can this be used as base rock?

[Octoberfest]

I made a trade a little while back when I was first getting into the hobby with a local guy selling what he called base rock on ebay. I've been hesitant to use it but have no idea how to tell if it can be used as base rock or if it is worthless. Any ideas? He didn't tell me too much about it other than that it came from the ocean and me being new didn't know enough to ask the right questions.

here are some pictures.

 

[scrmbld33]

looks good. do you know what its made off?

 

[Octoberfest]

rock??? lol to be honest i have no idea. all i know is he said it could be made into live rock from other live rock or what he called base rock.

 

[scrmbld33]

looks like base rock, sounds like base rock, id use it

 

[eco170]

fill your tank with the rock and don't add new rock for a couple of weeks. Test for copper. Who knows what it has been exposed to.

 

[Paintbug]

dont fill your tank with it! if it does have copper then your tank will have it too!!. use a large food grade container. fill it up with some SW and then wait a week or so and test. other than that it looks like good old dead live rock to me, AKA base rock. just remember to seed it with some actual live rock to start turning it back to LR.

 

[Octoberfest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6515650#post6515650 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Paintbug
dont fill your tank with it! if it does have copper then your tank will have it too!!. use a large food grade container. fill it up with some SW and then wait a week or so and test. other than that it looks like good old dead live rock to me, AKA base rock. just remember to seed it with some actual live rock to start turning it back to LR.

yeah i already have a tank set up with some really good live rock and don't want to put anything in there to hurt it. i'll do like you guys said and use a rubber maid container, add it to that and test it in about 7 to ten days for everything. i'll post up again before i use it though

 

[Paintbug]

i would say the main thing to worry about would be the copper. just about everything you can fix. good luck with it get some more pics!

 

[snakeklr]

How bout this to get it all cleaned up and see if there is anything in it. Put a piece alone in your toilet bowl tank and let it stay in there for a week or so. That way you get a fresh water change each timeyou use the toilet Then when you take it out to put in the tank any chemical will be rinsed off and the rock will be cleaned. free from the tiolet water. I saw it somewhere on the web. Hope my 10 cents helps. good luck.

 

[Scuba_Steve]

do i see metals in it? look at the bottom pic. if so then its not good. or maybe its just the camera playing tricks on my eyes.

 

[dead beat reef]

looks like ok dry dead base rock. cook/cure for 90 days or so .
it will stink like rotter eggs big time. its just that after all the time and $ spent on getting this base rock ready for the tank it will
save $ and time to use all good L/R . I have built reefs both
ways. they both work. just the L/R way is alot less work.

 

[stelow]

For sure you could use it in any FO or FOWLR simply by giving it a good rinsing under a faucet or with a hose.

 

[eco170]

Paint bug is right, don't put it in your tank! Use a rubbermaid container. I don't know why I would have said something so stupid as to put in yout tank. If it tests clear for copper you should be good.