Scrubbing live rock, releasing ammonia?

[kingtoad]

My live rock is filthy with so much algae and bubble algae. Beleive me when I say "infestation". I want to take it out and scrub the living heck out if them with a metal bristle. Good idea or bad idea? Also, if I decide to scrub them, would I be able to put them in the tank without the live rock harming my fish?

 

[Blown 346]

I would scrub them with a harder bristle but not metal. I would do a water change and use the old water to dip the rock into after you scrub them. I would cook the rock to make sure the algae is gone.
Even after you scrub the algae can come back, bu cooking the rock you will be curing it all over again. The chance of the algae coming back is far more slim than just scrubbing and putting it back into the tank.

 

[kingtoad]

Cooking it? As in boiling it?

 

[bertoni]

No, no, no! "Cooking" is a hobbyist term, and a poor choice, IMO. It refers to keeping the rock in the dark for 6-8 while doing water changes.

You can remove the algea with a brush, but it'll return if there's an underlying problem, IMO.

 

[kingtoad]

6-8 weeks?

I'm possibly thinking of selling this rock and just getting new rock. I don't like how this live rock looks in my tank. It's such an infestation!

 

[Blown 346]

Wouldnt cooking the rock rid of all the algae spores inside and outside of the rock to make sure the algae doesnt come back on it? I have seen many people cook their rock to get rid of the algae problem on it so it doesnt come back.
I also agree that there is something that is fueling the algae growth, like overfeeding, under skimming, new lighting change, old lighting bulbs.

 

[Blown 346]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6676454#post6676454 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kingtoad
6-8 weeks?

I'm possibly thinking of selling this rock and just getting new rock. I don't like how this live rock looks in my tank. It's such an infestation!

I wouldnt be so quick to throw it all away, It can be saved, many have had your problem and are able to fix or remedy the situation.
I would like to hear why cooking the rock wouldnt be the remedy for its algae problem.

 

[kingtoad]

Well, I bought the live rock used. Significantly cheaper and cured, it is such a pain. Sometimes the powerheads will blow peices of bubble algae off and it will go floating around in the tank. Ugh... then behind the rock there is a long trail of bubble algae. I wish I didn't have this stuff.

 

[Blown 346]

I can only imagine, I would in all honesty pull all the rock out and scrub the heck out of it. Then do a water change on the tank and use that water to rinse the rock off.
Then I would get a decent powered power head and heater, make up some fresh saltwater and cook or re cure the rock in the dark for 4 to 5 weeks.
By doing this the algae wont be able to survive and you will be starting over with the rock almost as if it were new.
While the rock is out of the tank, clean the tank up, kepp the filter and everything else going.
Try to find the source of what is causing the algae growth.

 

[DaveAngie79]

i just went through the same prob, what i did was i used a tooth brush and scrubed the hell out of it in the tank then did a water change its been about 4 days everything seems to be fine

 

[kingtoad]

I think I'll do that, Blown 346. The algae came from the rock. The sand is new, the water is good, and I only have two damsels in there right now. I wanted to go pick the rest of my fish up this week (The LFS is holding my fish until I get my tank ready). I don't want them to hold in any longer than this week. After this week they have been holding it for two weeks.

The problem was the live rock. It came infested with algae. But yeah, I'll take a scrub to it and "cook" it for about five weeks.

Another queston... how can I get all that algae that's stuck way in the caverns of the rock? I can't exacty fit a brush in there, but it is clearly visible. Will cooking the rock release it?

 

[SumoBlenny]

Hi. I was reading your post about your algea problems. I think scrubbing the rock outside of the tank would be helpful as long as you make sure the scrub water doesn't make it back into the tank. Each of the bubbles contains new algea spores that will continue to infest the rock. The spores in bubble algea will remain viable for a long time, so if the rock is left in the dark, as the algea gets eaten or falls apart, it will release the spores and the problem will re-occur. Hermit crabs and emerald crabs will help with keeping the problem in check naturally.

 

[kingtoad]

Indeed. I've decided I'm going to get a decent algae scrub crew going and handle it naturally.

 

[Blown 346]

Cooking the rock will help, but it ont releae the algae, If you can get a thin aquarium wire brush that will be able to get into tight spots.
Also when you cook the rock I would perform decent sixed water changes to help get rid of the foul water.

 

[sbgreen]

i just took out my rock and scrubbed in a bucket of water and used my scraper to pop off all the bubble algae at the base. I then used a normal house sponge and scubbed the he@@ out of it. My rock looks so much better, 1 week later no bubble algae, but i know it will come back, at least it's much less now.

 

[SumoBlenny]

Most of the problems should be fixed with scrubbing, nutrient control and a good clean-up crew. For the future, cooking the rock would be fine since it is a very specific process that is done outside of the tank.

 

[WaterKeeper]

Hi King,

Giving the LR a good scrubbing should not release ammonia. You'll be removing growth rather than just killing it off so there is no decomposition involved. In fact, it is more or less a form of nutrient export. I'd give that a try first as the rock cooking thing is still rather extreme and a subject of controversy.

 

[archie1709]

Here is my situation: I have a 55G 4ft tank with 2 Powerfilter 60 HOBs, a Prizm skimmer, a 400gph PH with quickfilter attachment, a 175 gph PH with wave maker, 3 inch sand bed, 60 lbs of LR, an Orbit 4x65W PC lighting fixture, a 2-inch maroon, a 2.5-inch Blue Hippo tang, 12 small hermit crabs, and a latest addition of 5 Turbo snails.

I have been battling Nitrates and algae for weeks now and am very unsuccessful. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 40, Calcium 300 - 320, pH 8.1, temp 78F, lighting is 7 hours actinic, with 4 hours of daylight turning on in the middle (while actinics are on). I feed 3 times a week with frozen brime and marine flakes.

Here is the before and after pic. The picasso in the before pic was donated two months ago. Sob...Anyways, Please help:

 

[Ridley]

Archie, how often do you change the filter material in the HOB filters? I'm assuming the filter media just has activated carbon inside?

Are you using RO/DI water?

 

[WaterKeeper]

One of the things about pictures like that is the lack of coralline on the LR. Coralline is a nutrient consumer and absorbs many compounds that enhance algae growth. The tank already has some big fish in it and those fish need to both eat and eliminate that dinner. Without the desirable algae to uptake those waste products the net result in nuisance algae getting the upper hand.

Water changes, of course, will help but the real solution here is time. Give the LR a chance and forego any further fish additions until the LR has a chance to mature.