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Best way to dry live rock for future use

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Mark Peterson View Drop Down
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    Posted: March 11 2015 at 9:58am
Oh, I misunderstood. 
I agree, eliminating the undesirables from low quality LR coming from another tank is fairly easy. We know how to deal with flatworms, aiptasia, nuisance algae, rock crabs, etc.. Waiting for better quality LR from a good hobbyist tank is just a matter of patience.

Aloha  Hug
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bstuver Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 11 2015 at 8:04am
My question was based on the live rock side of things not dry LR I read all the stuff on the dried out stuff. John(Pete Moss) was basically saying that adding live rock to my system was as risky as adding dried out rock...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 11 2015 at 7:59am
Here is my opinion.
Some hobbyists have had little trouble with dry LR while others have experienced lengthy recovery time where coral would not grow well for up to a year. I believe this varied experience is due to the differences in LR. I haven't thought enough about it to say whether it's the density/porosity that makes the difference, but just to be sure, I'd suggest the treatment for all dry LR. 

That said, I have some nice large pieces of dry LR that I place in my system one at a time to let each recover for 3-6 months before offering them up for sale.

Regarding LS that has been left out of the aquarium, I have rinsed these various sands for re-use and found again that some require more recovery time. It may be due to particle size and porosity but then again, I have had no problems using a recently acquired bucket of dry crushed coral that had been rinsed and left to dry prior to it arriving on my farm.

If the dry LR or dry LS is rinsed well and added a little at a time, the biofiltration of a mature reef aquarium can certainly quicken its recovery.

If what you have is questionable, please feel free to bring it to MarksReef Coral Farm where I may be willing to trade for clean, dry, risk free sand and rock.

Hope this helps.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bstuver Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 10 2015 at 4:28pm
I'm curious I normally start my tanks with live rock from an established tank keeping it in water for the move to my tank. I recently acquired some rock that had been set out for about two months so it is dry and I came across this thread so decided I better do as stated above before adding it to my tank. So in the classifieds section I asked for anyone else who was willing to part with some live rock so I could get some more live rock in my tank for scaping. John(Pete Moss) stated that I might as well just throw in the rock I have if I was willing to throw in live rock. I'm a bit confused by this as I have always started my tanks with live rock and never had a problem. Sure you may end up with an aptasia or other pest but I have never had any issues getting rid of what I didn't want in my tank. The reason I was not going to add the dead rock was because of reading about all the die off, so now I am a bit confused and wondered if anyone else has anything to add to my confusion;)

Edited by bstuver - March 10 2015 at 4:29pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote superman1981 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 20 2015 at 6:04pm
This thread has been awesome! I'm going to start cleaning off my old "live" rock this weekend.

Question, is it possible to clean/reuse sand? Can I just rinse it and reuse it? Can I bleach, then rinse than reuse? Or should I toss it and get some new sand?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ReefdUp Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2015 at 4:26pm
There's probably a teeny bit of bacteria/algae left, but not worth all the problems (nutrients) that would come with it. I'd treat it and then cycle it as well.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2015 at 3:37pm
You could put it straight into a tank, but unfortunately the salinity got real high as the water evaporated. The high salinity killed all the marine life inside the rock(bacteria, bugs and worms) as it dried out. This means it could take up to a year to cure/recover and require Poly Filter or Chemipure running in the tank during that year. I would treat it as outlined above before using it, or, I would throw it out in the yard and get some good wet, live LR and some Utah Rock for a base to keep costs down, if that matters.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote superman1981 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2015 at 2:02pm
Question. For like 2 years I kept my live rock in a RuberMade bin in the basement, with a powerhead. I had to unplug the powerhead when we started working on the basement and totally forgot about it. Primarily because I didn't hear the gurgling when the water got to low. Anyway, long story short, the rock was pretty much completely dry when I checked it months later and has been for at 18 months.

Could I setup a new tank and just toss it in and let it cycle for a few months and not worry about cleaning it as mentioned above, or do I really need to clean it before using it again? I ask because I have an empty 20 gal, and a couple of powerheads I could setup tonight to start the cycling.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ReefdUp Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 09 2015 at 12:00pm
Lol, thank you, but I'm sure there are plenty of people who could present on dropping some rock into a base and an acid! :)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pete Moss Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 09 2015 at 8:07am
Nikki is an expert with all of this. Do a presentation at a meeting please Nikki.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 09 2015 at 7:42am
This thread is awesome. It is now included in the list of WMAS Reefkeeping Tips.

This procedure is also great for treating rock that was previously left out to dry.

What about non-treated rock that is already in the tank? 
There are two products I have used successfully to deal with the heavy metals, PO4 and Nitrates that leach into the water; Poly Filter by www.poly-bio-marine.com and ChemiPure by www.boyd--enterprises.com

Aloha,
Mark  Hug


Edited by Mark Peterson - February 09 2015 at 7:47am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Reefer4Ever Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2015 at 12:44pm
Is it cost effective versus buying new and how many times can you recharge it? I'm sure I can Google it but do you have info on how to do it as I trust you and really don't want 30 different ways to supposedly do it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ReefdUp Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2015 at 12:01pm
You sure can! You can use muriatic acid followed by sodium hydroxide (which can also be used to recharge DI resin). Fun with chemicals!

Edited by ReefdUp - February 08 2015 at 12:10pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Reefer4Ever Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2015 at 9:23am
Ok be nice now, so can you use muratic acid to rejuvenate gfo? I don't know if it is possible or even cost effective, just a thought.

Edited by Reefer4Ever - February 08 2015 at 9:24am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pete Moss Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2015 at 10:47pm
True that! Only time I used acid was with live rock from a copper treated tank. It definitely strips hard contaminates. Forgot he mentioned he had phosphate issues.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ReefdUp Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2015 at 10:40pm
I suggest muriatic acid bc it helps remove bound phosphates and heavy metals. Bleach just remives the organics.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pete Moss Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2015 at 10:36pm
I choose bleach alone unless the rock is really gnarly because the recovery time before it can be used again is really short thanks to dechlorinator.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LaRue Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2015 at 8:57pm
Thank you for all the great advice.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lewy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2015 at 7:18pm
how long after doing this process can the rock be re-used?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lewy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2015 at 5:26pm
Thanks, I'm going to have to remember this for future use.
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