Prepping CaribSea LifeRock

[Gort]

I just received 40lb of LifeRock. Should I rinse / soak in RO/DI or saltwater before use? The tank is new and dry. I'll be rinsing & soaking the old VidaRock pieces I'm using, so I guess it wouldn't hurt, regardless

 

[Azedenkae]

I just received 40lb of LifeRock. Should I rinse / soak in RO/DI or saltwater before use? The tank is new and dry. I'll be rinsing & soaking the old VidaRock pieces I'm using, so I guess it wouldn't hurt, regardless

CaribSea LifeRock is purported to contain dormant microbes. I am not sure how much they'd like being soaked in freshwater, though at the same time a lot of people don't seem to exactly think the microbes supposedly do much. You can rinse/soak in saltwater, but I don't see a point to that either, given it is going into a new tank. Personally I'd just putting it, since it seems like a waste of time and saltwater to me. I am not entirely sure what the point of soaking the rocks in any type of water is.

 

[Gort]

CaribSea LifeRock is purported to contain dormant microbes. I am not sure how much they'd like being soaked in freshwater, though at the same time a lot of people don't seem to exactly think the microbes supposedly do much. You can rinse/soak in saltwater, but I don't see a point to that either, given it is going into a new tank. Personally I'd just putting it, since it seems like a waste of time and saltwater to me. I am not entirely sure what the point of soaking the rocks in any type of water is.

That kind of what I was thinking. The saltwater soak for the VidaRock was recommended by the mfg long ago - same for its similar cousin, Aquaroche. They are extremely porous ceramic, probably to prevent any PO4 leaching

 

[WVNed]

I put 140 pounds straight into the tank.

 

[Waters]

I also put mine straight into the tank...no issues. Also, I think the painted on bacteria is just a gimmick. I noticed no decrease in cycling time between this and normal dry rock.