!wrass!
Premium Member
Ok, here's the story. 8 years ago I moved to the STL area. During the move I lost everything in my 100 gal system. New job, new house, kids...there just was no time to continue the hobby.
A few months ago, one of my old friends set up a nano and now I can't resist. I started building a small system with leftovers from the old days.
Now for the problem. Funding is always an issue, so I am stuck with some carryovers that are less than ideal. I have several pounds of live (now kinda dead) rock that I want to use in the new system. I say kinda dead because after 8 years sitting in a 150 gal sump, under a thick layer of salt, in my basement, the rock still has living turf algae on it. It is not health turf algae but alive it is. This is not the cute fluffy stuff that every herbivore in the tank loves to eat. This is the green tooth brush bristle stuff that imbeds into the rock to form a dense, impenetrable barrier. Or at least that is what I remember from 8 years ago. I am trying to "sterilize" the rock before it goes into the new tank.
What are my options, other than chunking it in a ditch and shelling out $$$ for new live rock? I have time and patents but no cash. My wife thinks she has me on a $5 per week budget so I have to go fairly slow to keep from raising suspicions.
A few months ago, one of my old friends set up a nano and now I can't resist. I started building a small system with leftovers from the old days.
Now for the problem. Funding is always an issue, so I am stuck with some carryovers that are less than ideal. I have several pounds of live (now kinda dead) rock that I want to use in the new system. I say kinda dead because after 8 years sitting in a 150 gal sump, under a thick layer of salt, in my basement, the rock still has living turf algae on it. It is not health turf algae but alive it is. This is not the cute fluffy stuff that every herbivore in the tank loves to eat. This is the green tooth brush bristle stuff that imbeds into the rock to form a dense, impenetrable barrier. Or at least that is what I remember from 8 years ago. I am trying to "sterilize" the rock before it goes into the new tank.
What are my options, other than chunking it in a ditch and shelling out $$$ for new live rock? I have time and patents but no cash. My wife thinks she has me on a $5 per week budget so I have to go fairly slow to keep from raising suspicions.
