Rock cooking, it does work.
- Thread starter SeanT
- Start date
Bomber
10 & Over Club
There's a lot of things that go on in the hobby that I think totally flies in the face of common sense. 
Like buying rock "with all that life on it", thinking that you're going out of your way to cycle it to preserve "all that life" - and then putting it in a system that you're trying to run nutrient poor and starving "all that life" so it just dies and releases nutrients.
Like buying rock "with all that life on it", thinking that you're going out of your way to cycle it to preserve "all that life" - and then putting it in a system that you're trying to run nutrient poor and starving "all that life" so it just dies and releases nutrients.
Bomber said:There's a lot of things that go on in the hobby that I think totally flies in the face of common sense.
Like buying rock "with all that life on it", thinking that you're going out of your way to cycle it to preserve "all that life" - and then putting it in a system that you're trying to run nutrient poor and starving "all that life" so it just dies and releases nutrients.
Uh ho. I think your chances of being named "Man of the Year" by the live rock industry just went down a notch.
I know. My own candidacy was shot down 'cause I don't think a Calerpa ban would end Western Civilization as we know it.
Cosmo^Kramer
New member
I started cooking a bucket of live rock and a bucket of base rock for my nano.I'm getting more crud on the bottom of the base rock bucket.Very little in the live rock.I did notice a few dead worms,but the pods are still alive.
Cosmo^Kramer
New member
Thanks Sean,excellent thread
john the hermit
Premium Member
I've got a couple of before and after shots to share. The before is with the xenia and mushy plague, plus turf algae (the turf needed a little help to die)
john the hermit
Premium Member
now some afters
john the hermit
Premium Member
try again
john the hermit
Premium Member
another
john the hermit
Premium Member
last one
christopherl
Premium Member
Guys
Were you able to save any of the old coral. I'm not seeing pictures showing the old coral. If I tried this I would sure be worried about my fish, anemone, clams and corals that I like so much. I remember seeing another thread where a person built racks for the livestock to be saved and left them in the display. Maybe it was in that cooking thread as it has been a while since I read it I can't remember for sure.
Were you able to save any of the old coral. I'm not seeing pictures showing the old coral. If I tried this I would sure be worried about my fish, anemone, clams and corals that I like so much. I remember seeing another thread where a person built racks for the livestock to be saved and left them in the display. Maybe it was in that cooking thread as it has been a while since I read it I can't remember for sure.
SeanT
Premium Member
christopherl,
That was likely me with the racks.
Let me say this on a separate line.
You DO NOT cook the corals, fish, or any livestock...just the rock.
Simple PVC with eggcrate will hold your corals.
If you are like me then you have corals attached to smaller rocks on top of your big rocks.
Big rocks get cooked and smaller rocks go (with corals attached, go on the racks.
If you have SPS attached to large rocks just chisel them off.
Of course a few zo's/polyps will be on large rocks here and there...cook them.
Sean
That was likely me with the racks.
Let me say this on a separate line.
You DO NOT cook the corals, fish, or any livestock...just the rock.
Simple PVC with eggcrate will hold your corals.
If you are like me then you have corals attached to smaller rocks on top of your big rocks.
Big rocks get cooked and smaller rocks go (with corals attached, go on the racks.
If you have SPS attached to large rocks just chisel them off.
Of course a few zo's/polyps will be on large rocks here and there...cook them.
Sean
john the hermit
Premium Member
jayo said:
Hi Jayo,
I tried a "reef safe" butterfly,if there is such a thing, a Burgess butterfly. According to the book he'll leave sps and lps alone but loves xenia; didn't touch them, but got fat eating all the worms, like a kid in a sweet shop.
In the end I decided to cook the rocks, and physically removed and scraped the xenia off each individual rock. Then to finish the job I used a miniature blow lamp with a needle thin flame,( to restrict damage to the rest of the rock) to destroy remaining tissue. I also used the torch near the end of the cooking process to destroy the remaining turf algae, I found that although it stops growth of this algae,cooking doesn't kill it. Maybe if you "cook" for a much longer period than 2 1/2 months it would kill it.
Cooking alone may kill xenia, I don't know, but it didn't kill zoos on my rocks they just went transparent.
all the best
john
john the hermit
Premium Member
christopherl,
I did exactly what seant said, sold on the large pieces of coral, fragged what I wanted to keep, kept it all on racks in the tank with the fish. I relied on my mud sump with caulerpa and bio balls, plus an large skimmer to look after everything. Worked a treat.
