Preparing Rock

[CRJ]

Second test today and its down to .03. Is it possible the rock is that clean at this point that I can safely add it to the tank?

I am going through the same process. What I would do is remove the GFO and see if it creeps back up. Goal is to get it to 0 and for it to stay there without gfo. I will be testing every 3 days on mine to watch it for a rise, at which point I will start GFO, and once I see it back to 0 and stay there I will remove the gfo and check it again a few days later to see if it stayed at 0. if it did, into the tank it goes. if it doesnt, more gfo and retry in a week.

also, whats more important than phosphate is ammonia. if your bucket shows no ammonia or nitrite and only nitrates, it would be safe to add as its showing all has died off and decayed.

 

[Vlad 1.026]

Good execution!

 

[choss]

I decided to add the rock to the DT but run it there without lights and measure. I will add some live rock and chaeto this weekend. Watch measure, repeat until I am convinced that all is good. Taking this slow in any case

 

[Carwin]

I shut down my reef tank 4 years ago and I'm starting up again. I saved my rocks so I have about 100 lbs of rock that has been sitting in a tub in my garage for those 4 years.

What do I need to do to prepare it for use again in my new 90 g tank, which I am in the process of filling with water (that slow drip of the R/O!).

For the moment, I've put the rocks in a 20 gal brute in my basement with saltwater, a heater and a pump for flow. They've been in there for 12 hours now so I know I'm at t he beginning of the process.

Recommendations for next steps? Thanks.

 

[wilsonreefs]

I'm curious about a idea I have. I've never liked the fact that the sand under a rock eventually ends up black due to poor circulation. This in turn causes the water to become foul. I have put rock on the bare bottom and put the sand in afterwards. Sand always ends up under the rock. I have a shallow bed of sand (was a deep bed). My thoughts are to build racks out of 1/2" diameter PVC to raise the rocks off the bottom about 3/4". The sand should be able to cover the piping. This would allow sand sifting critters to actually get under the rocks. What do you guys think?

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Some have done this & been successful.

 

[Systemwizardinc]

just got about 100lb of rock for a 100gl tank do you think thats good

 

[TopDogFish]

I need to sell my live rock.

 

[whiterushen]

My method for curing dead rock

My method for curing dead rock

I inherited 40 lbs of cured live rock and 40 lbs of dried dead rock. I did not use any chemicals, bleaches or RODI water when cleaning the dead rock. I cleaned and scrubbed the rock in salt water 1.025, then let it sit in a tank with no light. Of course in a few days, my dead rock went through the rotten egg smell stage a few days--- i scrubbed the rock the following weekend and one more weekend in salt water. I used fluval cycle in extreme doses, and began introducing light and put it into a tank that was still cycling. After 4 weeks, I installed a couple of starter fish for a few weeks---in 5 weeks the old dead live rock was fully cycled. I swapped both the good cured live rock with the recently repaired rock 50/50---both tanks are now cycled and look great. I have one tank for my LPS and zoa garden and one tank for my SPS.

 

[curtisd57369]

I have a 90 gallon tank that I am trying te get rid of some un wanted coral can it be taken out of tank for a few days scraped and put back in tank a piece at a time or will it cause to much of a cycle.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

As long as you do it slowly it will be OK.

 

[Axel33]

I think the best way would be to cure the rock in a barrel with now light. Only bubler and heater. What do you guy's think?

 

[dochoot]

I'm curious about a idea I have. I've never liked the fact that the sand under a rock eventually ends up black due to poor circulation. This in turn causes the water to become foul. I have put rock on the bare bottom and put the sand in afterwards. Sand always ends up under the rock. I have a shallow bed of sand (was a deep bed). My thoughts are to build racks out of 1/2" diameter PVC to raise the rocks off the bottom about 3/4". The sand should be able to cover the piping. This would allow sand sifting critters to actually get under the rocks. What do you guys think?

I did this and it worked great. Lots of extra caves etc.

 

[Toddah]

Preparing my bleached Dry rock aquascape for use

Preparing my bleached Dry rock aquascape for use

I have a new aquascape I built out of dry rock I purchased from a reefer getting out. I was in a plastic crate out in his yard for an unknown period of time.
I am starting a new IM 40 NUVO AIO from scratch and was looking for the best way to give this rock formation a head start.
I bleached the whole pile of rock in a Brute garbage can for a week in 1.5 gallons of pure bleach to about 20 or 25 gallons of water, rinsed it well then left it sit in my driveway for a few days to evaporate the Chlorine out of it.
It no longer has a bleach smell at all.
I bought a plastic tub big enough to [place the aquascape in and was planning on submerging it in RO/DI with some form of seeding material while I remove the carpeting from my mancave and install waterproof flooring, get the tank in place and plumb and wire the Apex, water change equipment, ATO and all the associated tank stuff.
I know I can just get a chunk of live rock from my LFS or use "live" sand as well as bottled copepods, and other little bugs and crustations. I have been out of it for almost ten years and am looking to see if there are any better routes to take.
The tank will go through a full initial cycling period without lights after the aquascape is installed. I am not in a hurry at all. Figure late summer/fall before I start seriously stocking anything
I was planning on a bare bottom (never done that before in all my other tanks) but thinking bare bottom with dead rock was too extreme and I would be forever in crappy tank purgatory waiting to achieve some balance in the biosphere so I think I will be using sand after all.
Any good advice to help me get this thing off the ground on solid footing?

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Best Bet--- If you can get a piece of live rock from a store or hobbyist to seed the tank.

 

[Toddah]

Best Bet--- If you can get a piece of live rock from a store or hobbyist to seed the tank.

Thanks Vinny:fun2:

 

[Salma]

use UV light to kill are pests on the rocks before reuse them

use UV light to kill are pests on the rocks before reuse them

I am starting a 80 gallon tank soon, I have a small bio cube with about 15-20 pounds of rock in it... I want to use it in the new tank but I don't want to bring whatever pests might be in it. Would curing it work? What would you guys reccomend?? Thanks

You can use UV light to clean all the pests on the rock before reuse the rocks,the is the best method but Becarefull turn the uv light and stay way from it might cause cancer if you exposed to it for longer time.