Unsuccessful Rock Cooking

kysmith

New member
Like the title says I'm cooking my rocks. I've got them in a 5 gallon bucket with a power head and a heater stuffed in a dark closet. They've been in the closet for a week and now that I've pulled the bucket out to change the water there is a nasty film on the top and the water stinks.

Here is what I did:

1 Took out about 15 lbs of rock
2 Drained tank water (during water change) into bucket with a high enough water level to cover all rocks.
3 put in dark closet for a week with heater and powerhead running in the bucket.

Is this film/stink normal?

Thanks,
Kyle
 
I think you are supposed to do a water change during this process, Im not sure how much though.
 
Here is SeanT's rock cooking recipe -

"Equipment needed.
1. Dedication.
2. Tubs to cook rock in. And an equal amount of tubs to hold the rock during waterchanges.
3. A few powerheads.
4. Plenty of buckets.
5. A smug feeling of superiority that you are taking it to "the next level."
6. Saltwater, enough made up to follow the instructions below and to replenish your tank after removing rocks.

Here are the steps:
1. Get into your head and accept the fact you will be making lots of salt water if you aren't lucky enough to have access to filtered NSW.
2. Explain to significant other what is going on so they don't flip out. This process can take up to 2 months. Prepare them in advance so he/she can mark it on the calendar and that they won't nag about it until that date arrives.
3. Setup a tub(s) where the rock is to be cooked. Garages are great for this.
4. Make up enough water to fill tub(s) about halfway and around 5-7 buckets about 60% full.
5. Remove all the rock you want to cook at this stage. (The rock can be removed piece by piece until you are done.) I suggest shutting off the circulation beforehand to minimize dust storms.
6. Take the first piece of rock and dunk it, swish it, very, very well in the first bucket. Then do it again in the 2nd bucket, then the third.
7. Place rock in the tub.
8. Repeat steps 6 & 7 to every piece of rock you want to cook at this time. The reason I suggested 5-7 buckets of water will be evident quickly...as the water quickly turns brown.
9. Place powerhead(s) in the tub and plug in. Position at least one powerhead so that it agitates the surface of the water pretty well. This is to keep the water oxygenated. You can use an air pump for additional oxygenation if you wish. Only one powerhead per tub is needed. Remember the powerheads main responsibility is the oxygenation of the water.
10. Cover the tub. Remember, we want TOTAL darkness.
11. Empty out buckets, restart circulation on main tank.
12. Wait.
13. During the first couple of weeks it is recommended to do a swishing and dunking of the rocks twice a week.
What this entails is to make up enough water to fill up those buckets and the tub the rock is in.
First, lay out your empty tub(s) and fill buckets the same as before.
Then, uncover tub with the rock in it. Take a rock and swish it in the tub it's in to knock any easy to get off junk.
Then, swish it thru the 3 buckets again, and place in the empty tub..
Repeat for all your rocks.
Then empty the tub that all the rocks were cooking in, take it outside and rinse it out with a hose.
Place tub back where it was, fill with new saltwater, add rocks and powerheads, and cover.
Wait again until the next water change."


It sounds like you need to put your powerhead on the top.


HTH

David
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8127957#post8127957 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maddyfish
Didn't SeanT give up?


Didn't he have a tank crash unrelated to rock cooking?

Also, I thought I saw a couple threads were people successfully cooked their rock, but eventually ended up with a rather unattractive red "furry" algae...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8128544#post8128544 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SDguy
Didn't he have a tank crash unrelated to rock cooking?

Also, I thought I saw a couple threads were people successfully cooked their rock, but eventually ended up with a rather unattractive red "furry" algae...

Not here. 7+ months since putting my cooked rocks back into the tank and no red furry algae.

David
 
...loose the heater. Its keeping things alive that you dont want alive. In this case cold water is good....unless there are creatures in there you dont wanna kill (but your cooking the rocks, so I assume thats not the case).

happy reefin'
 
I think SeanT's chiller malfunctioned and caused his crash. I don't think it had anything to do with BB or cooking his rock.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8129364#post8129364 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crab0000
I think SeanT's chiller malfunctioned and caused his crash. I don't think it had anything to do with BB or cooking his rock.

this is correct
 
Sounds like not enough o2. I have run an airline into the intake of the powerhead to introduce o2. This should take can of the problem.
 
I don't have a top on it but maybe it is oxygen..... I'll try putting an airline to the powerhead and post a pic of the gunk tonight when I get home.

thanks for all the responses
 
<2 Drained tank water (during water change) into bucket with a high enough water level to cover all rocks. >

you're suppose to use fresh made saltwater mix!! Tank's water is no good for cooking.

-- edit --

I think adding a heater is a good but unnessesary thing. Slightly elevated temperature will increase bacteria's metabosm. Which is highly encouraged.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8138049#post8138049 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TekCat
<2 Drained tank water (during water change) into bucket with a high enough water level to cover all rocks. >

you're suppose to use fresh made saltwater mix!! Tank's water is no good for cooking.

-- edit --

I think adding a heater is a good but unnessesary thing. Slightly elevated temperature will increase bacteria's metabosm. Which is highly encouraged.

Why not?
 
Because the idea is to remove nutrients from rocks. During rock cooking, pereodically performing 100% WC exports nutrients that leaked from rocks. Tank's water already contains some nutrients, so it is kinda counterproductive.
 
did you use uncured rock?

my water was literally black and smelly after the first week of cooking uncured rock
 
first week of cooking uncured rock, what really happens is you cure it.... :) smelly water is common during rock curing. You could think of cooking is an extended curing with dunking and swishing.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8160156#post8160156 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JER-Z
did you use uncured rock?

my water was literally black and smelly after the first week of cooking uncured rock

It's rock that I have had in my tank for close to 3 years.
 
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