dead/live rock confusion

[dario5678]

Hello,

Edit: I think the guy whose post I've been reading name is Paul..he had a tank since 1971

I have been reading a lot of your posts and joined feef central in an attempt to connect with you. One of your post was answering a guy wh was asking about cookng rock and you said just put it in the container of salt water and that is it.

So I purchased some live rock that is mostly dead from sitting in a dry tank outside from a guy. I put it in a can full of saltwater with a small power head. His rock has been dry for no more than about a month so some is still damp with crap and stuff. should I do anything other than just letting it sit in the can with the small power head? im talkin about 70 pounds of rock....I have have a 90 gallon that has 12 pounds of live rock and 2 clown fish...that I hope to put the the rocks in at some point.

it is a lot of "pukani" rock and other very porous pieces....

 

[thegrun]

If there is still a lot of organic matter on the rock that has died or is dieing then you don't need to add anything to start the cycle. Id the rock has very little organic matter left on it you may need to add some ammonia either in the form of pure ammonia without surfactants or a dead raw shrimp that will decompose and thus produce ammonia to start a new cycle.

 

[29erjon]

Keeping it in a bin with a powerhead is fine, I might add a heater and a light a few hours a day if you suspect any life on it you want to maintain. If it's dead and your wanting to cure it, put it in a bin with established saltwater and cycle as you would a new tank and add powerhead, maintain proper heat and light as minimal as you like. Over time it will flourish into live rock.... you can add a piece of LR or cheato, etc... to further along the process.

 

[dario5678]

although its dry it seems to have a lot of organic matter on some of the damp pieces. Should I go ahead and add a raw shrimp anyway to be safe. DO I need to do water changes and all like I would with cycling a tank? When cycling rock lke this am I supposed to wait until ammonia reaches 0 before adding it to an established tank...established being 90 gallon with 10 pounds of live rock and 2 clownfish

 

[Shawn O]

Add-on to the OP for further clarification: Would it be beneficial to put a cover on it to prevent light from fueling algae growth?

 

[Saltliquid]

Anything that was alive will help the cycle, whether it be dry or wet, if what was on the rock has not been devoured/converted by bacteria it will become ammonia and become part of your cycle.
From day one of putting water in your aquarium, if you intend on keeping corals and anems or what ever, you need to have phos reduction in place!
You add dead tissue at a modest rate, that is what makes a cycle happen and you do not do water changes till ammonia and nitrites are gone!
Once ammonia and nitrites are at 0 then add dead tissue again till 0 ammonia or nitrite show in a test once again, then you do water changes!
Think about it, if you take out water via a water change with ammonia or nitrites in it you are slowing the cycle, untill ammonia and nitrites are zero nitrate means nothing, once life is to go in after continual 0 readings, then worry about nitrate with water changes.

 

[dario5678]

Anything that was alive will help the cycle, whether it be dry or wet, if what was on the rock has not been devoured/converted by bacteria it will become ammonia and become part of your cycle.
From day one of putting water in your aquarium, if you intend on keeping corals and anems or what ever, you need to have phos reduction in place!
You add dead tissue at a modest rate, that is what makes a cycle happen and you do not do water changes till ammonia and nitrites are gone!
Once ammonia and nitrites are at 0 then add dead tissue again till 0 ammonia or nitrite show in a test once again, then you do water changes!
Think about it, if you take out water via a water change with ammonia or nitrites in it you are slowing the cycle, untill ammonia and nitrites are zero nitrate means nothing, once life is to go in after continual 0 readings, then worry about nitrate with water changes.

Bur what if I am cycling the rock in a container...at what point can I add it to the display?..when ammonia and nitrates are gone? If so what do I do wile m waiting for ammonia and nitrates to be gone?...no water changes?. Just wait?

 

[thegrun]

You need to wait for both the ammonia and nitrites to drop to zero (nitrates will likely never drop to zero on their own). No water changes, simply top off with fresh RO/DI water to maintain the proper salinity.

 

[saltyskier]

I would add a heater. Different bacteria live at different temperatures.

 

[CStrickland]

depends why your "cooking" it

If you are trying to reduce phosphates in the rock (esp pukani) so they don't leach into your tank and fertilize algae, that's finished when no more phos comes out.
If you are trying to reduce organics like dead worms or algae or crud so they don't spike ammonia and other nutrients in your tank when they rot there, that's done when the rock is clean and the ammonia / nitrite clear.