Fully Cured Live Rock

What is fully cured live rock and do I really need it? Good questions that I will try to answer.

This term is used by many suppliers to describe the condition of the rock they sell. It means that it is in a stable condition, ready to put in your tank right away.

Here is a scenario. Gathering takes place in the ocean. It is then placed in containers and shipped to suppliers. The supplier places it is large tanks. Then they ship it to you, the customer.

But, once exposed to the air, most of the living organisms die in as little as a few hours. It is not “live” anymore and will smell like it.

The most common way of shipping is to wrap it in wet newspaper, put plastic around it and then seal it in a cardboard box. This system works pretty well and die off is minimal.

You must be very careful when adding any new rock to your established aquarium. It can easily cause the tank to start a new cycle causing high ammonia levels. This should be avoided at all costs as your tank may be in jeopardy.

Cure the rock yourself as explained in the curing live rock curing live rock section. Better to be safe than to have your investment literally go down the drain.