I hesitate even to mention this in the newbie forum, and I urge you to do NO MORE than a teacup sized portion of a rock at a time...but IF you have gotten something on a particular rock that you know is going to be future trouble, when you are starting your tank, this is where you can get ahead of the problem.
Read carefully: you CAN use hydrogen peroxide from a bottle in a very small bowl. You may scrub off the unwanted growth with a ratty old toothbrush, then dip the affected area of ONE rock into it and hold it there for 30 seconds. That's IT. PERIOD. STOP THERE.
Rinse said rock area (not the whole rock) in a similar bowl of discard tank water (from a water change) Let it bubble (it will) for 1 minute.
Then replace it in your tank with the 'bad' side (the side that has had the problem) buried in the sand. Do NOT put it under or near a delicate like a coral.
It will continue to bubble for about an hour. It's ok. This is oxygen. BUT it can damage a coral if it bubbles up into it.
This is not a 'safe' procedure. Neither is having a pest like xenia, mushroom, or caulerpa weed overrun your tank. I hesitate to mention this one in a newbie forum, but on sober reflection, this is the place of NEW tanks where you have a fighting chance of stopping a plague before it takes over.
Do it only with precision, with proper care, and do not exceed the instructions, or do more than one rock on a given day. If you do, you may cause real problems. Can you do it at the start of cycle? Yes. Can you do it on a functioning reef? Yes. Should you do a lot of it over a week? No. It's dangerous. Treat it with respect. Observation will teach you good sense with it. Just be careful. 'Kay?
Read carefully: you CAN use hydrogen peroxide from a bottle in a very small bowl. You may scrub off the unwanted growth with a ratty old toothbrush, then dip the affected area of ONE rock into it and hold it there for 30 seconds. That's IT. PERIOD. STOP THERE.
Rinse said rock area (not the whole rock) in a similar bowl of discard tank water (from a water change) Let it bubble (it will) for 1 minute.
Then replace it in your tank with the 'bad' side (the side that has had the problem) buried in the sand. Do NOT put it under or near a delicate like a coral.
It will continue to bubble for about an hour. It's ok. This is oxygen. BUT it can damage a coral if it bubbles up into it.
This is not a 'safe' procedure. Neither is having a pest like xenia, mushroom, or caulerpa weed overrun your tank. I hesitate to mention this one in a newbie forum, but on sober reflection, this is the place of NEW tanks where you have a fighting chance of stopping a plague before it takes over.
Do it only with precision, with proper care, and do not exceed the instructions, or do more than one rock on a given day. If you do, you may cause real problems. Can you do it at the start of cycle? Yes. Can you do it on a functioning reef? Yes. Should you do a lot of it over a week? No. It's dangerous. Treat it with respect. Observation will teach you good sense with it. Just be careful. 'Kay?
