Best way to dry live rock for future use
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Main
Forum Name: General Discussion
Forum Description: Posts that don't fit in any of the other categories.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=74744
Printed Date: April 19 2024 at 9:59am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Best way to dry live rock for future use
Posted By: LaRue
Subject: Best way to dry live rock for future use
Date Posted: February 07 2015 at 1:16pm
| What is your suggestions. I have 300lbs of rock I need to dry until we put up our tank but I want to limit all the phosphates and other bad side effects of using dead rock when I go to start up the new tank. |
Replies:
Posted By: Pete Moss
Date Posted: February 07 2015 at 2:38pm
|
My personal recommendations are to soak in a bleach bath for two hours, then soak in a dechlorination bath for two hours, then scrub and power spray the rock. Then I give it a sun bath for a week or two. ------------- 125g 90g 2x33g 34g What stores do I recommend? Up North: Bill ( Saltwater Paradise 801-317-8115 ) Down South: Jerry ( Reef On 801-563-0600 ) Member of GCFB |
Posted By: torsten
Date Posted: February 07 2015 at 3:17pm
|
I would also give them a Muriatic acid bath after the bleach ! works great ! http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1914426" rel="nofollow - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1914426 |
Posted By: Baccara
Date Posted: February 07 2015 at 3:32pm
|
+1 on the above ^. When I tore down my tank in VA I did 2 bleach then 2 Muriatic acid baths then let it dry out for 1-2 weeks before putting it in Rubbermaid containers for about 6 months. Remember to rinse well with Ro/DI and be careful with the acid! , if you go the route. ------------- 210g Display in progress |
Posted By: ReefdUp
Date Posted: February 07 2015 at 4:33pm
|
Right on...I do a bleach bath, rodi rinse and soak, the muriatic acid, then rodi rinse and soak. Do it that way first. I did the muriatic acid first once...the smell was beyond dreadful, and I let the rock soak in freshwater long enough that an awful mold grew. If you do the bleach first, none of that will happen. ------------- www.reefdup.com Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987 200g, 75g, & 15g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water |
Posted By: Lewy
Date Posted: February 07 2015 at 5:26pm
|
Thanks, I'm going to have to remember this for future use. ------------- 40 gal w/ 20 sump |
Posted By: Lewy
Date Posted: February 07 2015 at 7:18pm
|
how long after doing this process can the rock be re-used? ------------- 40 gal w/ 20 sump |
Posted By: LaRue
Date Posted: February 07 2015 at 8:57pm
| Thank you for all the great advice. |
Posted By: Pete Moss
Date 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. ------------- 125g 90g 2x33g 34g What stores do I recommend? Up North: Bill ( Saltwater Paradise 801-317-8115 ) Down South: Jerry ( Reef On 801-563-0600 ) Member of GCFB |
Posted By: ReefdUp
Date 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. ------------- www.reefdup.com Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987 200g, 75g, & 15g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water |
Posted By: Pete Moss
Date 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. ------------- 125g 90g 2x33g 34g What stores do I recommend? Up North: Bill ( Saltwater Paradise 801-317-8115 ) Down South: Jerry ( Reef On 801-563-0600 ) Member of GCFB |
Posted By: Reefer4Ever
Date 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. ------------- 90 gal reef w/refugium 24 gal softie tank 11 gal nano anemone tank 5 gal fresh water |
Posted By: ReefdUp
Date 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! ------------- www.reefdup.com Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987 200g, 75g, & 15g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water |
Posted By: Reefer4Ever
Date 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. ------------- 90 gal reef w/refugium 24 gal softie tank 11 gal nano anemone tank 5 gal fresh water |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 7:42am
|
This thread is awesome. It is now included in the list of http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244" rel="nofollow - 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; http://www.poly-bio-marine.com" rel="nofollow - Poly Filter by www.poly-bio-marine.com and http://boyd--enterprises.com/chemipure/" rel="nofollow - ChemiPure by www.boyd--enterprises.com Aloha, Mark
 ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
|
Posted By: Pete Moss
Date Posted: February 09 2015 at 8:07am
|
Nikki is an expert with all of this. Do a presentation at a meeting please Nikki. ------------- 125g 90g 2x33g 34g What stores do I recommend? Up North: Bill ( Saltwater Paradise 801-317-8115 ) Down South: Jerry ( Reef On 801-563-0600 ) Member of GCFB |
Posted By: ReefdUp
Date 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! :) ------------- www.reefdup.com Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987 200g, 75g, & 15g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water |
Posted By: superman1981
Date 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. ------------- Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix 6 gal nanocube 65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date 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. Aloha, Mark ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
|
Posted By: ReefdUp
Date 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. ------------- www.reefdup.com Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987 200g, 75g, & 15g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water |
Posted By: superman1981
Date 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? ------------- Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix 6 gal nanocube 65 gal http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78639&title=tims-65-gallon-build" rel="nofollow - build thread |
Posted By: bstuver
Date 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;) ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date 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. Aloha, Mark ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
|
Posted By: bstuver
Date 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... ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date 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 ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
|