It is commonly observed that, regardless of the level of care taken, no matter how fast you ship or even in our case where we are even bringing live rock right out of the ocean direct from the islands to you, the encrusting invertebrates on and in live rock suffer some loss of life during shipment and transportation, especially when the rock doesn’t come from us such as from the collector, dealer or to the hobbyist.  Sponges are particularly susceptible to death during these periods because any exposure to air causes irreparable damage to the cells, creating a domino affect in which the entire organism may begin to decompose.  It is therefore necessary to thoroughly clean live rock and remove dead and decaying material before the rock is added to an aquarium; not doing so may significantly increase the concentration of undesirable nutrients in the aquarium.  Even so-called “cured” live rock may exhibit some degree of die off and therefore should be cleaned as a precaution before placing it into an existing established aquarium. 

Rock-prep is a simple cleaning solution that helps remove decaying organic material on contact yet is safe enough to be used on highly decorative rock.  Rock-prep is not intended as an alternative to curing live rock; it is strongly recommended that all incoming live rock undergo a curing period, in a separate holding aquarium, in order to minimize the nutrient spike in the main aquarium when it is added just as we describe in our live rock care package.