startng tank over question about dry rock

rennne39

Member
i am starting my over after two years of not having it up i want to start my tank with dry rock i kept in a garbage can while i was not using it, i want to know if i can put this straight in the tank with my live sand thanks for the help
 
It depends. Was it live when you took it out? If so, I would cure it 1st outside the tank, as there could be a lot of dead things left over. If there was a lot of die off, I would do a bleach bath, to make sure I get rid of all that nasty stuff left behind.
 
It depends. Was it live when you took it out? If so, I would cure it 1st outside the tank, as there could be a lot of dead things left over. If there was a lot of die off, I would do a bleach bath, to make sure I get rid of all that nasty stuff left behind.
How do you do a bleach bath
 
How do you do a bleach bath

You did not say if your rock was new or used, just dry
If its used then yes obviously it needs cleaning & that depends on what it is covered with, a pic would be nice.
If its covered with coralline all over then vinegar soaking would remove that, or a soak in Muratic acid then neutralizing the acid and a lot of rinsing afterwards afterwards until the ph is neutral.
Many ways to skin the cat depending on the type & condition of said rocks.
I doub't bleaching is what you need if its used & dry so your not killing unwanted pests which bleach would do nicely, you just want clean rocks to restart again.
 
You did not say if your rock was new or used, just dry
If its used then yes obviously it needs cleaning & that depends on what it is covered with, a pic would be nice.
If its covered with coralline all over then vinegar soaking would remove that, or a soak in Muratic acid then neutralizing the acid and a lot of rinsing afterwards afterwards until the ph is neutral.
Many ways to skin the cat depending on the type & condition of said rocks.
I doub't bleaching is what you need if its used & dry so your not killing unwanted pests which bleach would do nicely, you just want clean rocks to restart again.

Using acid can go real bad, real fast if you dont know what you are doing. I would go with Lathanum Chloride instead. Does the same thing, but a lot safer. Yes it takes a bit more time, but you are at least not playing with acid.
 
I agree if one is not informed or is clueless about the usage of acids then they should not go that rout, it does require a bit of reading & safety education to be certain of what to do, such as add water to acid but not acid to water, glasses, gloves, only outdoors unless vented etc... Safety first always.
I used to reclaim precious metals using HCL & Nitric acids, Muratic is almost nothing compared to Nitric, sulfuric in fact is worse. That being said IF HCL is used in a diluted state "only with pure water" its very safe, only bleach or chlorine is bad, such as city tap water which has chlorine as that will then combine to form chlorine gas. Distilled or RO water is fine however.
I would not do rocks in full strength HCL as many say to do only diluted, that way organics don't react violently..... but slow & gently, safer for the end user. Patience is a virtue in this hobby in every aspect.
Ultimately its the users choice but everyone in the Continental US sells HCL ( Muratic acid) openly so its not a big deal.... at least here, its used for concrete cleaning mostly (which is why its so good for cleaning rock) & plumbing cleaning in some drains after rodding, if grease is not the issue.
As long as no chlorine is added its stable.
 
185403813@N06
[/IMG]
 
You did not say if your rock was new or used, just dry
If its used then yes obviously it needs cleaning & that depends on what it is covered with, a pic would be nice.
If its covered with coralline all over then vinegar soaking would remove that, or a soak in Muratic acid then neutralizing the acid and a lot of rinsing afterwards afterwards until the ph is neutral.
Many ways to skin the cat depending on the type & condition of said rocks.
I doub't bleaching is what you need if its used & dry so your not killing unwanted pests which bleach would do nicely, you just want clean rocks to restart again.

I post some pic so you could see what the rock looks like
 
Back
Top