Curing Live Rock

[djarmb]

I'm a newbie with my first fish only live rock tank. It is cycled with two damsels, some live rock and a few inverts. I'm going to add new live rock and purchased some uncured lr from the LFS. I'm curing it in a bucket before i introduce it to the tank according to most instructions I've read but my question is this. The lady I bought the rock from said I should feed flake fish food to the uncured live rock while it's going through the curing process. None of the sites I've been to mention feeding while curing the live rock. Is this a good idea?

By the way your podcasts are excellent and have helped me immensely. Thanks for all the hard work.

[Reefbaby]

Welcome djarmb!

Hmmm....I don't think that I would add any kind of food to the curing process. I think it would just prolong the process. Just make sure to be patient and to aerate the bucket well while it's curing....

Good luck!

[gwen_o_lyn]

Welcome to TR!!

I don't recommend cycling with damsels. I've heard that catching them and removing them from the tank isn't always easy and that people have ripped their tank apart trying to get them out, also its very stressful for the fish to try and live through a cycle. Consider taking them back to the LFS before you add more LR.

LR is all you need to cycle a tank. Let the LR sit in your tank at least 8-12 weeks before adding any critters. Patience in this hobby will get you very far. ;)

And no I wouldn't feed the LR :)

[Rob]

i agree with gwen 100%
cycling a tank is cruel and unusual punishment. (even if it is an evil little damsel)
the only reason this practice started is that damels are one of the few fish that are strong and hardy enough to tolerate the extreme conditions that occur during a tank cycle.

another very widely used cycle starter is using a small piece of raw shrimp. add this into the tank for about a week, then remove it, and your cycle will be on its way..

[Reefbaby]

From the way that I read djarmb's thread, I think he meant that he's already got damsels in a "cured" tank and he's bought new rock that he's now curing in a separate bucket. So, hopefully, the damsels aren't going through this curing process as well....

[djarmb]

Thanks all for the help. I won't feed my lr and just wait it out for a month or so with the appropriate tests and water changes before putting it into the tank.

[pham411]

i never heard of feeding lr during curing process. but i did hear about the shrimp dilio rob was talking about. curing live rock is fairly simple but just time consuming. if you get your lr straight from the sea and not from a dealer. you might wanna spend more time getting rid of some unwanted inverts that may be living in the rocks.

[JustDavidP]

Some people recommend using pulverized flake foods to feed the pods, mysid etc. that may be in the live rock. This is supposedly to help them make it through the cycling etc. Personally, I think it's bunk...

You are just going to load that rock with more nutrients, and therefore invite nusiance alga as soon as the light hits it.

The 'life' in and on the rock will continue to eat what it always has...the additional life in and on the rock (to include those things that die off).

Dave

[pham411]

your theory sounds correct dave. feeding the lr will only cauze algae problems.

[kj_yoda]

interesting information...never heard of feeding live rock

[JustDavidP]

You wouldn't be feeding the rock as much as you'd be feeding the life within it. I have offline pod and mysid farms that I feed pulverized foods to. I'd just not attempt to do so with curing live rock. There is already going to be enough biological activity in the curing system from the various die off. There is plenty for pods and other life to consume while in this transition. A batch of rock that is curing and becomes loaded with additional nutrients would be akin to a "Chia Pet" in that as SOON as you put it under moderate to strong lighting, the alga blooms would be intense.

Dave