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Live Rock and Live Sand

Live rock serves as a platform for coral and invertebrates and provides a surface for beneficial bacteria to live. Live sand is brimming with useful bacteria as well asdifferent types of worms and crustaceans eaten by many fish. Live rock and sand are beneficial and asthetically pleasing additions to your aquatic system. Both the live rock and live sand will need toundergo an acclimation/curing process before being placed in a tank with fish, invertebrates or coral. Live rock benefits from the addition of trace elements, strontium, calcium and iodine.

CuringProcess

Live rock can be purchased as uncured, partially cured or fully cured. PETCO sells partially cured live rock, which means the curing process is begun prior to purchase and will need to befinished by you. Gathering live rock can be stressful to the living organisms that inhabit it, which can cause decay of these organisms. Curing live rock is the process by which the rock is conditionedand stabilized over several weeks. Throughout the process decaying material will need to be removed so that re-growth of the beneficial organisms can occur. Once the curing process is completed thelive rock is ready to be placed into an aquarium.

Needed Supplies

You will need the following to complete the acclimation/curing process: • Bristle brush • Large and small buckets • Large plasticcontainer, with or without drains • Air stone or power head • Water testing materials • Water heater

The Steps

There are many processes to finishing the curing process for live rock. Thefollowing are our recommendations, one for an established tank containing fish, invertebrates and/or coral, and another for a new aquatic system with no aquatic life in it. Please ensure you use theappropriate process for your specific aquatic system. Curing live rock for the new aquatic system containing no aquatic life:
1. 2. 3. 4. Set up your new aquatic system according to the manufacturer’s...