Got base rock, now what?

[bored4long]

I went to look at an acrylic tank today and the guy gave me his old LR (now base rock) along with a Sea Clone HOB skimmer with MaxiJet 1200 and a remote temp display. Pretty nice considering I didn't even buy his tank.

So my question is, what do I do now?

Is there any way to season/cure this rock and allow it to cycle outside of my tank, say in a garbage can? There is a lot of dead matter on the rock (see pictures below). I was thinking maybe I could put this rock along with a little LR in a garbage can with a pump for circulation and a HOB skimmer for skimming and just forget about it. Would the LR seed the base rock over time? If so, how much time. Is a light source needed during this process?

Here is some info from MarcoRocks.com:

We do not recommend our rock or any other rock right into an established tank.

Even though Marco Rocks has been washed and dried it will still have some trapped organic material that will break down and need to cycle before it is safe to use in your tank...when cycling your Marco Rocks simply add a cup of live sand and a small amount of live rock from an established tank to your tank. The ammonia being produced by the trapped organic material in your new dry rock will feed the beneficial bacteria and organisms as they grow in numbers and colonize your new rock (We use and recommend a nitrifying bacteria product by Fritz (turbo start 900) to help boost this). During this time you should monitor ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. You will first see ammonia spike, then nitrite and finally nitrate. Once you see ammonia and nitrite stable at -0- or very near -0- and nitrate on a steady decline, your rock is considered “cycled”. During this cycle time we recommend frequent water changes, aggressive skimming and turbulent water flow.

Thank for the help,
Mark

 

[bored4long]

Did some searching and here is what I've first found:

http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/archive/index.php/t-1856.html:

Do the cleaning, then place rock in a large (clean) garbage can or similar container. Nwo fill the container with fresh water. let these rocks sit for a week or two. Now take them out and scrub again with a wire or very stiff platic scrubber. Now place the rocks back into the empty garbage can again. Fill with salt water and place a powerhead or pump in there for circulation. Let these rocks sit for a caouple weeks again. Test the water for ammonia. High ammonia will indicate there is crud still dying off on the rocks. Do large water changes for another week, and one more week after that. Test the water periodically and use a copper test just to be sure there is none leaching from the rock. Now cure the rock as described in many articles.

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-61916.html:

Personally, I'd cook it, (purge it of the problem). I had to do this with my LR, it took time, mostly patience...cause I hate waiting. Anyway you lose nothing by cooking it, you learn about cooking LR, and if you really don't care for it in the end you can then spend money to replace it...( I cooked my LR in a brute container-which is a large garbage can, they say to use a brute container because it is thick and strong, something you want when it becomes filled with rock and water! Anyway, I added clean salt water to the container, about a third full, added rock to the bottom, placed a power head to move the water around in the container, added a skimmer(which some people said was not necessary-but I had an old seaclone hanging around so why not) a heater to bring the water temp up from about 60 to 82 , and then just added more salt water and rock to the top of the container until the rock was covered with saltwater. I covered the top of the garbage can with black garbage bags so no light could get into the can. AND COOKED, and cooked, and cooked, and cooked...I did'nt have time to take the rock out weekly to scrub off the die off so I settled for once every two weeks. At this time I used a bottle brush to scrub the rocks, swished them around in new clean salt water and placed them into a second brute container to start the process all over again for another two weeks.

From these sources, my conclusion is I should first soak the rock and scrub off as much loose dead organic matter as possible. Then try to reseed in a garbage can with some LR. Looks like all I will need for reseeding is saltwater, powerhead and heater. Does this sound right?

 

[Reefugee]

Those methods will work. But when you are "reseeding", you will want to throw in one or two raw shrimps in order to provide "food" for the bacteria to form.

Make sure you test your water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. When you first start, you will have very little of all the above. Then you will see a spike in your ammonia. Then a spike in nitrite. Finally a spike in nitrate. When your nitrate is high, but your ammonia and nitrite are low, it means that it's done curing.

