Back in the hobby with a few questions

[wrxreefer823]

Hello all!

After taking a three year hiatus from the reefing community, I'm finally back! Long story short, I snagged a sweet deal on Facebook Marketplace and got a 30 gallon rimless w/ stand, rock, a metal halide pendant (which will promptly be upgraded to a Prime HD), and some other random goodies, all for 100 bucks! I'll do a build thread shortly, but I have a few questions.

Firstly, the stand is particle board, and where the tank sat, and as we all know all too well, water got onto the stand and its now bubbled slightly. It only sticks up 1/8 inch or so max, and I was just going to sand down the bubbles. Think I'd be okay doing so, or should I just go to the hardware store and have a piece of plywood cut to fit?

Secondly, the "live rock" was sitting in a plastic tub, the water evaporated and now is just covered by salt and other gunk. It's dry now, and I was going to go to my local LFS a few minutes down to the road to grab a chunk to seed my system with. My question is, what's the best method for cleaning said rock? I was just going to rinse it all off real good with some hot water, but I wasn't sure if I should do any kind of bleach soak first.

As always, thanks for any input, and happy reefing!

 

[mcgyvr]

1)If its just very minimal/surface effecting only then sanding should be just fine.. If any structural aspect of it is compromised I would replace/reinforce..

2)I would not recommend hot water (slight potential for toxin release if anything is still living,etc...) and it really isn't doing any good..
But I would just recommend a good spray down with the garden hose or even better a pressure washer.. (take it to the car wash booth if you don't have a pressure washer)..
That should just remove most of the dead organics/matter that you don't need as well as wash away any salt residue,etc..
Based on the information given I see no point for bleach/acid..

And a wave/hey from right down the road (Wake Forest here)

 

[thegrun]

1. I would cover it with new plywood varnished to make it waterproof. Even on a smaller tank you don't want to put stress on a tank with an uneven stand top.
2. You don't need to bleach it, although the bleach will break down most of the dried on organics that will otherwise need to be processed during the cycle. Personally I would wash off the rock and just let the rock cycle without the bleaching process, but your cycle may be a little shorter if you bleach the rock.

 

[hijinks]

I would do the bleach cure for 2 weeks then a salt water cure till things look good. Maybe another 3-4 weeks.

Remember with live rock if you use other people's live rock you take over all their mistakes. So all the bad stuff in the rock will leach out into your tank causing nutrient issues if you don't solve it now. So take the time and properly cure it.

 

[wrxreefer823]

Welp, upon further investigation, the stand will either need to be replaced or rebuilt so to speak. The top peace is warped and unusable, and I’m honestly not sure how much I trust the rest of the stand. My LFS has a Deep Blue 20x20 that will fit perfectly that they can order for me, so I may just do that. Back to the drawing board!

 

[wrxreefer823]

I would do the bleach cure for 2 weeks then a salt water cure till things look good. Maybe another 3-4 weeks.

Remember with live rock if you use other people's live rock you take over all their mistakes. So all the bad stuff in the rock will leach out into your tank causing nutrient issues if you don't solve it now. So take the time and properly cure it.

I'm pretty sure most of what's on there is dead, it's been dry for "œmonths" according to the girl I bought the tank from. I do understand where you're coming from though. Since I can't use the stand that came with the tank, I'll treat it as some extra time to take some precautions.

As far as the bleach and salt water cure, what ratio of bleach to water would you use? Afterwards, just sit it in a tub of saltwater with a pump running? Sorry, I've been out of the hobby for a while and forget the basics. Lol

 

[hijinks]

The bleach isn't just to kill things on the rock.. it speeds up breaking down the organics also. So your cure time will be quicker.

BRS did a segment on it. Acid works the best but on certain rock types it'll eat away the rock. I had one friend that got 200lb of Pukani and did a acid cure and ended up with around 160lb.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vide...s-what-is-the-best-way-to-cure-dry-live-rock/

As for the ratio, what I do is 1 part bleach to 3 parts water. I let it sit for 1-2 weeks. It will white out the rock though. The rock will re-color but it'll take 3-6 months to do so. So be aware of that. Once that's done let it sit in salt water. I put a pump at the bottom with PVC going up to the top. That way water will circulate from bottom to top. Half way through I do a 100% water change.

 

[wrxreefer823]

So I decided to order the stand from my LFS. I used work there and the guys know me well, so it has its perks... lol. Stand should be in on Thursday, so I’m pretty excited. I fired up the metal halide pendant that came with the tank, it’s my first experience with MH, and I don’t think I’ll be using it. It’s fine for now while the tank eventually cycles, but once I start adding coral, I’ll most likely go with a Prime HD. They seem to be the best bang for the buck. I’ve used Ecotech Radions in the past, but I can’t justify spending twice the amount of a Prime for a nano light.

 

[hijinks]

No need to run lights while the tank cycles

 

[wrxreefer823]

Exactly, I'm just talking long term.

 

[wrxreefer823]

I started a build thread for the new tank if anyone was interested:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2664802