Dead/dry/cooked rock

[pocurran]

Hi all...I have a 120 tank with a few corals and about 11 fish. I'm having an aptasia issue where most of my rock has 5-10 aiptasia or more in it. There is also some gha growing on some. I have some old rock taken out of this tank about a year or so ago that was left out in the FL sun for about two months. It was rinsed well and soaked in tap water for a few months then shaken and rinsed off again. It was once again laid out on the patio for about a month. I then made some saltwater in an old trash can and placed the rock in the can for the last few months. I had a power head for aeration in the can for a few weeks and then it stopped working, so it was thrown away. The rock has now been in the can with a lid for about 6-8 weeks with no aeration. Would this rock be ok to rinse and replace the aiptasia-ridden rock or should it still be cured for a while before swapping?

Thanks in advance for your houghts.

 

[davehead86]

Personally if I had nuisance stuff on my rocks Id bleach the rocks.

If your going to replace the rocks, replace the sand too. Get it back to square one or you could just see the same issue arising months after on the "new rock." Youll have to run a new cycle but then its a brand new tank.

Also, I swear by emerald crabs for GHA and Bubble Algae. Keep my tank nice and clean.

 

[pocurran]

Thanks Davehead86. Didnt know if I should go that far or not. Wanting to get some peppermint shrimp as well but I guess they are "out of season". Wasn't sure if replacing the rocks or starting from scratch basically was a good idea or not. Was planning on siphoning the sand out over the next few weeks and replacing it as well, but again, didn't know was the best or safest way to go.

 

[davehead86]

Thanks Davehead86. Didnt know if I should go that far or not. Wanting to get some peppermint shrimp as well but I guess they are "out of season". Wasn't sure if replacing the rocks or starting from scratch basically was a good idea or not. Was planning on siphoning the sand out over the next few weeks and replacing it as well, but again, didn't know was the best or safest way to go.

If you were planning on taking out the sand anyway I would certainly just start over. You will have to cycle again, if you are cleaning all rock and sand. There won't be any beneficial bacteria left in the tank. So youd have to have a QT ready to go for the fish and corals, or you could take some rock with bacteria from someones tank who you know doesnt have any problems in their tank.

 

[neoh74]

I had about 20 aptasia in my tank. I got a matted file fish. In two days all were gone. Others swear by aptaisia x. I wanted to try the natural method before adding chemicals. I also tried 3 peppermint shrimp but they didnt touch the aptasia.