Tristan wrote:

Same for that wet bagged live sand that is sold. HOw much good do you
really think that stuff serves. I see bags of it that are expired, or
laying on a stores display shelf in direct sunlight and hot/warm, it
sets for days on end in a hot truck while being transported, or in a
cold truck during winter.......Best bet on that sand is buy cheaper
dry pack sand and get a cup of live sand from someones established
tank or add live rock and let it seed the sand with bacteria. Thats
all the bagged sand is capable of having anyhow, and that can come
from good live rock anyhow....

I used dry sand as the substrate....the tank is now 4 months old and the
substrate is alive and crawling with all sorts of life and has been for
the majority of time that it has been in the tank since the LR was added
- so my conclusion was that dead sand will become live sand quite
quickly and at a fraction of cost to whatever might be sold as "live
sand". I even took this live/dead thing a bit further and used "dead"
rock as well as the live stuff when setting up the tank....the "dead"
rock is now very much alive and again cost a fraction of the price of
the live stuff - I guess the key was to find the balance in quantity
between the live and dead (I guess I did 2/3 LR and 1/3 dead) and also
to be very slow/patient about the additions of anything into the
tank....of course, when it comes to buying the LR it also has to be
remembered, well certainly for the stuff I buy, the coral colonies/frags
are actually sited on Live Rock - which again just adds more and more
into the equation and balance of the tank

Gill





On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 18:40:45 GMT, "TheRock" wrote:

I meant "purchasing cured rock"...you are correct.
And to further clarify...internet cured rock.

Especially when they ship it in wet newspapers.


"George Patterson" wrote in message
news:9Ntqh.386$AG6.142@trnddc06...
TheRock wrote:

Somebody correct me if I am wrong but i believe there is no such thing as
cured rock.

Live rock that has been marinated in water (as you put it) until nothing
dies anymore is said to be "cured live rock." The curing process typically
involves low light levels, lots of circulation, and large water changes.

George Patterson
Forgive your enemies. But always remember who they are.




-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!