Sean, it's been almost 2 hours! Where the pics?
Cooking Live Rock - Exact Process?
- Thread starter reefsociety101
- Start date
John, I PM'd Bomber about it as well so I'll keep you posted on what he says.
john the hermit
Premium Member
Project Reef said:I agree that it'll kill the life on the surface. However the only thing I am worried about is the bacteria inside the rock. I'd do it the normal way, but the normal way involves a whole lotta buckets, SW and swishing.
I agree it's a lot of work, I'm concerned that your way will kill more than surface bacteria, sponges worms etc, but will also get in the rock and do more damage.
LR has more than just bacteria!
It is a lot of work as I'm finding out, frankly it's a pain in the arse keep having to mix all that water and rinse and swish, but the amount of crud that's come out convinces me that it's doing good.
You can't rush it.
good luck with whatever you decide.
John
Thanks John,
Here's Bombers reply:
Ali
Don't wash your rocks with Fresh Water! You just going to set the whole process of curing/cooking the rocks back and make it take a whole lot longer. Trust the bacteria, they are better at it than you are.
Here's Bombers reply:
Ali
Don't wash your rocks with Fresh Water! You just going to set the whole process of curing/cooking the rocks back and make it take a whole lot longer. Trust the bacteria, they are better at it than you are.
john the hermit
Premium Member
SeanT said:
I'm sure it is mate, as is mine. My remarks were not directed at you.
Sorry for any confusion:reading:
thats me and the zeovit guide
all the best
John
arconom
Premium Member
Well I started this morning at 9am. Now at 4:19pm I'm almost all cleaned up from the first Cleaning of all my Liverock.
The dirtiest of rock was at the bottom of the tank so I used my main tank itself towards the end to shake the bulk of debris off the rock.
I used 3 buckets. I had to throw away the water in the 1st bucket 3 times total. The 2nd 2 times. Last once.
If I had used 6 buckets it would have went quicker.
Also I have to say always Have much more water on hand then you think you will need. Under the 3 buckets I used cheap black plastic lining so my rug would'nt get wet.
Also in the next 2 days I will put the rock in a plastic tub while my 55 gal tank fills with New water. Like everyone, your base rock is Much bigger. When you work backwards in the process your small rock ends up on the bottom and large pieces on top. Not a big deal but not really safe IMO. For rock slides and such.
Also Sean what was that tool called that you used for the Correline algae scraping?
At the moment I have one small power head on the top of the tank you can see the water ripples. Is this good enough? or do I need to introduce more Oxygen Via Skimmer?
I have to say my sand was beyond dirty. I mean awful. I only have atm 2 1/2 of sand. I will be taking it out slowly. IMO after reading, I have realized that we do indeed have to make a environment similar to nature but when your dealing with a Glass Box filled with water ''Your fish tank" having sand in any amount attempting to mimic and function as nature I think its best left to nature itself.
The dirtiest of rock was at the bottom of the tank so I used my main tank itself towards the end to shake the bulk of debris off the rock.
I used 3 buckets. I had to throw away the water in the 1st bucket 3 times total. The 2nd 2 times. Last once.
If I had used 6 buckets it would have went quicker.
Also I have to say always Have much more water on hand then you think you will need. Under the 3 buckets I used cheap black plastic lining so my rug would'nt get wet.
Also in the next 2 days I will put the rock in a plastic tub while my 55 gal tank fills with New water. Like everyone, your base rock is Much bigger. When you work backwards in the process your small rock ends up on the bottom and large pieces on top. Not a big deal but not really safe IMO. For rock slides and such.
Also Sean what was that tool called that you used for the Correline algae scraping?
At the moment I have one small power head on the top of the tank you can see the water ripples. Is this good enough? or do I need to introduce more Oxygen Via Skimmer?
I have to say my sand was beyond dirty. I mean awful. I only have atm 2 1/2 of sand. I will be taking it out slowly. IMO after reading, I have realized that we do indeed have to make a environment similar to nature but when your dealing with a Glass Box filled with water ''Your fish tank" having sand in any amount attempting to mimic and function as nature I think its best left to nature itself.
mps9506
New member
Just for kicks I'm posting a pic I took one month ago.My rock had been "cooking" for two weeks, the second week I never got around to doing a water change at all. I was changing water every second or third day, then I got waaay to busy.
