Can I use this dry rock?

[ajensen23]

My friend gave me some dry rock that was in his freshwater setup. When it was in his fw tank it had some algae growing on it. Last night I boiled some water and let the rocks sit in it overnight. I took them out and they are now drying. Can/should I put these in my reef??

 

[ajensen23]

bump

 

[Elysium]

Is it actual carbonate rock that is intended for marine use and not river rock?

A lot of freshwater rock has a lot of trace metals and silicates that will leach out over time.

 

[ajensen23]

Here's a pic. One of them seems to be a Skelton. They were bought at petsmart. Thanks for the help guys

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[justgotwet]

I would say no because the rocks that you have has menerials in it that could be harmful to everything in a reef tank. That is my guess without seeing what kind of rock you have. Rocks for freshwater tanks are different than rocks for saltwater.

 

[ajensen23]

I think they are for sw. I think he just bought them for his fw bc he thought they looked cool. lol Don't want any water troubles though, so I won't use them.

 

[jreece11]

Those look like old dead coral dry rock to me. I sometimes pick identical "rocks" off the beach that look like that. I just dry it out, wash out any pollutants, rinse it in old tank water...and it in it goes. Purple in a week. I've been "curing live rock" (if you want to call it that) for friends that are new to the hobby that find their own "beach rocks." By the time they get it, it's been in my fuge for a few weeks and has all the beneficial life and bacteria. And it comes from a trusted disease-free source. If you want to never take a chance with your tank don't listen to my posts. I preach logical precautions without overdoing it.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

They can be used for saltwater. They are fossilized corals. I have used them in my tank with no issues.