Cure The Living Rock
Unfortunately, when live rock is harvested from coral reefs and imported into aquatic stores, it is kept in less than ideal condition.
By the time it has arrived, many of the small creatures that naturally inhabit rock, such as bristle worms, shrimp, crabs, coralline algae, sponges, and delicate tube worms on the outer surfaces, are greatly reduced in number.. This is why live rock needs to be cured before being introduced to our marine aquarium. You need time to recover and recover.
To cure live rock, we place the rock in freshly prepared seawater and provide plenty of circulation around the rock to remove decaying matter.
The rock is also gently brushed and turned regularly to ensure that pores and cracks do not become blocked. The water held in the ‘rock curing bin’ becomes heavily polluted, this is where we rely on the protein skimmer to remove organic debris from the water.
The curing process is only complete when no waste is produced, which we observe from the skimmer, also by testing the water for ammonia and nitrite levels.
Once both have reached zero, the rock is considered safe for our marine fish. Finally, the rock is transferred from the rock curing container and placed in our tanks.
