Bleach and Acid for Live Rock? Does it look ok?

[tri4god]

I got some old gunky LR off a guy on Craigslist. It was stored in water filled garbage cans and had algae all over it. I cleaned it with water then gave it 2 Muriatic Acid baths 1:10 ratio. Washed it again and everytime I sprayed it with a hose I get more dirty water runoff The dirt seems endless. Now its marinating in a bleach solution.

This picture is pre-bleach soak after 2 acid dips. Does it look right?

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B523G6AedaiGdjdBbXhXdnk4dHc?usp=sharing

 

[thegrun]

I would not soak the rock for more than a day in bleach, it is going to be difficult to eliminate is all without a lengthy soaking in RO/DI water, the acid alone will kill off any pests and eat away the phosphate that would have likely attached tot the surface of the rock. There really isn't a need for bleach after an acid bath.

 

[StatelineReefer]

That rock looks fine now. Fill three buckets with RO/DI and soak the rocks for an hour, then move the rocks to the second bucket for an hour, then repeat with the third, then let them dry in the sun for a day or so. The RO/DI will take up anything that's 'leachable' and the drying will evaporate any leftover bleach.

That black area on the inside of the rock indicates that it was a strong anoxic zone. Hopefully not too much material was removed by the muriatic acid, because you want anoxic and aerobic zones.

 

[tri4god]

That rock looks fine now. Fill three buckets with RO/DI and soak the rocks for an hour, then move the rocks to the second bucket for an hour, then repeat with the third, then let them dry in the sun for a day or so. The RO/DI will take up anything that's 'leachable' and the drying will evaporate any leftover bleach.

That black area on the inside of the rock indicates that it was a strong anoxic zone. Hopefully not too much material was removed by the muriatic acid, because you want anoxic and aerobic zones.

As I walked out of the house this morning I took a quick look and it looks like the rocks have improved a lot. This at 14 hour soak in about 1/5 bleach (way too strong I think). When I get home I will follow your guidelines to help let the bleach leach out.

I am a total newbie. Just purchased an RO/DI unit. I will be using tapwater and Seachem Prime.

Much Thanks

 

[tri4god]

There really isn't a need for bleach after an acid bath.

I read somewhere that it helps dissolve organics and acid wasn't giving me the results I wanted. Bleach definitely turned it white though, but I believe it just changed the color of the organic XD

 

[tri4god]

That black area on the inside of the rock indicates that it was a strong anoxic zone.

This was a huge concern for me. Thank you. I have been blasting it off with the hose.

 

[JMorris271]

Be careful not to mix bleach and muriatic acid. Creates a deadly compound.

 

[biecacka]

I soaked mine in bleach for 24 hours, then acid bathed them for 10 minutes. But I cycled mine for 3 months before use too. Best thing I ever did was bleach acid the rocks. You are on the path to happy rocks :lol:

Corey

 

[tri4god]

But I cycled mine for 3 months before use too.

Corey

Did you seed the rocks with rocks from your aquarium? I plan to do this in a bucket and dump in some beneficial bacteria to get it to cycle faster.

 

[biecacka]

Nope. Dropped a piece of shrimp in the trash cans. Checked ammonia and nitrates. I did it while waiting for my tank to be built. Once I put the rock in the tank, I used a form of liquid bacteria dosing to seed the tank with beneficial bacteria.

Corey

 

[StatelineReefer]

Just purchased an RO/DI unit. I will be using tapwater and Seachem Prime.

Much Thanks

My first instinct here is to say "NO! BAD!". Tap water is terribly bad for most uses. Cleaning pots and pans. Watering ferns. That sort of thing. I strongly suggest waiting until your RO/DI unit is up and running before finishing your cure on this rock.

Tap water, even with the use of Prime or Amquel or any of that other stuff is the biggest reason new reefkeepers get discouraged and quit the hobby. Even with reverse osmosis water our self-contained reefs are prone to algae overrun. Tap water only leads to green hair plagues and broken dreams.