Cooking Live Rock - Exact Process?

[SeanT]

It can take up to 8 weeks, maybe even a little longer determined by how much crap is in the rocks.

The best way to expedite it is through regular water changes (I recommend 2-3 a week for the first 2-3 weeks).
But just as important (maybe more so) as the waterchanges is the rinsing technique.
Set up several buckets, rinse the rock in the tub it is cooking in, the swish and rinse vigorously in through a series of three buckets.
Then, in a holding tub.
Repeat for each rock (but once a bucket is funky and filled with brown water it is time to use new water).
Empty cooking tub water, rinse it out with garden hose, fill with clean water.
Repeat the rock swishing process in reverse and add to cooking tub.

A good many of my rocks had red, short haired, truf algae on them.
All gone now.

Patience and diligence is key.

 

[john the hermit]

Thats exactly what I've been doing Sean, don't those rinses make your fingers sore!
By the time I'm finished cooking about 10 weeks should have passed and hopefully the turf algae with it . I'll let you know if it's still there at the end.
regards
John

 

[thrlride]

Question about this....
I've got about 40-50 pounds of LR sitting in a tub in my garage. All I have in the tub besides the rock is a heater and a 500 gph pump. No lights and the tub is always covered. I'm sure there is a ton of detrius in the bottom. How can I start this procedure to this rock?

Why not just rinse in one bucket then to another until you clean out the main tub or does it release that much gunk? My rock has been in this tub for almost 4 months, is it safe to assume that the algal cycle is gone and just bacterial now?

 

[SeanT]

thrlride,
A couple of water changes and you should be done.
The swishing helps to pull out gunk deep inside the rock and allows the bacteria to get deeper still.

The water changes are to eliminate and P in the water column and make the bacteria concentrate on the junk IN the rock.

 

[storrsms]

what exactly is ASW? I'm trying to keep up with this thread, but this is confusing me to no end. (i assume the SW stands for Salt Water, but what does the A stand for?)

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Nanook]

ASW=Artificial Salt Water

 

[Aescleah]

o no hobbist are now getting so extreme we are roasting these intellent and feeling beings alive BETTER CALL PETA!!!!

would you do that to your puppy or kitten

Ashley

 

[SeanT]

Someone didn't read the thread.

 

[NuclearReefs]

Wouldnt be the first time Sean...LOL




Nathan

 

[purplehaze]

I also cooked 40lbs of new live rock. After 2-3 months I had almost a DSB in the cooking container, so much stuff came out of the rocks :lol:

 

[mps9506]

I also cooked 40lbs of new live rock. After 2-3 months I had almost a DSB in the cooking container, so much stuff came out of the rocks :lol:

Purplehaze,
You want to make sure to get that stuff out on a weekly basis at least while cooking your rock. When you leave it in the tub, it just sits and releases the phosphates right back into the water column. You want to physically remove all the detrius and stuff along with it, so it isn't realsed back into the water column. This way you are removing an easy source of food for the bacteria, and making them clean that rock up.
Mike

 

[purplehaze]

Purplehaze,
You want to make sure to get that stuff out on a weekly basis at least while cooking your rock. When you leave it in the tub, it just sits and releases the phosphates right back into the water column. You want to physically remove all the detrius and stuff along with it, so it isn't realsed back into the water column. This way you are removing an easy source of food for the bacteria, and making them clean that rock up.
Mike

Yea, you are right...I've cleaned the tub and the rock is now in it's new tank, let's see what happens.

 

[mps9506]

Purplehaze,
Just noticed you are a biologist, surf and breed ornamentals...
Where are you from? We have a few people like that around here at the university... I only enjoy the surfing and biology part.
Mike

 

[purplehaze]

mps9506, YGPM

 

[SeanT]

Not from Wilmington are you?

 

[purplehaze]

Not from Wilmington are you?

No, I live in Brasil!

 

[Falko]

I am new to this all...
( So forgive me if I suggest something stupid )
But in a bit unrelated topic.
I Have an crazy idea, and I would like to have your opinion on it please.

Would you say taking live rock, cleaning the surface entirely of anything living, Rinse them, Place them in a bucket full of salt water in complete darkness with Powerful Skimmers running 24/7 for lets say 2 months would do a good job at cleaning them before adding them to your tank?

Please don't bite me It's just a freak Question, Not planning to do it at all. Just queries.

 

[SeanT]

Hey Falko,
That is pretty much "cooking" the rock.
All you need to add to that is waterchanges.

 

[Manon]

This rock cleaning process seems like a lot of work to say the least!! I use my powerhead probably about once a month and move it around the rocks to blow the detritus out while the system is running so that the junk gets filtered while in suspension instead of settling down on the sand. I don't do the whole tank at onces b/c the water gets pretty dirty for while. I did half the tank last night and about one hour later the water was clean again.

This is not as through as the process of cooking put for some of us with a little less enthousiam I think its very helpful!!

Mia

 

[arconom]

Well after carefully reading, Bomber and other reefers thoughts and talking to SeanT. I feel I understand the basis of "Cooking Liverock"

Rather then continuing PMing and talking on the phone with SeanT, I decided to ask my questions here. So others debating on the "Cooking Liverock" process might get there questions answered as well.


I am in the process of getting ready to cook my liverock. The main issue ATM is Room for water. Not having access to NSW it becomes a issue to some degree.

I have a 75 gal tank with 20gal refug connected.

So I am making enough water for my first step.

First I have a 55 gal tank filled with RO/DI water. With a small heater and a small PH. This is where I will be processing my rock.

I have another tub from walmart that will hold about 30-35 gal.

I have 2 5 gal jugs that I will fill with ready made water with salt.
WHY I had to remember once I take out the rock from my tank, it will be low from displacement. So my 2 5 gal jugs will handle that.

I also will be buying another container maybe a garbage container. To hold more water. I plan on having enough water to fill backup the 55 and have more for the cleaning process. The buckets for each process will be filled using the one 30-35 container instead of having alot of bucket around.

For me the water is the main issue.

So first question is-- instead of emptying dirty water out for the first stage,or 1st 2nd 3rd bucket can I just filter this water with a sock by tranfering it from one container to another?

This would save me alot of water in the long run.

Also, even if I dont filter the water after 2 days the water in 1,2,3 buckets will be clean from the detritus settling on the bottom.

After all the the final bucket is what counts. Thats the one you really don't want to see and dirt in.

Also I don't have my RO/DI unit hard plumbed so I have to watch it. I start filling from 3:00pm to 10:00pm at night.

So far it took 2 days to fill my 55 gal. As of now my 30-35 container is filling Plus I want more. So now-- This brings me to 3-4 days. Possibly 5 days. So instead of doing this realistically in 2-3 day intervals. I'm looking at 5-6 days between cleanings. Is this a major issue?

Water is as you said a issue of the whole project. I will do it. But some changes had to be made.

I guess for most it might not be to bad but I have a small "operation" here.

Comments please.