Good luck

 

[matttaylor]

Agreed. Get it started now so it'll be ready when you are.

Matt

 

[bored4long]

Thanks, guys. Yeah, I'll watch for the cycle. I thought this could be done.

I just want to make sure on two points:
1. Is light necessary for any part of the cure/cycle?
2. How vital is it to keep temps stable during this process? Is it ok to just have the garbage can outside and let the water temp fluctuate with the ambient temperature?

Thanks again,
Mark

 

[airinhere]

another route you might try is doing an acid wash.
A mild mixture of vineager or murriatic acid would slightly dissolve the outer skin of the rock and remove any phosphates, nitrates or other organics on the rock.
No more algae or aptasia concerns.
Or coraline or hitchhikers at all.
I wouldnt leave the rock soaking for more than a day though.

 

[bored4long]

I thought the hitchhikers were a good thing. No? (I'm being serious, I'm a newb)

I have both vinegar and muriatic acid around. Which is better?

 

[matttaylor]

Light is not necessary unless you want the coraline algae to grow. The bacteria will do fine in the dark. And as long as the temp fluctuations aren't severe it will be fine in the garage.

 

[bored4long]

Will Coraline Algae start growing prior to the cycle completing?

 

[airinhere]

Some hitchhikers are good. Some are not.

Sincce this is base rock, It is highly unlikely there are any tunicates, corals, sponges or other beneficial hitchhikers.

Just seed from your existing good live rock and you will end up with all the beneficial types of organisms you would ever want.

Most of the really sweet hitchikers come as part of the base of corals you will buy.

I have used murriatic acid to do this before.

10% acid (by amount of water you put into the container, not by the volume of the container.)

Just soak for a few hours, maybe overnight. Spray off with a high pressure hose, Voila! Clean rock.

The rock is inert base rock at this point. You can put it into your tank, but it does not count towards your live rock amount for biologic filtration for at least three months and probably six.

You will know when it is considered live because it will have small sponges on it and little flecks of coraline growth on it.

 

[bored4long]

Let me make sure I understand this. After the acid wash and good rinse I can throw this directly in my tank and it will not cause a cycle?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Reefugee]

I doubt you will get coralline algae growing on your rock during the curing process. Personally - I would not spay it off with with a high pressure hose due to the contaminant in tap water. If you want to do the acid wash - just rinse it out with RODI water. Chances are you won't have small sponges on your rock. You will know it's cure based on the water parameter. Don't worry about coralline growth for right now - they will grow when it's in your tank.

Like Matt said - no lights is needed.

Temperature isn't really a big deal. Just don't let it get too hot. I would not leave it in your garage on a hot day. Just cure it outside. Temperature fluctuation is not a big deal either. Bacteria are usually much more tolerant of temperature swing than fish or corals. When I first started, I forgot to check the temperature while curing my rock. The water got to 90+C, and the rock still went through the curing process just fine.

 

[airinhere]

after the acid wash, the rock should be completely clean. It will not have any organics on or in it. So there should be no cycle after you place it in the tank. It is just like placing aragocrete into your tank.

Reefugee has a good point about contaminants in tap water. Although if there is a noticeable layer of crud on the rock after you take it out of the acid wash, use your own judgement to see if it can be cleaned with RODI water.

 

[bored4long]

I removed the rocks from the acid wash this morning and there is still LOTS of red matter on them. I think this may be the coraline algae and it just turned a rust red from the acid wash. They soaked in the solution for about 10 hours over night.

I think I'll soak them for a day, scrub with a brush and see if the rest will come off.

Is there any risk in OVER soaking in the acid bath? Will the rock start breaking down?

 

[airinhere]

The only risk of oversoaking is the rock will slowly dissolve. Check the pH of the soak before continuing. If its above or equal to 7, the soak is not going to dissolve anything.