Question on cooking live rock?

[SaltyWaters]

Hello Everyone,
I'm in the process of re-doing my 180Gal. and i am not sure whats the best way to do this is . I was thinking of cooking the live rock,but this seems like a long process many buckets,lots of water changes,and about a 2 month wait. The other option is taking out the live rock and letting it dry out completely then re-cycling the tank.
What have Some of you done in the past?

 

[Cove Beach]

What are you trying to remove from the rock?

 

[SaltyWaters]

I think my rock is full of phosphates,i don't really have hair algae, But i have cyano on my sand and some on the LR.

 

[Ohiomom]

I don't think rock is generally considered as a source for phosphates..I think you would be better off looking for other contributing factors..feeding, source water, skimming..

 

[Kreeger1]

"I don't think rock is generally considered as a source for phosphates"

Wrong, It's a major cause of them. Old rock leaches phosphates. All the fish waste over the years gets in all the holes in the rocks and is IMO the cause of Old tank syndrome.

It could be other things causing your algae issue but Old rock does leach phosphates
Erik

 

[ReefWidowed]

you might want to try doing several large water changes, and adding additional flow first.

 

[Kreeger1]

In the past when I killed off some live rock, I soaked it in bleach for a few days, 50/50 water bleach. Then I power washed the rock and let it set out and dry. Then Before I used it again I soaked it in saltwater buckets for a month or so with some live rock rubble to help seed it.
Bleach really helps dissolve all the bound up organics in the rock
Erik

 

[aquatictec]

If you let your rock dry out you will kill all your coraline algae and the nutrients from it will be released when you put it back in water. If there is nothing bad on the rock and no llivestock in the tank use one of the liquid po4 removers. It will clear any phosphate problems you have immediately. Or if you have livestock in the tank you can take the rock out of the tank and treat it and then return it.

 

[Ohiomom]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14487048#post14487048 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kreeger1
"I don't think rock is generally considered as a source for phosphates"

Wrong, It's a major cause of them. Old rock leaches phosphates. All the fish waste over the years gets in all the holes in the rocks and is IMO the cause of Old tank syndrome.

It could be other things causing your algae issue but Old rock does leach phosphates
Erik

Well then something to read up on..

 

[serpentman]

If phosphates are bound up in the rock, I am not sure cooking will necessarily remove them unless left for a lonnng time. Its really relative to die off.

Rather than start over with the rock, I would consider running GFO.

 

[vietcu]

No wonder I had an outbreak of cyano in my tank. I added some LR from another establish tank. Left those rock to dry out in the sun for a couple of weeks, then reseeded with some LR for a month. Put those bad boys in my tank, and I had cyano buildup from the new LR. Had to fight the outbreak for almost 3 months, almost left the hobby because of it. For the longest I couldn't figure out why I would get cyano from the new rock and not the rock already in my tank. Learn something new all the time .

 

[SaltyWaters]

First I'd like to thank everyone for there help.
I think im going to try what aquatictec said.If this does not work im going to do the 50/50 water bleach from Erik.

THANKS