji rock, 16 oz of Microbacter 7 and 2x1300gph circulation pumps. I put the rock and pumps in my 20g quarantine tank and added a capful of Microbacter 7. I did not clean debris off rock first as I do not want to limit ammonia which would limit bacteria growth. I plan to add a capful of Microbacter 7 every day for 2 months as well as add Carib Sea Purple Up and have light on 4 hours per day.

I will be doing 66% (10 gallons) weekly water changes. I was doing 20% every 2 weeks on my 100g but while curing the rock I will do 10% weekly and use that water for the 10 gallons for the curing rock.

Any Suggestions??

Thanks!!

saltyfilmfolks · Sep 7, 2017

Let it sit for a month with no WC. Then do a couple big ones before you add the first fish.

Look at Garf grunge at garf.org to make it the biological powerhouse of your dreams.

Jim Scannell · Sep 10, 2017

Thanks! GARF now sells Coralline Nuggets! I couldn't find any place that actually sold coralline algae so I am so excited to receive the order I placed. They are throwing in a pound of GARF Grunge and if it doesn't look like sludge I may get more for my main tank. They recommend 1# for every 5 gallons of water but I don't want to add 20# of sludge to my pretty white sand :) I suppose I could just put it in my sump which would be the best idea anyway.

After 4 days I checked the temp of my curing tank and it was 88°F. Is that hot enough to kill the bacteria I've been adding? I unplugged the heater and opened the top and will check the temp tomorrow. I guess if it is still hot I will have to get the wavemaker controller I've been putting off to cycle the powerheads that are raising the temp. I only have a standard freshwater fluorescent hood on that tank and I've only had it on 4 hours a day so I don't think it was responsible for the high temp.