Is this stuff ok (old rock)

[jmsilhy]

Hi everyone, I just finished a week of bleaching some old dry rock I got from a guy. It was very dirty so I decided to bleach it to make sure it's a fresh start.

Are these things normal in once live rock?

Tubes, are these bad or can I leave them there?

Worm looking things...

White creamy stuff, was this once coralline?

So after bleaching I suppose no life is left, so now my plan is to rinse really well, dry, rinse again with rodi, dry again, then tank them (new tank and I'm going to seed with 20lb of live rock, 80 lb total)

Thanks!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kfisc]

It all looks fine, just leftover vermetid snail tubes and assorted things that once were alive. The worry is trusting the guy enough to know it wasn't exposed to any noxious chemicals, which hopefully you do. You've been rinsing with RODI the whole time as well, probably, to avoid contamination. Nice find.

 

[jmsilhy]

Well not exactly trust the guy, supposedly he removed it from his tank a few months ago and put it in buckets. Is there any way to make sure, like after a few good rinses test the water for something in particular?

Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kfisc]

A polyfilter, a pad that changes color when various toxins pass through it, could help. It would mean setting up a quarantine for the rock and then passing the tank water at some stage through the filter, such as a drain. The cool thing about them is they're color-coded for specific chemicals, such as copper, etc.

 

[Haus40]

Curious how this turns out for you; please update as you go. I've collected a few buckets of dry (formerly live) rock from two different reefers I trust and am working on an upgrade to a 125, so I'm looking to see what works best for people.

From what I'm reading, seems like a RO/DI rinse then setting up and letting it cycle is the minimalist way of going (scrub optional); muriatic acid cleanse is a nuclear option.

 

[jmsilhy]

Sure will.

I found this on another rock, suppose there's no harm in leaving it, is there?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kfisc]

No harm; it's just an old coral skeleton.

 

[jmsilhy]

Thanks, now after a sunbath I found some strange coloration (like rusty) in some of the rocks, this after bleaching and rinsing. What do you think? I already ordered the poly to test it when I do the 2-3rd rinse in rodi water...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Looks fine to me.

 

[jmsilhy]

Thanks guys. As I was washing the rock, and removing some of the incrusted things, I occasionally got a bad smell like dead algae or stuff that was once in there. I guess it will eventually leech out and that should help spike the ammonia, right?

So my plan is after rinsing a few times with rodi water, finally throw it in the display tank with sw and some live rock to seed (around 15-20%). This should be plenty for cycling after a few weeks, and after some time with no lights, bacteria should take over and win the battle, correct? Could this stink the whole house if I do it this way?

 

[billdogg]

I think you are overthinking this to the max. If it were mine I'd already have it in some saltwater to start the curing process.

It all looks like very nice rock to me btw!

 

[jmsilhy]

I probably am overthinking, but appreciate your input. It's been 20 years since my last tank (fowlr), so I don't want to mess it up that bad! Ha ha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk