Cured or uncured... that is the question!

ladypheesh

ladypheesh

Frank the tank!
I'm sorry if a similar thread exists elsewhere already... the search function isn't working right now.

we have an uninhabited tank set up that has sand and water in it now, and we are looking at our options for live rock. We will probably be purchasing it locally and picking it up ourselves, so shipping issues don't apply here.

My question is, what is your opinion on cured vs. uncured? We have the option to purchase either, and the pictures I have seen of the uncured are much more colorful, plus the price is more attractive. Will most of the color die off right away, then eventually return? Also, most of what I have seen cured looks pretty bland. From your experiences with cured LR, do you eventually see a wide range of colors once it is more established?

Thanks in advance! :mrgreen:
 
Since you only have water and sand in your tank, I don't think it matters. If you have already cycled your tank, you will probably see another cycle when you add a bunch of live rock to it.

I haven't done it, but I believe curing live rock properly takes a few weeks and should really be done outside of your main aquarium (will let the experts on the board comment more about that). The other disadvantage I can see of buying "uncured" live rock is that it will probably smell up your place for a while...if you're like me living in an apartment...less smell is better :)

I bought "cured" rock from my LFS even though my tank is brand new and not cycled yet.
 
it really is your choice. since your tank is empty of inhabitants, it will not make a difference except for the lovely odor of eggs and stuff. it will take a few weeks to cure. keep your lights off and a protein skimmer running.

cured rock will gain color as the coralline grows on it. you will have a cycle from adding it, but since your tank is emply, no big deal

-Doc
 
About the only difference is cured rock has been cleaned where un-cured hasnt.
If you can handle the smell,The un-cured is better IMO.You'll get more hitch hikers and your cycle will start quicker.Not to mention,its cheaper.
 
I want to add about 35-40 more lbs to my existing 40, but will wait until after my cycle is complete. The appearance of the rock I received I'm very happy with, however, I haven't seen any hitchhikers which I was hoping I would...but alas, the rock was cured. I think the next batch will be uncured...I know there will be another cycle period but I think the benefit in the long run of the critters that can come with uncured rock is worth the wait...I'm in no rush :)
 
can i jump in on this? My tank, (75 gallon, sump/ref almost complete) has been cycling for 2 weeks now. I have about 50 lbs of live rock now and 60 lbs of live sand, 2 damsels to help cycle. Would I be better off leaving the lights off for a quicker cycle?
 
Danny,the lights won't make the cycle go any quicker.It will reduce how much algae builds up though.Algae will come eventually so I run my lights a few hours even during the cycle.
 
ladypheesh said:
I'm sorry if a similar thread exists elsewhere already... the search function isn't working right now.

we have an uninhabited tank set up that has sand and water in it now, and we are looking at our options for live rock. We will probably be purchasing it locally and picking it up ourselves, so shipping issues don't apply here.

My question is, what is your opinion on cured vs. uncured? We have the option to purchase either, and the pictures I have seen of the uncured are much more colorful, plus the price is more attractive. Will most of the color die off right away, then eventually return? Also, most of what I have seen cured looks pretty bland. From your experiences with cured LR, do you eventually see a wide range of colors once it is more established?

Thanks in advance! :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Since you have no inhabitants then cured or uncured will be a personal choice.Uncured does appear to have more life but many will eventually die during the cycle and some will come back after the cycle.The decaying organisms is what gives those rocks its rotten egg smell.The cycling in most cases will take longer but you get the benefit of a cheaper price per pound.For me,I always look for fresh cured rocks,me a wuss and can't stand the smell.
 
I agree with about 95% of what reeffreak says in all of his posts. This is one small area where we disagree. I am not a fan of leaving lights on at all during the cycle. algae is such a pain in the butt, especially hair algae, why start off getting it? if you run your lights w/o a cleaning crew during your cycle, you will start off with lots and lots of algae. some people get hair algae like crazy. Just don't make sense to me. I leave the lights off during the whole cycle

-Doc
 
wow, the e-bay rock is cheap and looks nice, but is it really? has anyone bought this? i'm afraid i'll get 40 lbs of tiny pieces instead of 6-7 large pieces and i'll bet the return policy is a pain. anyone bought online rock? it is about half the price that i can find around here. is it worth the risk?
 
dannyboy said:
wow, the e-bay rock is cheap and looks nice, but is it really? has anyone bought this? i'm afraid i'll get 40 lbs of tiny pieces instead of 6-7 large pieces and i'll bet the return policy is a pain. anyone bought online rock? it is about half the price that i can find around here. is it worth the risk?
Click to expand...

I've ordered live rock from Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums before and have never been disappointed. If you buy rock on sale, you can get it for as low as $4 a lb, including shipping. I would trust them over Ebay, anyday.
 
I also have bough from Liveaquaria and I liked the rocks I got although I had very little hitchhikers (even when i watched in the dark)
 
Bifferwine said:
I've ordered live rock from Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums before and have never been disappointed. If you buy rock on sale, you can get it for as low as $4 a lb, including shipping. I would trust them over Ebay, anyday.
Click to expand...
I am looking at buying my next 30 - 35 lbs of rock from LiveAquaria...what rock do you think is the best value from their list? and would be best for my tank that I recently (1/22) put 45 lbs in.
 

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