Just received my LR from Dr Mac!! How exciting!

[ken123]

It was shipped yesterday 2 day Fed-Ex. Arrived this afternoon. Ordered 50lbs, was 167.00 with shipping, that comes out to 3.36 per pound. Not bad considering my lfs is selling Tonga at $8 a pound.

The garage smelled even without opening the box. Put it in a plastic container. Filled with saltwater bought from lfs, threw in a pump, still smells in the water.

Rock looks good, some nice shapes. Not sure what to look for on the rock. All sorts of stuff there, not too much color. Will put my skimmer in tomorrow since still have plumbing and electrical to do on the tank. Question, should I add a heater to the curing container and bring the temp up? Temp varies by me from 60-85.

[jthornley]

Pictures?

[ken123]

Ya know, they did not look like much so I didn't take any yet. Maybe I'll post a few in a day or 2.

Should I put a heater in there to bring the temp up? Anyone?

[Tenderoni Drop]

u have abig swing in temp try to keep at 78

[ken123]

That temp swing is the air temp, night to day out side, seems ok in the garage. I'll add the heater I guess.

[Reefy]

IMO, I would keep the temp stable around 80. I like to change 100% of the water every 2 days until the die off subsides a bit. Then I change the water once a week.

Prepare for some pretty rank air in the garage for a while :D

[EdKruzel]

A heater can't hurt and will keep the stress down for any life hitch hiking along (worms, pods, etc...).

The stuff shouldn't have smelled that bad; check for sponge or plant life and then remove it.
Use a piece of rigid tubing or a wooden stick to probe around in the crevices to find the unwanted stuff; sponges will often pull tight and be covered in sediment going unnoticed.

It's best to rinse your rock vigorously in a bucket of SW before (and a few times during the cycle) adding to your curing bucket.

Be sure to have a huge amount of flow throughout your container, and conduct a few water changes as well as keeping the skimmer clean.

Good Luck,
Ed

[ken123]

Checked the garage this morning, does not smell as bad. Hardly at all now. I did give a rinse before putting in the curing bucket. Alot of loose stuff did come off. There seems to be, how can I describe this, almost like a dark plant life in a concave rock, will get a pic later today. Have enough flow and have water at the ready.
Exactly what will the sponges look like? Will it be soft material on the rock?

[EdKruzel]

Anything soft, send it packing!!!
As I mentioned, some of the sponge will appear as rock, but yes it will be soft, which is why it is good to probe with a rigid non-metallic object in search of unwanted life forms.

Ed