Is this good rock?

tkhawaja · #1 07-14-2003, 09:11 AM

So, I got 50 lbs of "Fiji Ultra Premium" live rock from SWC. Please have a look at some pictures of this rock here. The last five pictures on that page are the rocks I got. They have some corraline coverage, and also had a few small feather dusters, macro algae, and other critters. Since I'm new, I really have no basis for comparison. Let me know if the rock I got is worthy of the title "Ultra Premium".

Skimmerking · #2 07-14-2003, 12:22 PM

no Jayson 's rock is good ,he cures it the good way.
i have had some it 's good

StirCrazy · #3 07-14-2003, 01:08 PM

yup them are som e nice chunks. usaly when they say ultra premium they are refuring to the size and shape..

STeve

Aquattro · #4 07-14-2003, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

usaly when they say ultra premium they are refuring to the size and shape..

STeve

Oh?? Please esplain......

tkhawaja · #5 07-14-2003, 04:54 PM

Yes please do explain. I got 5 big chunks and one little one. Being able to put the rock directly in the tank w/o worrying about an ammonia spike is nice but I think in the future I will request uncured rock. The Tonga branch I got from J & L was uncured and I very much like the bio-diversity it introduced. In some places my sand it litterally "churning" with activity. The SWC rock also seemed to have critters so I kept even the rubble. But I still did FW dip I saw bristleworms sticking out of the rocks and I didn't know if they were the good kind or not. I hope the feather dusters repopulate.

After I have all of my rock in the tank for a few months I will try to do a "review" with chronological pictuers of all the different types. Now, if only J & L gets their shipment this week.

Quinn · #6 07-14-2003, 05:43 PM

It is my understanding that all live rock, whether "cured" or not, will cause some kind of a cycle when added to tank (from coming out of the water, being only moist for X number of hours). I think it's hilarious how uncured rock is sometimes cheaper than cured rock, because to me, uncured is far better stuff.

tkhawaja · #7 07-14-2003, 06:47 PM

Hey Quinn. After my minimal experience I totally agree, that I would always try to get uncured. But uncured directly from harvesting, not uncured as in has been sitting dry for the last few weeks. I guess the cured rock involves an expense for the seller as they have to provide space and proper circulation to cure it. Probably just comes down to convenience for most people. A lot of people don't want to wait 4 - 8 weeks before they start adding fish etc.

Quinn · #8 07-14-2003, 07:41 PM

Well I think you have to wait X amount of time regardless of whether it's "cured" or not, be it two days or two months. My Kanai rock basically came straight from the ocean to me, all J&L did was weigh out 70lbs as far as I know. It cycled in about three days.

Buccaneer · #9 07-14-2003, 08:12 PM

Not enough time to kill those hitchhikers huh Quinn ?

Cheers

Van down by the river · #10 07-14-2003, 08:20 PM

I agree with teevee,
Even "cured" rock can cause ammonia spikes although they are substantially less drastic than uncured rock. Personally It is beyond me why anyone would want "KILLED", I mean"cured" rock. Unless you plan to add large amounts of rock all at once, or you want to add inverts right away, "cured" rock has few advantages IMO.

I personally would Not consider this rock Ultra Premium.

It looks like basic "cured/killed" standard Fiji rock.

Only a little coraline algae seperates this from base rock(the lowest grade).

The idea behind "cured" rock is that it is "cycled" in a dark tank to remove dead or dying organisms to prevent ammonia spikes, algae blooms, etc. Does this work?
Yes it does, unfortunately many of the desirable organisms that have survived, have also been killed in the curing process by ammonia, and poor water flow.
Too often a store receives beautiful rock, and proceed to place it in a cramped tank with inadequate filtration for the heavy bioload of new live rock as well as insufficient circulation due to the restrictive hydronamics of a aquarium full of live rock. Not to mention the often lack of proper lighting. Most stores I've seen have their live rock in a overfilled tank, with minimal water movement and little if any lighting. There is no pre-cleaning process or extra efforts to "save" any organisms. It goes straight from the box to the holding tank. People worry about fireworms, well with all the dead and decaying matter it's a breeding ground!
Yes, I know it's more work but there is allot that could be done to improve this process. Without proper care of the rock, many organisms are unnecessarily lost.

What do I suggest? If possible buy smaller amounts of "uncured" rock more often. Buy it from the shipping box or shortly after it arrives. Take it home and thoroughly rinse it in a bucket of saltwater and manually scrub/cut any "iffy" dead or fouling organisms.
cut off outer tissue of sponges as you have a better chance of it recovering. If the outer exposed sponge is dying it will foul and kill any living tissue underneath it. The same goes for most algae. If you trim back the rotting plant, the base which is often still alive will recover. I believe this way sponges, mussels,clams, crabs, shrimp,and worms that are freed from fouling and have clean oxygenated water have a much better chance of survival than being dumped in a silt choked ammonia bath.
If the rock is really smelly, use a powerhead and/or an old magnum/canister type filter and change the water a few times over 2-3 days in the bucket. This should improve even some of the worst rock. I believe your effort will be worth it.

Or you can buy expensive boulders that have sat for weeks or months in a dark stagnant aquarium full of diatoms, covered in the silt and sediment of the dead animals you were trying to get in the first place.