Does Tap Water Ruin Live Rock?

[jalisco]

Hi Guys,

I hope to someday be the person helping out rather that the one screwing up. But for now... Does mixing your salt with tap water ruin live rock for an sps dominant mixed reef? I ask because I found pests on real reef rock I purchased from a lfs that I later found out had mixed it with rock from their DT. Once I notice the pests I got lazy and just began using tap water to top off instead of RODI.

I've since purchased all new real reef rock and reef flakes but my thought was to sun dry the stuff and mix it with the new rock I purchased from the lfs before it made it to their holding bins. My overall plan was to come as close to a pest free start as possible.

So all that just to ask if you guys think any harmful TDS from my tap water could leach out of these rocks and harm the new tank.

Thank you much to everyone who shares their hard earned experience,

- Jason

 

[JVD BVI]

To start with you should never use tap water for any reef tank.

Is this a new tank ? How long has it been up ? What are your parameters?

 

[btb72]

It won't be ruined. Just might leech for a little bit. Or cook it, figuratively of course

 

[markalot]

I don't think tap ruined the rock, you may have some PO4 leaching issues if tap water was high in phosphates but otherwise I can't imagine any permanent damage.

 

[jalisco]

To start with you should never use tap water for any reef tank.

Is this a new tank ? How long has it been up ? What are your parameters?

Sorry my edit adding that info didn't take. This is in a QT tank I set up while purchasing the equipment for my DT. I tried timing it so when the DT was done my fish qt and invert qt (ich cysts on shells) with live rock and sand would all be at the three month mark and ready to merge into the DT.

Once I saw the brown flat worms I decided to scrap that live rock and sand and start fresh. Not wanting to let the hermit crabs die I kept topping the tank off with tap water with the thought that none of the sand or rock would go into the DT. Now I'm just wondering if I should save the live rock/sand for a future aggressive tank or if I can sun bleach it and add to DT. Which so far is sounding like a yes.

 

[scrapz]

Brown flat worms are nothing to worry about, especially in a QT. Just treat with flatworm exit, add carbon, monitor your nits/phos as youll have alot of dieoff and do multiple water changes after that.

If you dry your rock out, it should kill the population. Since this rock was cycled with the stores rock, I wouldnt trust it. I dont understand stores that cycle RealReef rock with their system, the whole selling point is "clean" rock which is why it comes with a high premium.

IMO just do a bleach treatment on your rock. Will take about 2-3 weeks but at least youll know its clean

 

[jalisco]

Thanks Scrapz. I was pretty upset when I found out my $8.00/lb clean rock was "extra seeded" as the lfs put it when I learned they put rock from their DT in the realreef holding bins. He tried persuading me into thinking I had gotten something for free... and I agreed, I had received free flat worms.

I had a ton of pods on the glass and was exited about being able to get a mandarin down the road. Unfortunately you could watch hundreds of brown flat worms eating thousands of pods and I decided to start over.

When you say bleech the rock do you mean sun bleach or 1/10 chlorox bleach?