Saltwater Aquarium Guide -- Saltwater Fish Health and Disease

Water Quality (page 3)

Once all the undesirable components have been removed, the rock should be placed in the aquarium that will eventually be its home. It should be placed close to the pattern that it will eventually rest in with the rock oriented to the light in the same manner it was in the ocean. The upper and lower surfaces of the rock are usually readily apparent and the positioning of the live rock should take this into account. All of the rock should be cured at once as it is very deleterious to an established reef tank to add new rock to it. The curing of the rock usually takes from 2-6 weeks depending on how much die off occurred during shipping.

While the rock is curing several things need to be done. First strong water movement on the rock is essential. By providing strong water movement any material that dies will be blown off the rock. In addition strong water movement will prevent detritus from settling on the rock and killing whatever is underneath it. To produce this water movement multiple power heads are necessary. To augment the water movement it is often necessary to use a meat bulb baster to remove some of the white film that invariably forms on some of the live rock. The second factor that is important for proper curing of the live rock is good protein skimming. Good protein skimming aids in curing the live rock in that much of the dead material is skimmed away prior to it polluting the tank. In addition the skimmer should help in adding oxygen to the water so that anaerobic conditions don't develop. During the curing regular water changes with aged saltwater should be done on a regular basis. This may be every other day during the first week and then weekly or bi-weekly once the curing has progressed.

After smell subsides in the first week the progress of the curing can be assessed by testing the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels of the tank. During the first few days the ammonia levels may be off the scale with little or no nitrite or nitrate being present. After a week or so the ammonia levels should fall and nitrite and nitrate should rise. Curing is done when there is no longer any smell or visible dead matter on the live rock and the ammonia and nitrite levels are zero and the nitrate level is high. At this point a 25% water change should be undertaken and once it is done fish and invertebrates can be added. That is literally how simple it is to establish a biological filter for a reef tank.

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