you guys really are making me more aware of things that i had not realized i needed to do! thanks!
I understood and recognized the fact that i need to clean off the dead material on the LR via a jet wash or turkey baster, but are you saying that i should go as far as to take it out of the water and clean it that way too? if so, how would i do it, what method should i take. also, are there things that i should be careful to do/not to do?
For the first couple of days I pull my rock out or leave it just under the water to see if there is any dead things I missed from the initial inspection out of the box. Usually sponges take a while to die so I look/smell for those. If you're curing alot of rock and it is bulky and in the main tank it might be a pain to pull it out and do this though. You also run the risk of scratching the glass. I prefer to cure in a tub so I can get a good look at my rock and use tweezers or a wooden skewer for poking in crevices for crabs or rotting sponges. I may use a toothbrush on stubborn sponge material. I've ony had to cure 20 to 30 lbs of rock at a time so it really wasn't a chore for me. You may not be willing to do this, your rock will cycle fine without this treatment. If you do want to take these steps, remember to ture your rock upside down in your tank to dislodge trapped airbubbles
