Adding dry rock after cycle okay?

[Rakie]

My tank just finished cycling but I wanted to add a little more shelf rock, got 2lbs of dry shelf from Bulk reef supply and planned to dip in RO/DI water with Vinegar, and add to tank.

Is this a bad idea?

12g Nano
AL115 Skimmer

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrites: 0ppm
Nitrates: 40ppm

 

[thegrun]

Assuming the dry rock does not have a lot of dried on organics you should be fine adding a little. When adding a substantial amount (30%+) of new dry rock I think it's safer to cycle first in a separate container, but you are not adding much so it should not be an issue.

 

[Sk8r]

Any critters in the tank?
It won't hurt, but if raw, it's likely going to give you quite a hair algae snit. You might instead put it in an open saltwater bucket with a bubbler and let it percolate for a while, with water changes, to let it release the phosphate (hair algae cause) it might bring.

 

[Rakie]

Thanks Mike & Sk8r, and my tank just finished cycle but it's empty aside from 2 snails that made it on my seed rock.-- That's about what I was expecting. After a quick RO/DI rinse to get the rocks/sand out, I noticed a good amount of dead organics that were hiding in the rock. From dead Macro, to little sponges, and something in some type of shell..

I totally forgot about the phosphates / hair algae. I've got a small PH/Heater I use to make SW, I'll be putting it in a bucket with like 2-3g of SW

So how long should I let this stuff stew in a bucket?

 

[jminick2]

I added dry shelf rock from brs to my 120g for my initial cycle gave me a monster ammonia spike. This stuff has a lot of dead stuff in the cracks so be aware, I never had algae issues from the rock.

 

[lmforbis]

I like to soak dry rock for about a week in water. Just regular water. It will stink to high heaven so outside is best otherwise in a container with a tight lid. After that I just rinse it thoroughly in my sink then in it goes. A couple months ago I added 30 lb of BRS pukani this way. It was probably half my rock volume in my established 125 and had no ammonia issues and no algae issues.