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- Today on BRStv Reef FAQs we answer,
'How do I cure live rock naturally?'
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Hi, I'm Ryan, your host of BRStv
Reef FAQs is all about quick,
straight to the point answers
to those questions reefers ask all the time.
Today, we answer a pretty common question.
How do I cure live rock naturally?
Meaning no harsh chemicals or acids.
First, there is a difference between curing and cycling,
and they are commonly confused.
Cycling is all about populating the surface of the rock
with bacteria, which will filter the tank.
Curing is the process of getting undesirable organics.
Like, dead algae, dead sponges, microfauna,
and other undesirable pollutants
off the surface of the rock.
And getting it ready for a saltwater reek tank.
Well, in some cases cycling and curing
can be done at the same time.
Today's focus is directly focused on curing rock.
The three main methods; natural, bleach, and acid curing.
Today is focused on the natural cure,
and we'll answer three direct questions today.
What is a natural cure?
When is it appropriate to cure rock?
And then how to do it?
A natural live rock cure is about what it sounds like,
done naturally by dropping some rock in a bin,
most often without light,
and waiting for the organics to decay.
Over time the dead algae
and other desirable organics in the rock
will fall off and breakdown.
Essentially leaving only organic-free,
fairly clean rock behind.
This natural method is certainly the easiest method
of cleaning rock and getting it ready
for starting your reef tank.
And done right a natural cure can also
speed up the cycle time later.
So, when is a natural cure like this appropriate?
Well, that largely depends on
the type of rock that you're using.
With four major categories.
Actual wet live rock.
Dry rock from the ocean.
Mined dry rock.
And man made dry rock.
I have direct advice for each type of rock.
If you spent the money to buy wet live rock,
which is increasingly rare and expensive these days.
You probably did it because you want the natural bacteria;
coralline algae, microfauna, sponges,
and other organisms which come on the rock.
Some of which will make the transition to your tank,
and some of which will die.
In this case, curing the rock would mean
intention to let some of that die off.
In this case, let's say a vast majority of reefers
will not cure wet live rock
because they don't want to lose
the coralline algae coverage
and some of the other potential life in the rock.
When there's no food source or light.
So, the big question is can you cure wet live rock
with a light and food source additions?
Well, I guess you can but at that point
you are more or less just running a reef tank
at that point, or cycling tank, and not strictly curing.
That said, some reefers will absolutely
buy wet live rock and cure it
in heated, circulated water but no light.
Many organisms will not survive that process,
but it's arguably one of the most
stable ways to start a reef tank
with the appropriate bacterial culture started.
No detectable organics or related pollutants
and minimal pests.
That said, my suggestion for most reefers
who paid for wet live rock and probably want
the desirable elements like coralline algae coverage.
Unless there's tons of obvious die-off
that needs to be dealt with,
Just skip the curing in the rock
and move on to cycling the tank,
and let it stabilize before adding coral.
In that case, your organic organisms that don't make it
will break down the actual tank
and then have to be removed via filtration or water changes.
But you can also benefit from utilitarian fish
and cleanup crews during that time,
but you will keep most of the life that you paid for alive.
Next up, if you picked up dry live rock
that originally came from the ocean or used rock
from other tanks that's been allowed to dry out.
I would call curing mission critical.
Rock from the ocean or previously used rock
has all kinds of dead organics on it
which if not removed will yellow the water,
smell terrible, and absolutely add
unnecessary nitrate and phosphate.
None of which is a good way to start a new tank.
So, in this case I'd absolutely cure the rock
to eliminate the organics
and get the tank off to the right start.
Next, dry mined rock is by far
the most common rock used these days
because it's cheap, clean, and readily available.
The most common option being Marco's Reef Saver rock.
This rock is basically a million year old reef
Made of calcium carbonate and it has
all these cool holes created in it
by low pH aquifers in the ground.
In all of our tests we've never
been able to detect any organics, or any nitrates,
or phosphate source in this type of rock.
So, I would not bother with a prolonged natural cure time,
because it's probably a waste of time.
However, I would soak the rock a week or so
in freshwater just to loosen up any debris and clean it.
