[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by sphelps

On a second note I see very little importance on having a skimmer on a live rock holding tank. Clean and warm saltwater is the only real requirement. If you keep volume small it's probably better to simply change the water completely every so often using discarded water from other systems.

It is very important.. if you have a good skimmer on your rock curing tank the vendor can save a lot of money in waterchanges and it is more efficent than doing the waterchanges also as it is continuiously removing the "crap" where the waterchanges will let the levels build up then gone. also there is a much higher survival rate for bugs when you use a skimmer as there is less shock to them due to waterchanges and less spiking of amonia, nitrate and nitrite. Just like in our tanks the more stable the better and the common problem is that people see rock as a decoration not as one of the most important biological additions to our tank.

It is attitiudes and lack of education in a lot of LFS' that cause this thinking and it is realy sad that people will spend thousands on corals and fish, but yet will find the most used oldest rock they can and just throw it in there. old rock is exactly that old rock.. it isn't wine it doesn't get better with age. its ability to filter and help to prevent algae declines with age.. it cazn be rejuvinated but this requires a lot of time and work and is called "cooking" the rock. I would never add rock to my system that has been in some one elses tank for a long time with out cooking it first.

Steve