Adding live rock
- Thread starter Mil26
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bobman
Well-Known Member
not really recommended. It really depends on the rock itself. How long have they had it? Most/All rock if live rock will have die of from shipping. Now depending on how long they have had the rock it could be cured but they will tell you it is cured to make a sale. My best advise I can give is take the safe route buy it and put it in a tub. You can use dirty water from a water change to save on salt. Then just test it for ammonia and nitrite. If after at least a week (longer the better) still no traces of nitrite or ammonia then yes you can add to the tank.
By putting them in a tub you are also QTing the rock so while it sits in a tub check fr unwanted critters. Much easier to deal with them in a tub than in your tank.
By putting them in a tub you are also QTing the rock so while it sits in a tub check fr unwanted critters. Much easier to deal with them in a tub than in your tank.
steiger33
Well-Known Member
Well if you fully cure it then it wouldn't be live rock anymore. I picked up a 120 gallon that had over 300lbs of live rock and I completely killed it not wanting to take any chances. I would rather know I did everything right than take any chances.
This is the 120 after I completed the rock.
Here is after I killed everything and letting it dry
Psiber_Syn
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when you say kill how was this accomplished just let it dry out scrub down? also if you add that to a established tank would it start a cycle again? or would you have to wait for a cycle in a new tank with it?
asking because about to set up a 125 gotta add about 100+ lobs of new rock to existing 60 pounds of old was gonna use the old water in my tank would that cause a new cycle?
asking because about to set up a 125 gotta add about 100+ lobs of new rock to existing 60 pounds of old was gonna use the old water in my tank would that cause a new cycle?
steiger33
Well-Known Member
So when I killed it I soaked it in a 25%bleach 75% water mix, let it soak for 2-3 days. Then I did the same mix ratio but instead of bleach I used white vinegar. (DO THIS OUT SIDE AND AT YOUR OWN RISK. THIS WILL CAUSE A CHLORINATED GAS) I let that soak for 2-3 days. Then once that was completed I rinsed and scrubbed very good with RO/DI water. Then left out to dry for a few days till it was completely dry then created my aquascape and epoxied together and into the tank.
bobman
Well-Known Member
If you kill everything on the rock then why buy live rock? Why not just save a ton of money and buy reef saver rock or other types of dry rock.
Now I could be wrong but that is not curing live rock. Curing live rock is as I explained placing it in a tub with a power head and just letting it sit letting the bacteria catch up to the bio load created from if any die off was on the rock at the lfs. I would call what you did nuking the rock lol no chance of anything surviving including yourself from mixing bleach and vinegar.
Now I could be wrong but that is not curing live rock. Curing live rock is as I explained placing it in a tub with a power head and just letting it sit letting the bacteria catch up to the bio load created from if any die off was on the rock at the lfs. I would call what you did nuking the rock lol no chance of anything surviving including yourself from mixing bleach and vinegar.
steiger33
Well-Known Member
Yes you are correct I did nuke it. I survived just fine luckily I do know what I was doing. Basically the same thing as muric acid that most people use. I wasn't taking a chance with the amount of apistatia he had on the rock. I miss read about curing the rock. Your reply is a great way of doing it. I never buy live rock if I was to buy any it would be reef saver rock like you said also.
bobman
Well-Known Member
Haha I was taking a friendly jab at ya figured you knew what your doing. I have done the same for the same reason but I used an acid bath and somehow some still survived. This time around I went with a hole used setup that had no apstasia and after a few corals later I have found some popping up here and there I nuke them when I see them with asptasia x but they still show up so I guess a peppermint is in my near future.
steiger33
Well-Known Member
I figured you were giving me S**t. But that's also why I caps locked the warning I don't want someone to get sick from it or worse. That stuff is not something to mess with.
I nuked it this time since my 150 I tried the using someone's old stuff and everything was going good then BAM out of no where apistatia started popping up everywhere. Apistatia X has helped a little but those suckers keep popping up. I'm in the same boat about some peppermint shrimp or something
I nuked it this time since my 150 I tried the using someone's old stuff and everything was going good then BAM out of no where apistatia started popping up everywhere. Apistatia X has helped a little but those suckers keep popping up. I'm in the same boat about some peppermint shrimp or something
