Rock reincarnation... beyond "cooking"
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Quick questiOn about the container you're using for this process. I couldn't find something as big and badass. But I'm only doing the process to one large rock. Would any plastic tub/tote work? So long as it doesn't crack obviously?
At first I thought it had to be something big and super thick/durable because of the acid until my brain said "hey wait a minute, the acid comes in a plastic bottle". Anyways, I'll await an answer while I do the bleaching phase.
At first I thought it had to be something big and super thick/durable because of the acid until my brain said "hey wait a minute, the acid comes in a plastic bottle". Anyways, I'll await an answer while I do the bleaching phase.
Well I did the muriatic phase and it went brilliantly. Well I opened the bottle and puff of fumes came out, that was nasty. but got it all going, left it for a little over 3 hours, added the baking soda, which bubbled up fiercely, overflowing my container. Let that sit for an hour, then started the rinse process. So far all is well. Best of all, my cheap *** $10 tote container held up to the process.
rogergolf66
im an addict lol
It's been used for years by many. Including my self not neg effects in the tank.
rogergolf66
im an addict lol
Yes
I am planning on doing this to my rocks. Two questions. First will this method remove the copper from a piece of pipe that was unwisely used in the plumbing? I have read the entire thread and believe the answer is yes. Just wanting clarification.
Second-Can I run bleach through my aquarium system? Minus everything? Just a bare system to kill all aiptasia and any other nasties that may be lurking in it? And if so, will a 10 part water to one part bleach work? I then plan on draining it. What would be the appropriate method to ready the tank for the return of its inhabitants?
Shelley
Second-Can I run bleach through my aquarium system? Minus everything? Just a bare system to kill all aiptasia and any other nasties that may be lurking in it? And if so, will a 10 part water to one part bleach work? I then plan on draining it. What would be the appropriate method to ready the tank for the return of its inhabitants?
Shelley
rogergolf66
im an addict lol
I don't know about the copper but yes u can use bleach. Rinse it really well after and let it air dry well then rinse again. I would also run prime in the water that u rinse/soak it with
Thank you, I really hate to do it. Lots of pods. But I purchased live rock from the only source available in Casper WY. And it was full of phosphates and within a month my new 140 gallon system is full of algae and aiptasis. No idea what will show up next.
Has anyone used this acid wash method to remove copper? What were your results? Thank you in advance.
Shelley
Has anyone used this acid wash method to remove copper? What were your results? Thank you in advance.
Shelley
Get or purchase some large Rubbermaid trash cans or tub. Toss all the new raw rock into the tub, add RO water / Salt, 8.3 Ph. Buffer and prime. Toss in a power head. Run for 24 hrs., empty/ rinse and repeat. This time let it sit and cure, I like to add some stress Zyme on the second round. I am extra careful, after curing, I rinsed and placed mine in a new batch of R/O water salt & PH mix and ran for 24hrs before placing in the main display. I would ck the PH on the last 24hr soak before adding to the main tank.
kegogut
Active member
All this is unnecessary.
Put the rock in a brute can with normal tap water and use some conditioner. Let it run for a day or so and get a bucket with RO water. Rinse the rock in the RO and your good to go.
Ive had people skip those steps entirely after "reincarnating" the rock and their tanks were fine with no ill effects.
Is your tank empty? If so then your tank will go thru a normal cycle once its set back up . Get a couple pieces of live rock from a friend or an LFS to help speed up the process,maybe a cup or two of sand or rubble .
Toss in a shrimp from your grocery store and in a few weeks your tank should be ready for livestock.
Good luck and welcome to RC.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2142685
Worth the read, better to be safe!
"From the standpoint of phosphate leaching, there are a couple of considerations. If the rock was originally in the sea (as opposed to terrestrially-mined fossilized reef rock), then it probably doesn't have much if any phosphate in the actual rock matrix. In this case, dissolving the outer few millimeters of the rock's surface should remove any phosphate that may have precipitated during the time the rock was in an aquarium with relatively high tank water phosphate concentrations.
If the rock was terrestrially mined, then there's a chance that you might have a good bit of phosphate in the rock itself that's accumulated over the eons of groundwater penetration that the rock was exposed to. In this case, removing the outer surface may not have all that much effect on phosphate leaching potential since "new" surface is exposed that contains phosphate.
Under this last circumstance, you've a few choices that could be used to leach the phosphate out of the last few millimeters of the rock's surface. The first would be to place the rock in a trash can, and circulate heated seawater for a few weeks. That will dissolve phosphate on the rock until equilibrium is reached with the water. It would probably be enough just to change the seawater every week or so to remove the phosphate being leached and "make room for more" in the water. But you can also add an absorbent/precipitater to lock up the phosphate and encourage dissolution from the rock. Many folks do this with lanthanum chloride (SeaKleer), but you could also accomplish it by adding a fair amount of GFO in a mesh bag.
However, if you're the patient type, you could just aquascape your tank, add your seawater, run the tank without illumination for a few weeks, and include a GFO reactor. Water tests with the Hanna 713 phosphate checker will tell you whether the rock is leaching phosphate into the water, and the lack of illumination will prevent your tank from becoming an algae farm. "
Worth the read, better to be safe!
"From the standpoint of phosphate leaching, there are a couple of considerations. If the rock was originally in the sea (as opposed to terrestrially-mined fossilized reef rock), then it probably doesn't have much if any phosphate in the actual rock matrix. In this case, dissolving the outer few millimeters of the rock's surface should remove any phosphate that may have precipitated during the time the rock was in an aquarium with relatively high tank water phosphate concentrations.
If the rock was terrestrially mined, then there's a chance that you might have a good bit of phosphate in the rock itself that's accumulated over the eons of groundwater penetration that the rock was exposed to. In this case, removing the outer surface may not have all that much effect on phosphate leaching potential since "new" surface is exposed that contains phosphate.
Under this last circumstance, you've a few choices that could be used to leach the phosphate out of the last few millimeters of the rock's surface. The first would be to place the rock in a trash can, and circulate heated seawater for a few weeks. That will dissolve phosphate on the rock until equilibrium is reached with the water. It would probably be enough just to change the seawater every week or so to remove the phosphate being leached and "make room for more" in the water. But you can also add an absorbent/precipitater to lock up the phosphate and encourage dissolution from the rock. Many folks do this with lanthanum chloride (SeaKleer), but you could also accomplish it by adding a fair amount of GFO in a mesh bag.
However, if you're the patient type, you could just aquascape your tank, add your seawater, run the tank without illumination for a few weeks, and include a GFO reactor. Water tests with the Hanna 713 phosphate checker will tell you whether the rock is leaching phosphate into the water, and the lack of illumination will prevent your tank from becoming an algae farm. "
Is there any benefit to doing a bleach and/or a muric acid bath if the rock had no organics? Long story short, about 12 years ago, my tank crashed because of power failure and I got out of the hobby. All my live rock from 12 years ago will be my base rock. I was just planing on rinsing off the rock and scrubbing it with a brush and using the rock. I didn't have an algae problem 12 years ago. Should I do the bleach and acid bath anyways just to be safe ?
Cakebaker13
New member
Thanks for this post. I really found it helpful when starting a new tank with old rock!
solitude127
Proud user of IO Salt!
how much baking soda do you need to neutralize the acid?
