Acid Bath Rocks – Leave Aquascape?

[dja1980]

So, I'm thinking about starting over due to what I believe is a hydroid outbreak, but I'd really like to leave my aquascape if possible. Back in 2010, I did the "œCooking" process for 2+ years, and unfortunately it didn't get rid of everything"¦ namely the hydroids. I'm thinking about taking it to the next level by acid bathing the rocks, and I'm curious if this can be done IN the tank WITHOUT removing the rocks. Really, I just want to be sure the hydroids are dead this time. Is this doable, and are there any other suggestions?

Here's a picture I snapped shortly after reintroducing the "œcooked" rock back in 2013"¦

 

[Duc1098]

The acid will probably etch the glass/acrylic so I wouldn't do it in the tank. You could always just do bleach which could be done in the tank.

 

[dja1980]

Thanks... fumes and deteriorating the silicone were the first concerns I had. I didn't even think about the glass... that's a good point. I'll have to look a little more into bleach.

 

[ostrow]

Do not bleach in the house! The concentration you need to do what you want....in my empty system it was horrific.

Acid etching will produce residue that will be a nightmare for you. Do it in buckets and hose off each rock after. Only way.

If you have a pressure washer I am told that can work.

Outside.

Not bleach. Etching is more effective.

Spray with strong jet to rinse.

Then soak in ro with a pump for a few days.

 

[dja1980]

Thanks Ostrow... so it's sounding like what I'm trying to accomplish might not be possible. The main goal is to eliminate the hydroids without removing the rock. I've thought about draining the tank and refilling with RO/DI (refilling a few times)... but I have a feeling the hydroids might still survive. The two options I'm looking at right now are living with the hydroids, or treating the rocks somehow without disturbing the aquascape.

 

[ostrow]

You must have a lot of hydroids!!

 

[dja1980]

I THINK they're hydroids... I still can't find a picture online that matches what I have... I'll have to snap a picture. But yes, my rocks are covered with what appears to be brown grass... not much room left to glue down corals. And, the frags I have glued down end up getting overrun by the "hydroids".

 

[dja1980]

I snapped pics back in December and forgot to post them. This is what I'm dealing with. It appears to be 2 different types...

 

[ostrow]

Really tough to see. Looks like xenia to me though.

 

[dja1980]

Yeah... it was difficult to grab a good picture. It's not fleshy at all like xenia or any other softie... it's more like star polyps, but no mat... grows directly out of the rock. If you look at the back wall, you can see the way it grows and expands... almost like a net.

 

[tikireefer]

what color is it?

 

[dja1980]

If you look at the top picture, you'll see that the center rock has 2 different types... almost split down the middle. The stuff on the right is the stuff that has spread the most (it's on every rock in the tank)... it's brown. The stuff on the left has also spread a lot, but not as much... it's brown with somewhat of a green tint under the light, and appears more like polyps. The second picture is zoomed in on that center rock, and the third picture is more of the brown stuff on the right, but closer to the sand bed.

 

[tikireefer]

Are they like these? Check out the picture on the 6th post of this thread.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1153954

 

[dja1980]

Those are identical the the more "polyp" looking ones on the left.

That thread also mentions a product call Hydroxs... I'm looking into that too, but I'm wondering if starting over wouldn't be the better option. At least if I bleach, I can also eliminate all other less problematic pests as well.

 

[tikireefer]

That is always a hard choice.....but these things look pretty invasive and it looks like it would be a never ending battle. I think bleaching is what I would do.

 

[craftytony]

I think you should start over Dave....I'd hate to see you go through different options for it all to just come right back again....And heck, maybe you could change the aquascape up again to something different, change is good lol

 

[dja1980]

Thanks guys...

Honestly, removing the rock isn't an option right now... maybe in a few years, things will slow down enough for me to tackle a project that big. As for now... either I live with it as it is (possibly trying the Hydroxs treatment), or I attempt to "sterilize" the tank without removing the rock and sand... and start over after I've killed everything. I was really hoping that the latter was possible, but I'm starting to doubt it. I guess the question is... how much bleach would it take to kill off all the hydroids... and is the dilution low enough to not risk the health of me and my family.

 

[mtrcyclefish]

If your considering bleach or acid then you've accepted the fact that you're going to sterilize the rock. Why not drain the tank and leave it empty for about a month or so? Or throw in about 5 heaters and crank the water temp up to 110 for a while. Either option lets you keep your rocks and sand in place.

 

[craftytony]

If you want you can borrow my stock tank, we would just need to find the leak and seal it, then you can move your livestock in there temporarily?

 

[dja1980]

Thanks, Tony... that might be an option. I was thinking about moving my clowns, wrasse, hammer, blastos, and birdsnest to a nano and giving away the tangs, but the tub might be a better options since the Tangs would be able to stay. Of course, I would need to treat the corals and any other snails/crabs before reintroducing to the "sterilized" tank.

I did get a quote for Hydroxs... $120 + $5 shipping for a 150g treatment package... treating once a week for a month.

Doing the math on bleach... 1/4 cup bleach per gallon RO/DI dilution on a 150g system = 150 x .25 cups = 37.5 cups bleach = 2.34375 gallons bleach

I'm still concerned about safety with this though... thinking maybe I need to post over in the Chemistry forum.

Also... I tried snapping some better pictures over the weekend...