Here are helpful steps in fully curing liverocks:

Method 1: Cure Liverocks in a Separate Setup

1. Place the liverock in a plastic container that is suitable in size.
2. Fill the container covering the liverock completely with saltwater.
3. Use a heater to keep the water temperature warm. Set to the temperature to around 80 degrees.
4. Hook up and run a water/powerhead pump in the water so you can create constant water movement for circulation and oxygenation process.
5. Keep it dark in the area during this process to prevent algae attack.
6. Let it cure.



7. Perform twice a week water changes and keep measuring and monitoring the ammonia and nitrite levels in the water.
8. Regularly scrub the liverock during the water changes to remove any loose organic matter,etc.
9. Liverock is cured when both ammonia and nitrite levels are zero.

Method 2: Curing Liverock in a new saltwater aquarium

1. Rinse each piece of liverock in a small bucket of saltwater to remove any loose debris.
2. Turn on the heater and water/powerhead pump ONLY.
3. Let the liverocks cure! DO NOT add anything else until the curing process is complete.
4. Perform 50% water changes weekly while siphoning out any organic matter and loose debris that accumulates at the bottom of the aquarium.
5. Measure and monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels in the aquarium weekly.
6. When both ammonia and nitrite levels are zero, perform a 50% water change on the aquarium.
7. After 24 hours, check the pH of the water and adjust as needed to achieve the desired level of 8.1-8.4.
8. Once again, you will know that your liverock is cured when both ammonia and nitrite levels are zero.
9. Once the curing of liverock process is complete, siphon out any debris off the bottom of the tank, and do substantial water change.

Text and Photo Source: Saltwater Aquarium Online Guide

Live Rock is a rock taken from the ocean thats going to introduced into your saltwater aquarium. A liverock is a skeletal remains of corals and will act as an ideal habitat for a wide varieties of organisms or microscopic marine life such as plants, animals, algae and invertebrates. It then becomes a "living rock".

It is harvested and remains moistened to preserve most of the marine life living on it and for us hobbyist to enjoy!

Not all the organisms living in this rock are desirable therfore we need go though the curing process.

This will usually take 3-5 weeks, which during the curing process undesirable animals that are often hidden in the rock are attempted to be removed.

Most of the life form on the living rock are expected to die off leaving behind the more beneficial nitrifying bacteria survives this process.

It offers a couple of benefits to your saltwater aquarium as the functions as a natural biological filter required for the nitrogen cycle. It provides a natural food source for some saltwater fish and creates a natural foundation for live corals or other decorations to live on.

We can aquascape our aquarium by building caves, arches, overhangs and other structures.

It also stabilize the water chemistry, helping to maintain constant pH by release of calcium.

It also becomes your decoration especially when it is covered with multiple colors of coralline algae.

Text and Photo Source: Saltwater Aquarium Online Guide