Need to soak up phosphate after cooking rock?

[nemofish2217]

So I got some dry rock from BRS and it has been cooking in a brute trash can for the past month with heated salt water. I'm getting ready to move it to the display tank to start my cycling, but before I do I want to make sure I shouldn't go ahead and zap it with some type of phosphate remover such as lanthanum chloride.

I don't think muratic acid is the ticket as there was not a lot of dead organic matter on the rock to begin with.

I could also take the rock out a few days before and sock it in clean RO/DI.

Thoughts?

 

[bertoni]

What is the phosphate level in the water currently?

 

[nemofish2217]

I don't have a test kit for phosphates, but I do know that I looked last night and even in the dark trash can there is some brown stuff that looks like algae that has formed on the rocks.

 

[bertoni]

Some algae is normal. I probably wouldn't worry much, but maybe a local fish store could run a phosphate test for you. Otherwise, dropping some lanthanum chloride into the container might give some visual feedback.

 

[nemofish2217]

Thanks for the response, I figure its diatoms or something of the like. I know there are threads out there on dosing amounts, but what's the general amount to add per gallon? Any need for me to dose it slowly since there is nothing living in the tub? Finally, is the ticket just to rinse it out after dosing?

 

[bertoni]

If you're trying lanthanum chloride, a teaspoon or so would give you some idea of whether there's much phosphate in the water. After the phosphate has been zero for a while, you could rinse the live rock and move it to the display. The goal is to keep the precipitate (lanthanum phosphate) out of the display.

 

[droog]

So I got some dry rock from BRS and it has been cooking in a brute trash can for the past month with heated salt water. I'm getting ready to move it to the display tank to start my cycling, but before I do I want to make sure I shouldn't go ahead and zap it with some type of phosphate remover such as lanthanum chloride.

I don't think muratic acid is the ticket as there was not a lot of dead organic matter on the rock to begin with.

I could also take the rock out a few days before and sock it in clean RO/DI.

Thoughts?

Dream scenario! I would do the LC treatment for sure and see how much precipitate you get. Repeat a week later. Just rinse well before it goes into the DT.

Recommend you get a PO4 test kit...

-droog

 

[nemofish2217]

Dream scenario! I would do the LC treatment for sure and see how much precipitate you get. Repeat a week later. Just rinse well before it goes into the DT.

Recommend you get a PO4 test kit...

-droog

Thanks for the input. After I treat for the first time I imagine I would need to change out the water...refill with saltwater or just RO?

I'll look into getting the phosphate test kit, probably would be nice to have around.

 

[bertoni]

I would cure the rock with saltwater so that the bacteria are ready to go, but either is fine for removing phosphate.

 

[nemofish2217]

I would cure the rock with saltwater so that the bacteria are ready to go, but either is fine for removing phosphate.

That's a good point, don't want to kill off what I may have started...what's a good rule of thumb for dosing SeaKlear per gallon? And just dump it all in at once and let it precipitate out?

 

[bertoni]

I'd dump in a teaspoon and see whether anything precipitates. If so, I'd try another, or maybe double it. Overdosing might remove some alkalinity from the water or waste the SeaKlear, but it won't do any harm assuming you ditch the water.

 

[garyinco]

When you invest in a phos test kit I wouldn't buy cheap (and buy twice or more). Every visual test I've owned looked liked phos was at zero. Then I bought a Hanna lo-range checker and feel some confidence in the results.

Out of curiosity what kind of dry rock did you buy?

 

[nemofish2217]

When you invest in a phos test kit I wouldn't buy cheap (and buy twice or more). Every visual test I've owned looked liked phos was at zero. Then I bought a Hanna lo-range checker and feel some confidence in the results.

Out of curiosity what kind of dry rock did you buy?

Thanks for the tip...I was thinking either Salifert or Red Sea. I bought dry Fiji from BRS.

 

[bertoni]

The Salifert kit has been fine for me. The Hach kit makes it a bit easier to get a number, since it has a color comparator. Either should be okay, in my experience.

 

[nemofish2217]

Are there any other acceptable substitutes to the SeaKlear brand? I'm having trouble locating it locally and would prefer to not drop $40 on a bottle when I'm really probably only going to need a couple of teaspoons.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

You might find it in a Pool Store.

 

[bertoni]

Most lanthanum chloride products likely are fine. I'd just be sure that what I used contain no other additives. If you can find some other product, you could give us a brand name and other information, and we likely could research it.

 

[nemofish2217]

This is what I saw at the local Home Depot...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Pool-Time-1-Qt-Phosphate-Remover-23730PTM/204655311

 

[nemofish2217]

I couldn't find a lot of info online about its ingredients...maybe just not looking in the right place, haha

 

[bertoni]

I couldn't find much, either. You could try calling them and asking if there's anything in it other than lanthanum salts and water. I suspect it's fine, but I'm not sure I'd take the risk just yet.