Preparing Rock
- Thread starter Sk8r
- Start date
Jason82
New member
I have a question regarding cooking live rock. I have just started a new tank, 75 Gallon. The tank is cycling with 40 lbs of dry rock, but I also have live rock from a previous neglected tank. This rock is full of detritus and phosphate. I have loaded it into a 30 gallon bin with fresh salt water and a power head and it will stay there for the next 8 weeks. I plan on doing 100% water changes every two weeks during the process.
My question has to do with temperature. All of this is in my garage at the moment. Living in Central Florida in August, this water can get quite warm. Is this a problem I should be concerned about? Should I bring the whole mess inside?
My question has to do with temperature. All of this is in my garage at the moment. Living in Central Florida in August, this water can get quite warm. Is this a problem I should be concerned about? Should I bring the whole mess inside?
Oldreeferman
New member
Might get so hot as to kill the bacteria in a garage in Summer in FL, im cooking my new dry rock at 80F with a powerhead using regular IO salt inside in a covered bucket adding low odor ammonia so it has no odor anyway. I don't recommend a shrimp ever i mean why introduce a rotten smelly mess when ammonia is all one needs to feed the bacteria?. When i can add 4 drops per gal & its consumed in 1 day ill know its good to go if Nitrites are 0 and it will have a well established large colony of bacteria.
Jason82
New member
So I just found some interesting information that I think relates to the subject of cooking live rock and the temperature needed.
Nitrifying bacteria's optimum growth temperature is between 77 - 86 degrees F. This growth rate will decrease by 50% at 64 degrees F. the growth rate will decrease by 75% at 40 - 50 degrees F. No activity at 39 degree's F.
Nitrifying bacteria will die at 32 degrees F and will also die at 120 degrees F.
So, in my situation (cooking rock in my garage in Central Florida in August), The environment (guessing here) is less than optimal, but not detrimental to my bacteria.
I'm going to leave it in the garage because, well, it stinks. We shall see how this works.
Nitrifying bacteria's optimum growth temperature is between 77 - 86 degrees F. This growth rate will decrease by 50% at 64 degrees F. the growth rate will decrease by 75% at 40 - 50 degrees F. No activity at 39 degree's F.
Nitrifying bacteria will die at 32 degrees F and will also die at 120 degrees F.
So, in my situation (cooking rock in my garage in Central Florida in August), The environment (guessing here) is less than optimal, but not detrimental to my bacteria.
I'm going to leave it in the garage because, well, it stinks. We shall see how this works.
Jason82
New member
At the end of 8 week cook process on rock. I tested 0 ammonia, less than 10 ppm nitrate and about .3 phosphate. I added a couple of the rocks to my display for a week to see if it altered my parameters. No change.
I started to do another addition today, but ended up just going for it. Fingers crossed!
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I started to do another addition today, but ended up just going for it. Fingers crossed!
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djryan2000
New member
If you're lucky and find someone with it breaking down their tank.. but that's about it. Be prepared to drop some $$$ if you find any.
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crimsonreef
New member
depending on your location...you may be able to find some Pukani rock for sale nearby via craigslist.
btw..if you are seeking to find Pukani rock strictly due to its porous nature, you may want to consider using readily available alternatives such as a MarinePure block for improved porosity.
btw..if you are seeking to find Pukani rock strictly due to its porous nature, you may want to consider using readily available alternatives such as a MarinePure block for improved porosity.
lots of good info on this thread but a few questions...
I have 200+lbs of rock from a tank that I shut down 5 years go, it has been in a trash can outside for all that time (dry). I am planning running the rock in a can with bleach for a few days to clean up any leftover debris, I would then rinse (maybe even power wash) to remove the old detritus and dead items. Once all the bleach has been removed I was thinking about adding the rock back to the can with RODI salt water and heater, along with some type of bacteria in a bottle with the lid on for 3-4 weeks, possible adding a shrimp or other type of food for it to grow. Is this a good idea? will it be beneficial to start this cycling process in the can before adding to main tank (waiting for delivery and setup)
I have 200+lbs of rock from a tank that I shut down 5 years go, it has been in a trash can outside for all that time (dry). I am planning running the rock in a can with bleach for a few days to clean up any leftover debris, I would then rinse (maybe even power wash) to remove the old detritus and dead items. Once all the bleach has been removed I was thinking about adding the rock back to the can with RODI salt water and heater, along with some type of bacteria in a bottle with the lid on for 3-4 weeks, possible adding a shrimp or other type of food for it to grow. Is this a good idea? will it be beneficial to start this cycling process in the can before adding to main tank (waiting for delivery and setup)
I did this when I setup and it worked well for me. Just add a bit of fish food everyday to get the bacterial going.
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coralcruze2020
Member
anyone ever use some acid to recycle their rock?
tmplge
Premium Member
Rock should be find so long as it wasn't exposed to any chemicals. Don't bleach it. Wash and give it a good scrub. Rinse it a few times in fresh water. Then get it cycled. Use a bacteria started to speed up your cycle. I've done this and cycled in a week.
