Purchasing Once-Dry Rock That is Cured and Cycled

[Nick Kohrn]

I currently have a few large tubs with rock that have been cured and have been cycling for a future buid. I am using ammonium chloride to ensure that the bacteria are able to process the ammonia within a 24-hour period. This helps keep the rocks cycled and ready for use immediately with livestock.

Have any of you ever purchased rock like this?

I love the idea of having dry rock that is cured and cycled because you get the benefits of no unwanted hitchhikers, and you get the bacteria that is ready to take on a bioload.

I would love to continue the process, and I want to see if there is a market for such a product. I know that there are a lot of types of dry and live rock out there, but I like the idea of having customers get rock that is ready to go without any chance of pest algaes or other organisms.

I would love to get your thoughts on the subject.

Would you consider buying a product like this? Regardless of the answer, 8 would love to know why.

Thanks so much!

 

[Humblefish]

I suppose there could be a market for this. Lots of impatient people who don't want to wait 4-6 weeks for a cycle. :D Your biggest challenge would be getting people to pay the shipping charge, assuming you intend to sell online.

 

[Nick Kohrn]

I suppose there could be a market for this. Lots of impatient people who don't want to wait 4-6 weeks for a cycle. :D Your biggest challenge would be getting people to pay the shipping charge, assuming you intend to sell online.

I assume it would be no different than paying for shipping of typical live rock. Do you see any downsides to this approach?

 

[cromag27]

I always recommend people acid bath their rock and then cycle it. the pests that come along with "live" rock are not worth the risk.

 

[Nick Kohrn]

I always recommend people acid bath their rock and then cycle it. the pests that come along with "live" rock are not worth the risk.

What about if the rock is coming from a system where all of the rock has started as dry rock and no other type of rock has been added? It would basically be dry Florida rock, but already cycled naturally by adding an ammonia source, such as ammonium chloride for the bacteria to feed off of. Then, the customer will have the same result as ordering live rock from a typical online vendor, but it will come void of everything except for the bacteria. It would not come into contact with anything harvested from the ocean, therefore eliminating pest algaes, invertebrates, and any other type of pest that live rock may come with.

 

[cromag27]

Correct, I was referring to naturally collected rock. no way for me. I agree with what you're wanting to do and I would support it. however, I'm probably in the minority here.

What about if the rock is coming from a system where all of the rock has started as dry rock and no other type of rock has been added? It would basically be dry Florida rock, but already cycled naturally by adding an ammonia source, such as ammonium chloride for the bacteria to feed off of. Then, the customer will have the same result as ordering live rock from a typical online vendor, but it will come void of everything except for the bacteria. It would not come into contact with anything harvested from the ocean, therefore eliminating pest algaes, invertebrates, and any other type of pest that live rock may come with.

 

[Nick Kohrn]

Correct, I was referring to naturally collected rock. no way for me. I agree with what you're wanting to do and I would support it. however, I'm probably in the minority here.

Oh, I understand now. I thought you were referring to the method in question.

I definitely agree that dry rock is the way to go. It really does make the initial establishment of a system a little more boring because of the void of life, but in the long-run, knowing what has gone into you'd system is beneficial.

Why do you feel that you're in the minority?

 

[cromag27]

This hobby is mostly filled with those who prefer the path of least resistance. whether it's about time, work or money. There are so many ads in every area for live rock at $1-$2 a pound from old breakdowns. it would be a difficult area to tap into, imo.

 

[cromag27]

Not trying to discourage you by any means and I think it's a nice niche to get into. I just wouldn't expect to quit your day job initially. :)

Might catch on locally and you wouldn't have to ship.

 

[Brew12]

I like the idea, but aren't some of the "bacteria bottles" a quick way of doing essentially the same thing? How much better would you expect your results to be than by using something like Bio-Spira?

 

[cromag27]

No, different. the junk in a bottle won't necessarily get rid of any dead matter in the rock. you could still experience die off and leaching.

I like the idea, but aren't some of the "bacteria bottles" a quick way of doing essentially the same thing? How much better would you expect your results to be than by using something like Bio-Spira?

 

[Brew12]

No, different. the junk in a bottle won't necessarily get rid of any dead matter in the rock. you could still experience die off and leaching.

Maybe I wasn't clear. I was asking about the difference in taking dry rock and adding Bio-Spria to it as opposed to buying live cycled previously dry rock.

 

[cromag27]

The curing process (discussed here) is different than the cycling process. dry rock will have dead matter in it which would cause a cycle when put in a tank. Products like bio spira can be dangerous as they usually do nothing. if someone uses such products with perceived success, such success is usually contributed to something else going. there's a reason these products are called "snake oils".

I would think live bacteria could be beneficial in the cycling process but not the curing process.

Maybe I wasn't clear. I was asking about the difference in taking dry rock and adding Bio-Spria to it as opposed to buying live cycled previously dry rock.

 

[Brew12]

The curing process (discussed here) is different than the cycling process. dry rock will have dead matter in it which would cause a cycle when put in a tank. Products like bio spira can be dangerous as they usually do nothing. if someone uses such products with perceived success, such success is usually contributed to something else going. there's a reason these products are called "snake oils".

I would think live bacteria could be beneficial in the cycling process but not the curing process.

Thanks, I never really considered that dry rock would have dead matter in it. Mine looked clean, but I know that looks can be deceiving. And not all dry rock is the same. So much to learn....

 

[Humblefish]

I like the idea, but aren't some of the "bacteria bottles" a quick way of doing essentially the same thing? How much better would you expect your results to be than by using something like Bio-Spira?

That approach works on a smaller tank, but for medium-to-large systems you have to dump a bunch of that stuff in to fully cycle.

 

[Brew12]

That approach works on a smaller tank, but for medium-to-large systems you have to dump a bunch of that stuff in to fully cycle.

I thought bio load had more to do with cycling than tank size. Don't 2 clownfish in a 120 gallon tank need roughly the same number of bacteria as if they were in a 55 gallon tank? Wouldn't that only be an issue if you tried to add too much too fast to a larger tank because of it's size?

 

[Humblefish]

I thought bio load had more to do with cycling than tank size. Don't 2 clownfish in a 120 gallon tank need roughly the same number of bacteria as if they were in a 55 gallon tank? Wouldn't that only be an issue if you tried to add too much too fast to a larger tank because of it's size?

What you are saying is technically correct, but it allows no margin for error. When you feed the 2 clownfish in a 120 gallon tank, there is more space for uneaten food to get trapped under rocks, in the sump, etc. If you don't have healthy bacteria levels in that tank you risk an ammonia spike. Even a slight/brief ammonia spike can be a problem.

 

[cromag27]

Cycling also has to do with water volume. It takes more ammonia to start the cycle and the more water, the more bacteria it's going to take to sustain the cycle. that's why more of that bottled junk would be required in a larger tank. I say junk because there are other (cheaper) ways to cycle and sustain the cycle.

 

[cromag27]

I don't know if that made sense. I've had a couple....lol.

 

[Humblefish]

Cycling also has to do with water volume. It takes more ammonia to start the cycle and the more water, the more bacteria it's going to take to sustain the cycle. that's why more of that bottled junk would be required in a larger tank. I say junk because there are other (cheaper) ways to cycle and sustain the cycle.

Good point