Question for those of you who are BB and DID NOT cook your LR

[Floridiot]

Here's a question for those of you who are running barebottom reefs and who did not cook their rock: When (if?) did your live rock stop sheeding detritus?

I recently setup my 150 gallon reef tank, and received my Marshall Island live rock in October. Because the rock was new, I did not cook it. The rock has been shedding detritus for 3 months straight now and is causing a lot of small particles to suspend in my water. I cannot get my water to clear up. I siphon nice little sand/detritus piles off the bottom twice a week. I've run 100 micron filter socks 24/7. For the past two weeks, I've even added a pile of filter floss to one compartment in my sump and change it out every other day. Still seeing stuff floating around.

The only way I can get the sediment to disappear is if I turn off my Tunze Wavebox. A few weeks back, I had sent it to Roger for service, and my water cleared up in a few days. Since hooking back up, I can't seem to get rid of this stuff.

My Phosphates and Nitrates are zero according to my SeaChem test kits, so I know my skimmer is doing its job.

Is there any other method of mechanical filtration I can use until the LR stops shedding?

Will my LR eventually stop shedding?

 

[Weatherman]

I didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t cook my rock when I removed the sand beds from my 180 and my 155. In both cases I was starting from very nutrient-rich shallow sand bed tanks with Miracle Mud in the sump.

The rock in my 180 shed for about three months. In my 155, the shedding is just about over (after eight weeks). In both cases, I bought about 100 astreas and three Mexican Turbos to control the algae bloom. Both tanks have a couple golf-ball-sized rock-borer urchins that have helped a lot.

In all three of my tanks I still have some particulates floating in the water. I consider this to be a good thing. Keeping particulates suspended so they can be removed by my skimmer is much better than letting them settle on the bottom of the tank to rot away.

 

[Sindjin]

Hello Floridiot!

You and me both! My tank is identical to yours but a 120. 3 months old... the whole nine yards.

I too am running a filter sock and a Filter media box of floss as well.
My rock is still shedding like crazy. At my last water change I went to drastic measures... I hooked up a 4ft hose to the output of a Mag 9.5. I dropped that sucker in my tank and plugged it in. I used the hose and sprayed out all my rock. My god, man. Im going to do this again tomorrow and just keep exporting it via filter media and skimming.

What part of Florida?

 

[MiddletonMark]

There's a reason why they say a tank is finally `mature' around a year

j/k ... but mine `shed' for a good 3-4 months IMO when I went BB without cooking. Still sheds, to a degree, may always a little.

But the first couple months I really had to look at where detritus was collecting, had to shift things around to change flow patterns so that such areas weren't problematic [in rock crevices, etc].

Worth it, though

 

[Floridiot]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6604600#post6604600 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sindjin
What part of Florida?

Broward County.

After reading these replies, it appears as if I'm not alone. I guess I'll just have to wait it out.

 

[Sindjin]

Good Point about flow, Mark. I played with mine for awhile as well. Now ...all I get mostly is a pile of mineral detritus... sand which is too heavy to be suspended. Everything else is in suspension and getting exported. But I know what Floridiot is going thru. My filter sock gets totally brown in 2 days. I have 5 of them I am cycling.

Floridiot,

Do you Turkey Baste your rock or spray it out with a powerhead?

 

[Floridiot]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6604670#post6604670 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sindjin
Good Point about flow, Mark. I played with mine for awhile as well. Now ...all I get mostly is a pile of mineral detritus... sand which is too heavy to be suspended. Everything else is in suspension and getting exported. But I know what Floridiot is going thru. My filter sock gets totally brown in 2 days. I have 5 of them I am cycling.

Floridiot,

Do you Turkey Baste your rock or spray it out with a powerhead?

Actually, the wavebox keeps the rocks pretty clean. Once a week before water changes, I use a SEO 1100 blow off the rock.

 

[Sindjin]

Do you see a lot? I used that hose and blew out holes and everything....man I could barely see into my tank. It was insane. But 2 days later I was hardly able to blow off anything with the TBaster. We'll see what happens tomorrow when I use the Mag 9.5 again.

BTW... good luck getting that crab!

 

[Floridiot]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6605036#post6605036 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sindjin
Do you see a lot? I used that hose and blew out holes and everything....man I could barely see into my tank. It was insane. But 2 days later I was hardly able to blow off anything with the TBaster. We'll see what happens tomorrow when I use the Mag 9.5 again.

BTW... good luck getting that crab!

I get a pretty good amount suspended when I use the SEO, but I can still easily see through the tank lengthwise. I does look a bit like one of those Christmas snow globe toys that you shake up.

 

[Sindjin]

Well...the good part is that its suspended. I dialed my skimmer up a bit and the wet skimming helped.

 

[NoSchwag]

Floridiot are you using a becket type skimmer?

 

[Floridiot]

Nope. I'm using a Needlewheel type. It is a Turboflotor 5000 Baby. There's a picture of it on my thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=737840

 

[NoSchwag]

Is there anyway to make it run a little wetter? I see foam in the picture on your thread. This might help remove the particles floating around.

 

[Floridiot]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6605620#post6605620 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NoSchwag
Is there anyway to make it run a little wetter? I see foam in the picture on your thread. This might help remove the particles floating around.

Yes. I'm running it wetter now. I get about 12 oz of fluid per day. Do you think I should run it even wetter than that?

 

[SeanT]

What a minute...I thought you didn't have to "cook" aquacluttered rock?!? :eek1:

 

[SeanT]

 

[NoSchwag]

I don't know man. I know that I'm pulling about 1/2 gallon a day.

The thing is my skimmate isn't really made of overflowing foam or water, mine is made by fine bubbles popping at the top to the rise tube. The particles end up splattered all over my collection cup.

Running it with the water higher in the skimmer might remove more particles, but the thing is more particle filled water will also go right thru the skimmer and miss the think column of foam at the top

My suggestion is to keep running socks and changing them out every day and keep up with the siphoning. Sorry I can't be of more help

 

[moumda]

I also didn't cook my rock but I did use a powerhead to blow it off befor putting it back in my tank. I skim wet and use a filter sock that plugs up every day or two. Not a lot different than when I had a sand bed. Keep up the good fight and it will get better.

 

[Weatherman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6605809#post6605809 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SeanT
What a minute...I thought you didn't have to "cook" aquacluttered rock?!? :eek1:

Yep.

It kills stuff.

I'm not sure what kind of stuff... but it dies.

 

[Floridiot]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6609477#post6609477 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Weatherman
Yep.

It kills stuff.

I'm not sure what kind of stuff... but it dies.

I'm not sure what Sean was referring to when used the phrase aquacluttered rock??? I figured he just didn't like my rockscape.

I can vouch that new LR probably should be cooked too. This stuff is shedding like mad. Because this tank is BB I do have more flow in my system than previous tanks. I'm guessing that is why the detritus stays suspended so well.