marco rock question

So been doin alot of looking into marco rock and reading alot of people have problems with it leeching and also having major hair algea problems. So anyone here use it have have issues? I am soaking it in vinegar and water right now since alot say to cook it that way. then will soak it in RO a few times after.

My 93 never had an issue and rocking the 300 with it now =) just buy snails right away and you should be good

Vinegar is a weak acid that dissolves Calcium Carbonate(CaCO3) but will do nothing with the PO4. Seems to me that dissolving the Marco Rock, which is CaCO3, would be ineffective and perhaps even counter productive.

If, on the other hand, a very small amount of cider vinegar is added to a large amount of saltwater in a tub of Marco Rock, then the vinegar becomes a source of carbon which soon grows a bacterial film on the new rock. This is "Carbon Dosing". I suppose we are looking at a teaspoon or so for every 50 gallons.

If PO4 is a worry, seems to me it would be better to use AA(activated alumina) PO4 remover in the home tank during the first weeks after adding Marco Rock which was first treated as above. Why not use GFO? Because AA absorbs PO4 faster than GFO.

Regarding setting Marco Rock in a fishless tank for two months, I don't know if this helps, but I use a similar idea with Utah Rock. When I started using Utah Rock in coral fragging, I found that soft coral would not attach well to new pieces but attached with no problem to pieces that had been in the system for a couple weeks. Stony coral also did not like being glued to brand new Utah Rock. I believe this is because the new rock has a lot of alkalinity buffering that quickly dissolves during the first week in the tank. When the strong buffering has slowed it is followed by the growth of a new bacterial film. After this, coral feel good about attaching to Utah Rock.

Does all this sound like the start of a good discussion around the OP? I hope so.

Aloha,
Mark

To followup on what Reef'd Up stated, add acid to water, never water to acid and it's available at swimming pool supply places.

Fat

Ditto, Id just rinse and toss it in

I've been battling hair algae issues ever since using Marco rock. Not sure if it's the rock or other issues but I never had algae problems like this before. This is 2 different tanks using Marco.

Algae is a healthy part of nature. Algae eats excess nutrient pollution like crazy. It grows in response to pollution. From all that I have seen, the success of any aquarium has to do with early intervention to deal with whatever kind of problem is arising. Algae overgrowth problems are the most common. I would guesstimate that algae problems total more than all other problems combined.

How do we control algae before and after it becomes a problem?
Clip that algae in the bud in three ways:
1- provide an environment with copious numbers of algae eating bugs, Snails, Hermits and fish;
2- encourage the processing of N and P with Macroalgae, a healthy, open LS bed, open LR structure; and
3- use PO4 removal media such as AA and GFO.

If these three points are incorporated right from the start, the hobbyist carefully monitors algae and adjusts the three points in response, algae can be nipped in the bud.

Aloha,
Mark