Cured Vs Uncured

[Holyreefer]

Quick ? what is the difference between cured and uncured live rock? And what are the pros and cons with uncured verse cured live rock? And for a 220FOWLR Tank how much would you suggest i go with of live rock and should i go with uncured or cured?


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[intekhab]

Cure Rock basically means dealer/LFS cleaned out the Live Rock after shipment arrived at their facility before shipping it to you (after keeping those rock under right condition (adequate lighting, water flow etc). Cure rock is very useful when you are trying to avoid any spike due to addition of those rocks. For example, if you have a tank that has live animal (fish, corals etc), your best bet would be "cure rock"

"Cured Rock" cost usually significantly higher than uncured rock.

On the other hand, if you are just starting up a new setup and don't care about the initial extra work (smell, lots of water changes, and possible uninvited guests (ie. Mantis Shrimp), you should go for uncured rock. Often you will not even face all the hassle many face with uncured rock depending on the quality of the Rock.

In fact, if you choose to go with either "Uncure Rock" or "Cure Rock" talk to Jeremy at Premimum Aquatics (http://www.premiumaquatics.com) and he will pick some great rock for you at unbelievable price. I couldn't be happier with my rock that he picked out and for great price.

Good Luck

Intekhab

[opihi]

uncured rock is usually taken from its source, put in a box, on a plane, and shipped to you. lots of macroalgae, critters, sometimes coral, but they will mostly die off from the rigors of shipping. the die off will cause a considerable cycle.

cured usually means the rock has been sitting in a holding tank somewhere for an unspecified amount of time before it is shipped to you. less life comes on cured rock, but it also causes a much smaller cycle.

i used to believe that uncured was the way to go. it's a little cheaper, and you get all that life. now i think the best way to go is half cured, half base rock. in time, the cured rock will seed the base rock. base rock is also much cheaper, which is good for you, since you'll be setting up a large tank.

hth,
jeff