But that's about as much effort as most people
will put into mined rock like Marco's Reef Saver.
The last one is man made artificial rocks
like those used for the BRS160.
The most popular at the moment being real reef rock.
These rocks are increasingly popular
because they start purple
and look like an established tank much quicker.
With most of the artificial rocks
I'd recommend soaking the rocks
for a prolong period time to make sure
anything from the manufacturing process is long gone.
However, in the case of real reef rock
they've clearly state it's been allowed
to cure in freshwater for a minimum of 12 weeks
before being transferred into the saltwater bins
for another 12 to 16 weeks, before being packaged.
In the case of real reef, again,
I wouldn't be concerned about organics
and curing might just be a bucket of salt water,
and giving each piece a good swish
before putting it in the tank.
Okay, so you heard all of that
and decided a natural rock cure is worthwhile
and most notably because you're using
dry ocean based rock or used dry rock from a previous tank.
Or because you're using wet live rock
and willing to allow some of the
desirable organisms to die-off.
In exchange for arguably the most stable form of rock
you can start a reef tank with.
So, how do you do it?
The process is remarkably simple.
You're just going to soak the rock
for four to 12 weeks in salt water with no light.
Until all the organics breakdown.
That said, we have some solid tips
on where to do it and how to speed that process up.
The process can be done in almost any reef safe container.
Ranging from the aquarium itself.
To a Rubbermaid BRUTE trashcan.
To something like a horse trough.
It might also be a good time to do a bit of a double duty,
and get a large open top water container.
Which after the curing process can be used
to mix and store salt water.
The only real important part is to find
a way to black out your container
with a lid or any kind of thick black plastic.
Like plastic sheeting from a hardware store.
Just try to keep the plastic out of the water itself.
I say complete blackout because we want to eliminate
as many photosynthetic algae and bacterial pests
related to new tanks as possible.
That said, it's important that the container
isn't hermetically sealed.
We need some amount of gas exchange
with the surrounding room.
Filled the container with saltwater and rock,
and that's about all there is to it.
The process should be completely done within 12 weeks
and then ready for your tank.
That said, there are three main ways
to speed that up and make it closer to four weeks.
First, add flow or some type of circulation
with an inexpensive power head.
Well circulated water will promote the bacteria
to rapidly multiply faster and break down the organics.
And just do a better job as well as
flush away the already broken down material.
Next, is heat the water to 78 degrees or so,
which is near where you've likely keep the tank.
Bacteria just reproduce and populate the tank
much faster at higher temps.
Maintaining higher temperatures during the cure
will drastically decrease the total time.
Lastly, you don't need to wait
for the populations to build on their own.
You can add the bacteria yourself
and even boost a specific strain for the intended purpose.
For instance, many reefers use DrTim's One and Only,
as well as MicroBacter 7 to cycle the tank.
However, more appropriate for curing
is more aggressive strains of bacteria like
DrTim's Waste-Away or MicroBacter Clean,
which is more aggressive scavenging bacteria.
In the case of MicroBacter Clean
it literally says microbial culture and enzyme blend
designed to clean surfaces of live rock.
I believe MicroBacter Clean is also dormant bacteria,
which is more stable and less susceptible
to shipping and weather conditions than live versions.
Identifying the right tool for the right job
and using it will absolutely show in the results.
In this case, well circulated, heated saltwater
with a bacterial boost specific to its intended use
will not only show in how well
the natural curing process works
but also how fast the process plays out.
The only other thing I'd suggest
is running a bag of activated carbon.
This process of breaking down organics
can stink pretty bad, and a few books of carbon
can completely solve that.
So, I'd do that as well.
So, when is a rock curing done for sure?
Well, the best way is to test
either when nitrates or phosphates stops rising.
If you want to be 100% sure do a 100% water change,
and then make sure they stay zero.
So, that wraps up today's question,
but we have a great BRStv Investigates episode
on the best method of curing live rock.
If you want to see some data.
And we also have a quick video
on how much rock you need for your tank.
And you can also click that tab
to learn how to get up to $500 bucks
in free reefing gear, order refunds, and free carts
are just one of the preferred reefer perks.