Did I start my live rock cure/cycle too soon?

[3rdMoon]

Rookie Reefer here. So I bought about 50 lbs of mined reef rock online and immediately tossed it in a Brute to cure/cycle while I gathered together everything I need for my build. It’s been cycling for about a month and a half and it suddenly occurred to me... I’m gonna wanna aquascape this rock. As I unboxed it I saw I’d gotten several really large pieces that looked like they might need to be cut down/shaped to better accommodate the aquascape picture I have in my mind. Not knowing any better tho, I simply shrugged and dropped them in the Brute. My question is, how long can this rock be out of water (for the shaping/aquascaping process) before I kill off all the good bacteria I have/will have grown on it? If this is a stupid question I apologize. But I’d rather ask the question and appear the fool rather than not and be a fool for not asking. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dempsey941]

You should be fine, if it makes you feel better keep a squirt gun with some saltwater in it to keep the rock wet while you work with it.

 

[Dine]

Just keep it wet while you work. Wet newspaper or keep it in a tub while you work. As long as it doesn’t dry out you will be fine.