So this was about 9 days worth of crud built up on the bottom of my tub, this doesn't include all the stuff that came off when I was swishing my rocks around. This is from I guesstimate 30lbs of rock that I've been in various tanks of mine for three years now.
It is gross stuff, up there with my euroreef skimmate.
So this was about 9 days worth of crud built up on the bottom of my tub, this doesn't include all the stuff that came off when I was swishing my rocks around. This is from I guesstimate 30lbs of rock that I've been in various tanks of mine for three years now.
It is gross stuff, up there with my euroreef skimmate.
SeanT
Premium Member
I like the new fad but I have some questions:
I will be upgrading to bigger and better someday and would like not to continue the battle on a larger scale. I am planing a quarentine process for all current inhabients rock and coral (not the fish though). How important is the darkness? If I setup a tank BB with no fish (i.e. no food) siphoning out detris but provide light should cooking still work. What would others do with an algae covered rock with coral? Thanks to overzelous fraging over the years most of my rock has something on it from zoanthus to SPS. (Note: I think my foe is bryopsis because I can't pull it off cleanly)
I will be upgrading to bigger and better someday and would like not to continue the battle on a larger scale. I am planing a quarentine process for all current inhabients rock and coral (not the fish though). How important is the darkness? If I setup a tank BB with no fish (i.e. no food) siphoning out detris but provide light should cooking still work. What would others do with an algae covered rock with coral? Thanks to overzelous fraging over the years most of my rock has something on it from zoanthus to SPS. (Note: I think my foe is bryopsis because I can't pull it off cleanly)
SeanT
Premium Member
Whooaaa not a fad, science.reef10 said:
Very. It changes the situation from an algal based system to a bacterail based system.reef10 said:
Your rocks will leech out crud over time and increase your workload of siphoning and such.reef10 said:
How long? I don't have a specific time frame but a lot longer than cooking.
Plus the algaes currently inhabiting your rock will still be there.
Frag off what you can and cook the rest is what I did.]reef10 said:
Fragging off everything is hopefully not necessary. Some have mentioned constantly cooking rock and trading out a portion in the main tank every few months. That would leave nice looking base rock with algae covered rock for the coral. The other option would have a clean tank of perpetual frags.
Heres a question for SeanT:
After cooking your rock did you put it back in with the remaining algae covered rock? Did the algae just not grow on the cooked rock even though algae is clearly in the system? Did you cook it in such a way to keep the cooked seperate from the algae? If everything remains seperate then the reason for no more algae may be that the algae was killed by the cooking process and is just not in the system anymore.
Fine science....
I am going to run a test by cooking my rock in the dark with a plenum based DSB using miricle mud while using constant plenum wasting. BUT what should I use as the control group??
:lol:
Heres a question for SeanT:
After cooking your rock did you put it back in with the remaining algae covered rock? Did the algae just not grow on the cooked rock even though algae is clearly in the system? Did you cook it in such a way to keep the cooked seperate from the algae? If everything remains seperate then the reason for no more algae may be that the algae was killed by the cooking process and is just not in the system anymore.
Fine science....
I am going to run a test by cooking my rock in the dark with a plenum based DSB using miricle mud while using constant plenum wasting. BUT what should I use as the control group??
:lol:
SeanT
Premium Member
That is way too much work.reef10 said:
If you "cook" your rock thoroughly, have a proper clean up crew, maintain good husbandry practices, e.g proper skimmer, siphoning of detrius, water changes, filter socks changed regularly etc. then why "cook" rock again?
If many years down the road you need to do it again then so be it.
reef10 said:
reef10,
I took out 1/3rd of my rock and a week or two later another 1/3rd then a week or two after that the last 1/3rd.
My tank was rockless for almost 4 months.
All my corals were on PVC racks.
The PVC started getting a light brown film algae on it.
Then, without rocks, I noticed that I had only 7 snails in my enitire system of 450 gallons.
I ordered some Astreas and Ceriths and all film algaes were gone in a week and have never returned.
The algae is in the system only because the Phosphorous is in the system to feed it. Get rid of the 'fuel' and the 'fire' dies off.reef10 said:
