Weatherman
New member
I don't have a closed loop on my 120. Just two eductors off the main return line from the sump, driven by an Iwaki 55.
Cooking Live Rock - Exact Process?
- Thread starter reefsociety101
- Start date
imananoreefer
New member
So I have read three threads about cooking rock over and over. I must be blind, because I can't find anything telling me weather or not I can cook my rocks in a new tank I'm about to set up (just keep it pitch black with nothing but rock and powerheads) or do you really have to move it out of the display tank. I realize that you have to cook outside of the display with an already running tank, but what about with a new set-up?
gman0526
Active member
Weatherman said:
What warranties do we have the LR is "fully cured"?This is the main thing I've learned in while watching and reading these "cooking LR" threads". Algae problems are not normal..I for one have been guilty of telling newbies that "it's normal to have algae/cyano blooms" when you first set up a tank. This along with the "cure your rock in the tank so you speed up the cycle" BS, that ultimately leaves the time bomb ticking in there. A building is only as good as it's foundation. Granted there's lots of reefers with tanks out there that never cooked their LR b4 being set up, but just as many of them have admitedly had algae problems at certain points in their history. Algae blooms are not a normal part of reefkeeping if we can prevent them to begin with. Enough ranting back to our regularly scheduled program...
imananoreefer
New member
yes master, I will cook the rock as prescribed... *bows* (lol, I just watched Star Wars witht he family, gimme a break)
Psionicdragon
New member
Would it be ok if I left the tubs outside in the backyard during this time of year? The reason is because I don't have any room inside including the garage.
Weatherman
New member
Psionicdragon said:
Isn't San Francisco colder in July than it is in November?
Just kidding... I used to live in the Bay Area. Never got used to it being in the 50s in San Francisco while it was 100 in San Jose.
Back to the question...
Colder water will, probably, make the cooking process slower, but otherwise, it will be ok.
Psionicdragon
New member
Weatherman said:Isn't San Francisco colder in July than it is in November?
Lol, didn't know temperature changes in SF j/k
Anything about 50s for me is consider hot. I am too used to the temperature.Thats interesting that it would slow down the process. I read awhile ago that you do not need a heater because the bacterias can multiply faster in colder temperature than warm.
Weatherman
New member
Psionicdragon said:
Decomposition rates increase with increasing temperatures. That's why we have refrigerators - to slow down the rate things decay.
It would be very surprising to me if rock cooking went faster at 55F than at, say, 85F.
ok i read this and im about to cokk my rock. i just ordered a 250 watt mh fixture for my 20 and saw putting my corals on the sand a way to help acclimate then to the new light (going from 130 pc to 250 mh). the only thing i plan on doing differantly is i am going to scrub all the alge i can off first then cooking it. i plan on cooking my 35 or so lbs of rock in 2 5 gall buckets w/ heaters and powerheads. i plan to vac out the stuff that settles and shake the rock in there then put it in a new bucket of ASW. and vacume the sand bed really good in my tank. will this work?
NoSchwag
Premium Member
johnvu713 said:
I think I can help you out with this, if I'm wrong I'm sure someone will help you out
...It might be helpful to do it everyday or 2 - 3 times a week for the first few days/weeks to get the big stuff out. After that you might want to let the bacteria do the work and "drill" itself deeper into the rock, loosening all of the stuff that really in there.
When I thought my rock was cooked I put it back in the tank, blasted it with penductors and nothing came out. A week later I did the same thing and fogged my tank with crap.
Hope that helps.
coraline401
New member
Recently I emptied my tank of LR and placed it in a 32 gal rubbermaid with NSW and blacked it out.
IT has been a week now and I am ready to place some of it back into the main tank. I dunked some in a can with RO water and scrubbed then in the main it went.
Before doing this I had a side tank 30 gal ditto on placing some rock in it. After 2 weeks the rock had no algae on it at all and was rough to the touch.
I feel that by placing the LR in a little at a time and keeping the lights off I can achieve the same results as the main cooker.
I plan on keeping the main tank 90gal. corner overflow (niagra style) as dark as possible. mag 1800 pump Loc. is in basement - a built in wall deal with work area behind. Reason was algae on LR. I plan on introducing my skimmer after a couple of weeks.
IT has been a week now and I am ready to place some of it back into the main tank. I dunked some in a can with RO water and scrubbed then in the main it went.
Before doing this I had a side tank 30 gal ditto on placing some rock in it. After 2 weeks the rock had no algae on it at all and was rough to the touch.
I feel that by placing the LR in a little at a time and keeping the lights off I can achieve the same results as the main cooker.
I plan on keeping the main tank 90gal. corner overflow (niagra style) as dark as possible. mag 1800 pump Loc. is in basement - a built in wall deal with work area behind. Reason was algae on LR. I plan on introducing my skimmer after a couple of weeks.
coraline401
New member
Recently I emptied my tank of LR and placed it in a 32 gal rubbermaid with NSW and blacked it out.
IT has been a week now and I am ready to place some of it back into the main tank. I dunked some in a can with RO water and scrubbed then in the main it went.
Before doing this I had a side tank 30 gal ditto on placing some rock in it. After 2 weeks the rock had no algae on it at all and was rough to the touch.
I feel that by placing the LR in a little at a time and keeping the lights off I can achieve the same results as the main cooker.
I plan on keeping the main tank 90gal. corner overflow (niagra style) as dark as possible. mag 1800 pump Loc. is in basement - a built in wall deal with work area behind. Reason was algae on LR. I plan on introducing my skimmer after a couple of weeks
IT has been a week now and I am ready to place some of it back into the main tank. I dunked some in a can with RO water and scrubbed then in the main it went.
Before doing this I had a side tank 30 gal ditto on placing some rock in it. After 2 weeks the rock had no algae on it at all and was rough to the touch.
I feel that by placing the LR in a little at a time and keeping the lights off I can achieve the same results as the main cooker.
I plan on keeping the main tank 90gal. corner overflow (niagra style) as dark as possible. mag 1800 pump Loc. is in basement - a built in wall deal with work area behind. Reason was algae on LR. I plan on introducing my skimmer after a couple of weeks
Teremei
New member
My reason is I used a 55 gallon rubbermaid container and because I had so much LR and water it bowed and cracked and spilt all over my rug. I lost alot of interesting corals that were kind of growing out of the rockwork.
In other words. I lost more than I gained. When I was done the rocks looked white, ugly, and dead. Before than they were full of color and critters. So summing up, I don't mind a little nuisance stuff here and there and am a fan of keeping all the crazy stuff on the rocks.
In other words. I lost more than I gained. When I was done the rocks looked white, ugly, and dead. Before than they were full of color and critters. So summing up
, I don't mind a little nuisance stuff here and there and am a fan of keeping all the crazy stuff on the rocks.
