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WHAT LIVE
ROCK MEANS TO WSI |
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In this section I would like to
discuss the methods and myths of “Live Rock” There is only
one way to fully cure Fiji live rock …….. do it your self!
At WSI we have the only curing station in the South Pacific
but that does not necessarily mean that it will still be
cured when it reaches your tanks. If you look at our
pictures of the Fiji Station you will note that we keep all
of our rock under constant heavy spray with huge protein
skimmers and rapid circulation. It is fair to say that our
rock is in this station anywhere from 4 days to 3 weeks
depending on the “pecking order” when it is shipped. Our
facility can hold up to 18 tons at any given time and we
receive from the collectors approximately 2 tons per day 4 -
5 days per week. For this reason it is sometimes difficult
to determine exactly when our rock was received and we judge
it at the time of ship out on cleanliness and odor. When our
rock is received in the warehouse we have crews standing by
to scrub, pry, and power-rinse all unwanted material from
the newly harvested rock. After rinsing it is placed in our
system for further “curing” under our spray and most of the
unwanted animals that eluded our cleaners will crawl off the
rock into the bottom of the tank. This is the absolute best
we can do at this end! It is inevitable that there will
continue to be minimal “die off” when transported in a moist
box for 12 - 24 hours after we pack it. We are able to call
our product the best on the market due to our tedious
procedures and when you consider the methods currently being
used by the other exporters of collecting and packing right
on the beach it is easy to see why. We are able to hand
select from our system each piece at the time of export for
quality and coverage …….. a luxury you can not afford at the
beach while you hurry to pack unclean rock before the sun
goes down. It is this unclean and smelly rock that can give
“Fiji” rock a negative reputation on the market and we hope
that you are able to avoid this before it spells trouble for
your system. Please see my suggestions for curing your rock
once you receive it from your distributor and I wish to
thank you for supporting our efforts to bring you the best
product available on the market today. In addition, my good
friend Bob Fenner has allowed me to publish his papers plus
some of the discussions he has held on the subject of live
rock and live sand. I think you will find that it covers
most of the most frequently asked questions concerning the
introduction, curing and purpose of using live rock and sand
in your mini-reef system. At the very least, it saves me a
lot of time typing and I hope it helps you out as much as it
does me, actually I learned a bit in the process as well ………
thanks Bob!
Walt Smith
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