Bleaching Live Rock - Not totally bleached...

Stevorino · Jan 20, 2023

Hey all -

I am in the early stages of a new build and have removed ~30-40 lbs of my favorite rock in the current setup to bleach and re-cycle for the new tank. I essentially don't want any of my GSP/Aiptasia/Nuisance growth coming into this new build (I know it will happen eventually, but want to start as clean as possible).

I have had the live rock in a 1:10 Gallon Bleach solution for 2+ weeks, here is how it looks as of this morning:

There is still some purple on these rocks, which surprised me. The rocks essentially have looked this way since Day 3 of the bleaching process.

I just wanted another set of eyes on this to confirm that this is coralline algae or some kind of stain, and it's not GSP that is coming back to life on me in the new build LOL

The rocks in the bottom are Caribsea life rock and came purple, so I'm not concerned about those.

Thanks!

livinlifeinBKK · Jan 20, 2023

If it's been in bleach and fresh water for 2 weeks there is no way coralline algae would have survived along with practically anything else i imagine

Stevorino · Jan 20, 2023

livinlifeinBKK said:
If it's been in bleach and fresh water for 2 weeks there is no way coralline algae would have survived along with practically anything else i imagine

That's my thought as well, I'm just stunned there's a purple stain on these things...

livinlifeinBKK · Jan 20, 2023

Stevorino said:
That's my thought as well, I'm just stunned there's a purple stain on these things...

It is surprising that the color isn't bleached more than it is...maybe your bleach wasn't quite as concentrated as you thought...my concern would be that if it's not strong enough to bleach that shade of purple, I'd be concerned about the possibility of the nuisance growth and aiptasia you were trying to kill having possibly survived...

Stevorino · Jan 20, 2023

livinlifeinBKK said:
It is surprising that the color isn't bleached more than it is...maybe your bleach wasn't quite as concentrated as you thought...my concern would be that if it's not strong enough to bleach that shade of purple, I'd be concerned about the possibility of the nuisance growth and aiptasia you were trying to kill having possibly survived...

You are verbalizing my concerns better than I can myself

Unless someone else chimes in that this is a normal part of the bleaching process, I may dump this water and do it again with a fresh batch just to be safe. I have plenty of time, so I'm happy to take extra steps to do it right.

Stevorino · Jan 21, 2023

For anyone who digs this post up down the line:

I went to the LFS today and they assured me it's totally fine and likely some coralline algae that stained it purple. Moving forward to rinsing and de-chlorinating tomorrow. Thanks for the help!

Jeeperz · Jan 21, 2023

The bleach evaporated or was neutralized a long time ago if you haven't added more is probably the problem. It may still smell like bleach but it's lost its effectiveness. You could dump water and rebleach?

Stevorino · Jan 21, 2023

Jeeperz said:
The bleach evaporated or was neutralized a long time ago if you haven't added more is probably the problem. It may still smell like bleach but it's lost its effectiveness. You could dump water and rebleach?

I may very well do this to be safe once I rinse rock and take a closer look....

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Jan 21, 2023

Stevorino said:
For anyone who digs this post up down the line:

I went to the LFS today and they assured me it's totally fine and likely some coralline algae that stained it purple. Moving forward to rinsing and de-chlorinating tomorrow. Thanks for the help!

No need for de-chlor unless you're worried about chlorine in your tap water. Chlorine dissipates within 24 hours once exposed to light.

Jeeperz · Jan 21, 2023

Erin1971Texas said:
No need for de-chlor unless you're worried about chlorine in your tap water. Chlorine dissipates within 24 hours once exposed to light.

I didn't know that. I thought it was contact with air, degassing it.

jabberwock · Jan 21, 2023

In my experience, bleach continues to work for a long time. If I bleach a deer skull, after a few years it becomes brittle. If I boil it, it remains strong for a lot longer. Just an observation for input.

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Jan 21, 2023

Jeeperz said:
I didn't know that. I thought it was contact with air, degassing it.

It's both, but light is a major factor. That's why pool chlorine requires a stabilizer and why bleach is sold in light-proof containers.

RSNJReef · Jan 24, 2023

If you let it air dry for a day only, when you put it in water, wait 24 hours while it’s in the new tank with water then test the water for chlorine with chlorine test strips. If no chlorine, start your cycle, but if there’s chlorine, add some prime, wait 24 hours, test with another test strip, and if all clear start the cycle.

for any new tank build I bleach cure with 30-40% bleach to water for a week, then soak in rodi for 24 hours, then air dry for 24 hours, then put in the tank with water, wait 24 hours, then test with the test strips. Of the 3 times I’ve done this with new tank builds, 1 out of the three times I had residual chlorine in the tank water, but a little bit of prime took care of it.

Kodski · Jan 25, 2023

When I bleached my rock, it was all different shades of colors. When I took it out I rinsed everything with tap water to get the majority of the bleach off. Then I let everything sit with a fan on it for a week to completely dry out. Remember that just because the outside looks dry doesn't mean the center of the rock is. After a week of drying under a fan, I soaked it in RO/DI water and added Prime just to be sure. I haven't had any issues with my rock or tank and its been running for over a year.