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