Hi Sk8r, you have written quite a few good articles including this one, but their are a couple things in this article that I would like to discuss with you. First, when you seed dead rock with a piece of live rock, the dead rock does not become a piece of live rock, yes the bacteria from the live rock will spread to the dead rock, but there is so much more to a piece of high quality live rock then just the bacteria, all the micro and macro fauna, and flora on the live rock will not populate the dead rock, unless the live rock is allowed to live in a good ight source with the dead rock, and then it will take a very long time for the dead rock to be covered like the live rock, if you cover it, and due not use a good light source, most of the life on the live rock will die. One other thing, 2lbs of rock per gallon is way to much rock, especially with the dead rock people want to use, and all this super porous rock, makes for a big detritus trap, even with a massive amount of flow in your system. when diving on the reefs of South Florida and the Caribbean, the rocks I see are not nearly as porous as the dead rock most people use, that are mined from land and put in the ocean to seed. Again, another good article, keep up the good work.
[Indeed, you stress a good point: all quality live rock gives you so many critters---and curing the rock (incidentally killing most life) is not a step to take with good, critter-covered good live rock, IMHO---see my bit about all the life that existed on mine from another tank. I just wince when I see someone has gotten really good stuff and proceeds to kill it off. I like the surprises, myself: sponges, barnacles, critters of all sorts. If you have a friend with a tank, get him to tuck a nice rock into his sump a number of weeks in advance of your startup, and that can be your 'live rock' for helping dead rock toward viability. ---sk8r]