Preperation for red sea max

[Patio]

Hey guys,

I just purchased the new red sea max all in one and would like some suggestions on ridding my exsisting live rock of mass amounts of hair algea. (the kind you get when you neglet a lifeless tank)

I was thinking removing the rock from the tank and brushing, then placing the rock in fresh salt water.

Is there a way to fry the algea without loosing all the living qualities of the rock? please forward any suggestions, I would like the quickest fix, (not much is fast in this hobby except for algea growth) as I hope to have the new tank by the end of this week or next.

Thanks,

Pat

 

[650-IS350]

Are you talking about cooking the live rock... ( IE' have it in a trash can cycling without light to kill off all the algae ? )

 

[Solitaryensis]

Del,
I dont think hes talking about cooking it, but thats what i might suggest. As you probably know, some nuisance algaes are seeminlgy impossible to get rid of without something dramatic happening. What i would do, other than "cooking" it, which will probably take a long time, is simply putting the rock in the sun for a couple of days. That way, youll be sure to have rid your rock of the algae. Nothing worse than setting up a tank only to find you missed a spot and have algae again. Whatever life youll lose, you can prob replace relatively quickly with live sand from a friend, or a couple small cured pieces of live rock from the store.
HTH

 

[Patio]

So it looks like leaving the rock in the sun a few days might be the best idea? In the sun meaning out of water? I know this will work however, will I have huge amounts of nutrients in the rock with all the dead bristle worms? Maybe that will just aid the cycle process on the new tank.

thanks for the help

 

[Vincerama2]

If your tank is truly lifeless then I think running your skimmer and shutting off all the lights, or even throwing a blanket on the tank (with no lights or anything to catch on fire!) would help kill the algae, and skim out the resulting nutrients.

I found that higher "temp" bulbs will help with some algae, if you are unwilling to kill the whole tank.

Or just drain all the water out and let the tank sit dry for a while.


V

 

[Patio]

The nutrient spike was due to a hitch hiking mantis that killed a huge clean up crew in a matter of days.

So the consensus is to dry the rocks?

And thanks for the replies.

 

[Kinetic]

i would actually cook the rock. that way you'll still have all the bacteria all cycled and ready once you set the tank back up. it takes a long time though, and you can't have any light, even a blanket will not be enough.

 

[Patio]

I dont think i will be patient enough to cook the rock. I would rather pay for new at this point with the tank coming soon. I am interesed in learning more about setting my rock out in the sun for the next few days. I still have the question: do i have to worry about the die off in the rock from the drying process? what steps should i take after drying the rock in the sun?

i read some great post on cooking rock and think the concept is great, but i have only a small investment in 30lbs or so of rock. if we were talking 100lbs i would consider.

thanks

 

[Kinetic]

yes, your rocks will basically die almost completely if you just let it dry out in the sun... unless it's somewhat wet still =/

it's just dead rock at that point I'm pretty sure, unless there's a secret to it =/

for my tank i'm building, I'm using all dry base rock, and will be seeding it with cooked rock in a totally unlit sump compartment.

you could go that route

 

[Vincerama2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9427379#post9427379 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Patio
The nutrient spike was due to a hitch hiking mantis that killed a huge clean up crew in a matter of days.

So the consensus is to dry the rocks?

And thanks for the replies.

The other day I saw a "peacock mantis shrimp" selling for $75.... so you might not want to kill it just yet, without seeing if anyone wants to buy it ...

V

 

[Patio]

Yeah he starved to death. I used to have one as a pet that was more active and had personaliy. I never saw this guy until he died.

I put the rock out in the sun today and plan on doing the same with the sand spread out on a plastic tarp.

Some friends will help seed my tank before during and after the cycle.

 

[650-IS350]

So is it suggested that He clean off the rock with RO water to clean out the dead stuff ????

 

[Patio]

So the rocks and sand are looking good and dry. I plan on rinsing everything with ro water tomorrow.

Do you guys have any suggestions or know of any products I could use to jump start the pods and worms for the sand and rock? I plan on snaging some sand from a friends tank.

If you have any suggestions please speak up.

Thanks

Pat

 

[Solitaryensis]

Theres no real process to killing your rock - its just that. I suggested leaving it in the sun because i think it can/will acelerate the process but leaving it at room temp., or any other temp for that matter, will likley have the same effects. I really wouldnt worry about beneficial bacteria dying off. What you gain from not killing the rock, will be lost in the time it would take in "cooking" it and you would also run the risk of having some nuiscane algae survive, IMHO. I would just leave it out for a couple days, then get some live sand from local reefers and maybe a piece or two of some cycled live rock from a local reefer or from the store. In a couple weeks, youll likely gain back most of what you lost.
HTH

 

[Patio]

Solitaryensis-

So I will be sticking to that plan. The rock has been sitting out for a few days now and will be going into the tank tomorrow.

 

[650-IS350]

You can buy ocean pods from LFS for $20 which could seed your tank or FUGE.