Curing LR in Low SG Water?
 

We're preparing to set up a new tank to house a tropical species of captive bred seahorses. Have cured lots of LR to date, but never with the goal of killing off some of the unwanted hitchhikers such as crabs, aptasia and bristleworms. Yes, I know that BWs are a beneficial detritus consumers and I love them in my reefs. But in my seahorse tanks they aren't all that welcome. Would like to preserve featherdusters and coraline algae during the curing process.

Has anyone on this board ever cured LR at low salinity such as 1.015 to 1.010? Any advice or alternative suggestions on curing rock this way?

TIA.

Wouldn't the low salinity kill every invert, including the tube worms?

Well, it might, that's why I'm asking for suggestions and alternative solutions :smile:

Some crabs will tolerate lower salinity, especially if their range includes tidal zone and surf zone habitat they can be extremely hardy. It's still worth a try.

What about using homemade rock or tufa or limestone or whatever it's called (the dry stuff)? Guaranteed to be worm-free, aiptasia-free, and crab-free. I would think, given enough time, it could be seeded with coraline and even feather dusters by transplants. I dunno ... just an idle thought on my part

If we had a garage and yard, I MIGHT consider doing the DIY thing. But we have no room for it where we live. Plus, the curing time on homemade rock is long, isn't it?

Tufa or limestone in a reef just isn't right, imo. Gotta be LR or else it's not a reef.

I've got a rubbermaid tub partially filled with NSW for curing the new LR. Maybe I'll be able to catch and remove unwanted critters before the rock goes into the tank. I hope...

How about this nice white old chopped up reef that is sold here at Riverfront?
It is Calcium Carbonate, as is Tufa I believe. I have quite a bit of it, and once a little Coraline grows on it, you can't tell it apart from my other live rock.

The live rock you buy at the LFS starts out like this. Suppliers just toss it in the ocean (Fiji, Marshal Island, etc) where they hold foreshore leases and make a reef. You can do this in your tank, it just takes some time. :cool:

Only aquacultured rock is done like that.. when you buy "Normal" live rock it is actualy reef rubble they colect.

Steve

Walt Smith was on RC to say he aquacultures " tons " of rocks right now in places like Fiji

Cheers

exactly.. he sells it as "aquacultured" rock..

Steve

I didn't think they were allowed to collect any real reef rock, rubble or otherwise, anymore. I thought all live rock from your LFS could be considered aquacultured.

nope they can colect rock if it is rubble only. what they are not allowed to do is blast chunks of the reef to make rubble. they have to let storms do the work now.

Steve

I used "lace rock" from Big Al's. Tufa will work too. Mine cycled in five weeks, and then I added a few chunks of cured live rock from the LFS. Two months later, the tank is healthy and the ex-terrestrial rock is home to amphipods, bristleworms, and now corraline algae.

If your definition of live rock is porous rock covered in nitrifying bacteria, then you can easily start with terrestrial rock and avoid all hitch hikers. If you want algae, crustaceans, worms, etc, then you need something from direct from a reef environment.

d