The tank in the picture I posted looks bare because I just put the rock back in and was so impressed with the results of the cooking, I had to show someone.
Fish were removed to a separate tank while the rock was replaced , they're now back in and look fine, coral to follow shortly, also put in a spare tank for rock replacement.
John
ps ; when things have settled I will probably switch to zeovit.
I did exactly what seant said, sold on the large pieces of coral, fragged what I wanted to keep, kept it all on racks in the tank with the fish. I relied on my mud sump with caulerpa and bio balls, plus an large skimmer to look after everything. Worked a treat.
The tank in the picture I posted looks bare because I just put the rock back in and was so impressed with the results of the cooking, I had to show someone.
Fish were removed to a separate tank while the rock was replaced , they're now back in and look fine, coral to follow shortly, also put in a spare tank for rock replacement.
John
ps ; when things have settled I will probably switch to zeovit.
christopherl
Premium Member
Thanks guys
You answered my questions. I think my major problems to tackle will be my clams and anemone then. I think I can get my anemone to move pretty easily by changing the position of its rock. I likes its foot to be on the bottom side of a rock. If I move the rock upside down it will move to another place real soon. This anemone has been very good about not wondering around. Wish my clams were this easy.
You know I have been thinking about the nutrients stored in the rock and have come to a conclusion. The rock is where all my problems exist. You see my water quality is pretty good compared to some other tanks I have read about. I only clean my glass once a week. This isn't because I'm being lazy. The glass is clear until the sixth or seventh day. This has got to mean that the water is being filtered well. I have read that most people clean their glass more often than this.
Anyway, I took my sandbed out a few months back and have noticed some of my corals are growing much quicker. When I took the sandbed out I most of the algae off the rock and added another 45 pounds. I think combination of stored nutrients and the addition of this rock is the major contributor to my algae problems. If I were to go into the macro algae selling business I think I would do fine hehe.
You answered my questions. I think my major problems to tackle will be my clams and anemone then. I think I can get my anemone to move pretty easily by changing the position of its rock. I likes its foot to be on the bottom side of a rock. If I move the rock upside down it will move to another place real soon. This anemone has been very good about not wondering around. Wish my clams were this easy.
You know I have been thinking about the nutrients stored in the rock and have come to a conclusion. The rock is where all my problems exist. You see my water quality is pretty good compared to some other tanks I have read about. I only clean my glass once a week. This isn't because I'm being lazy. The glass is clear until the sixth or seventh day. This has got to mean that the water is being filtered well. I have read that most people clean their glass more often than this.
Anyway, I took my sandbed out a few months back and have noticed some of my corals are growing much quicker. When I took the sandbed out I most of the algae off the rock and added another 45 pounds. I think combination of stored nutrients and the addition of this rock is the major contributor to my algae problems. If I were to go into the macro algae selling business I think I would do fine hehe.
Wow, john the hermit, I should have known it would take more than a couple months in the dark to rid myself of this plague! I can't believe you burned them up. I'm glad it worked for you!
I think I'm going to try something a bit different (I don't have access to controllable flame). I'll try scraping the rocks, then covering them with a thick kalkwasser paste, then "cooking". If any rebound I can hit them with the paste again, repeat until done. Really, I'd do this in my main tank except that it is a 300 and it is a huge pain to access most of the rock - it'll be easier to have it in seperate tubs to get at it.
Thanks for your experience. I have a lot of work to do.
jayo
I can't believe you burned them up. I'm glad it worked for you!I think I'm going to try something a bit different (I don't have access to controllable flame). I'll try scraping the rocks, then covering them with a thick kalkwasser paste, then "cooking". If any rebound I can hit them with the paste again, repeat until done. Really, I'd do this in my main tank except that it is a 300 and it is a huge pain to access most of the rock - it'll be easier to have it in seperate tubs to get at it.
Thanks for your experience. I have a lot of work to do.
jayo
graveyardworm
Premium Member
I have been following with alot of interest the rock cooking threads, my problem is bubble algea on homemade live rock, the theories make sense and maybe even moreso in my case. i have been fighting bubble for about 9 months now I've tried everything. Now what I think happened was the rock became algae driven before the bacteria became established. I think this is good rock very porous nic e shapes and I want to save it. I notice Sean that in some of your photos bubble algae is present did you do anything to remove this prior to cooking and how has it worked out with that type algae. Also what did you do to the rest of the tank, scrape glass, sand bed, etc. I really like my sand bed but my plan was to remove it to a seperate tank then use starboard in display under about an inch of sand. The starboard will be in place in case I decide to remove sand altogether.
