Cooking rock milestones

TekCat

TekCat

New member
Sorry, I've posted similar question to another thread, but getting nothing so far, maybe here is the place to ask.

I've been cooking my rocks for about a month in a rubbermaid tub. The rocks still have lots of coralline on them and the bubbles (bubble algea) that I couldn't remove before starting cooking are still there. Do anyone know when the ugly bubbles would die and disintegrate?

.. I know, I know... patience is a virtue, but I just like to know when I will reach this milestone. Anyone?

As far as cooking setup: 35 gallon rubbermaid container, 70 lbs of LR, IO salt, 35ppt salinity, 82F temperature, Maxijet900 agitating water surface. Lid on the bucket is tightly closed (except for the wires for heater and powerhead), and sitting in closed closet.
I do 100% water change every week along with dunking and swishing.
 
Forget about the bubble algae going away during cooking. I cooked mine for about 12 -14 weeks and the bubble algae was still there! The stuff is incredibly hardy once it is established. I picked most of mine off. Also have about 4 emerald crabs in the tank now which seems to help. I have also heard there are some fish that will eat it but I haven't tried that.
 
I picked out most of them, but there are some bubbles that are very hard to reach, in holes and deep pores. I could definately try to burst them, this is as much I can damage them. Question is when burst will they die in total darkness?
 
Update:

Coralline seems to started to die off. It is now becoming somewhat looking like a white crust. Do I need to remove it manually, or it will disappear on its on?

Another question. I plan to buy some dry rock, does it make sense to cook it also? If so, then should I do it in a separate bucket or with currently cooking rocks?
 
IMO it's a good idea to cook your base rock for awhile too, some base rock is loaded with PO4 so it won't hurt getting rid of some of that too. Also it will help in the seeding of the new LR so all in all it's a win/win situation, IMO

BTW on the coralline issue it'll grow back on it's own after it's established in the tank , you don't need to do anything to it.
 
Thanks gman0526,

do you know where to get good dry base rock? I am mostly looking for porosity in it.
 
I've heard good things about hirocks.com , but seems like most of their pieces are on the small size.

IMO the best way would be to find a local reef club and ask around, there's always somebody trying to get rid of some LR, be it somebody leaving the hobby or doing some changes to their tanks. HTH
 
He's "cooking" the rock, by changing all the water he's exporting nutrients released by the bacterial processes into the water column. And... no the cycle is not starting all over by making 100% water changes.
 
ive been cooking [again :{]

one tub the bubble algea left the other it doubled

in the one i broke spores and didnt change enough water.

personaly if your cooking and dont clean your rock once a week [toothbrush it] and use your display for water changes to get rid of spores. accept it.

bubble algea takes manual cleaning and perfect water plus something that eats it to get rid of.

im 7 years into it and have brought down the population 3 times. [still have some]

if i look i can still find it.
 
I hope you are also dunking and swishing your rooks between those water changes.

During this process, you may want to devote a couple buckets to bubble algae removal. Try to not re-use the water that much as the spores will be in, but dunk them, flick the bubbles off as well as you can, and just burst the ones you cant remove/get to properly, and swish some more.

Good water quality will stop the bubble from growing. Actually, not good water quality, GREAT water quality. The stuff will grow even in "good".
 
Yes I do dunk and swish in 3-4 buckets. Also I am inspecting each rock and try to remove any algea that I could see. The one's I cant get my grip on (in wholes, etc) ... I am putting kalk paste on that spot where algea grows.

And yes, I use fresh saltwater mix every time! In cooking tub I have airstone for aeration, 1 MaxiJet1200 for water movement, and a heater set to 84F to speed up bacteria's metabolizm.
 
As a graduate of SeanT's rock cooking school, you are doing everything correct.

Just keep on keepin' on.

David
 
Thanks dkh0331. Did you have bubble algea before? If so, what were the results?

I started cooking at the end of June, and still I get alot of junk coming out of rocks when I do my weekly dunk/swish/water changes. *crying* when will it stooooop ? :)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8011400#post8011400 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TekCat
Thanks dkh0331. Did you have bubble algea before? If so, what were the results?

I started cooking at the end of June, and still I get alot of junk coming out of rocks when I do my weekly dunk/swish/water changes. *crying* when will it stooooop ? :)
Click to expand...

Yes I had bubble algea, dino's and hair algea. All went bu-bye.

I cooked my rocks for a long time - 6 months. After two months, I could have put my rocks back in. I wanted to do some upgrading so I waited until I had my streams before I set it back up. That and my wife wanted the living room remodeling finished. So I needed to complete that before I got my tank back up. (Please note my sig)

David
 
Yeah, I bet after 6 month of cooking not much of anything photosynthetic would survive. I'am however dont have the luxiory to cook for that long. My better half asking me every week "when this mess ends". So, I could probably stretch cooking to 3 months total, but that's about it. Is there anything I could do to help algea die? (like certain salinity, pH, Alk, temperature,... anything?) I am especially concerned with bubble algea. In my new tank (90g), that is in LFS currently being drilled, I'll have at a tang to help with other types of algea, but not many creatures particulary like valonia. My emerald crab totally ignores it, so I'll trade him to another one.
 
You have received some great advice earlier about doing what you can in a seperate container. Because my cooking was extended, mine came off without intervention.

I was fortunate - all my cooking was in my basement, where no one but me goes to.
 
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