Ok, so I just set up a new biocube 29 tank with about 25-30 lbs of live rock. I took a trip to Florida a while ago and brought back some rocks and shells from the ocean. They've been out of the water for about 5 years, but I was still planning to boil them just to be safe and I was wondering if they would be ok to add to the aquarium. Thanks for the advice!
Can you put ocean rocks in your aquarium?
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leptang
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Even dead rocks boiled leaves organic residue, dead or alive. Best way is i know of is filling a large enough container to submerge the rocks in saltwater and place a water pump and some bacteria. When it doesn't stink anymore its safe to place in your tank. From my experience.
tyler1503
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+1. Also be careful of phosphates leaching. Even though it was dry for a long time. You never know what happened to it, or what's in it.
Just keep testing the water in a bucket or something as mentioned above. When levels are acceptable, it should be ok.
I'm assuming it is a calcium based rock? Like dry rock from the LFS?
leptang
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Some rocks are also sediment rocks and can dissolve under ph conditions, or if they are mud base they could cloud your water. Watch and see and test with the container of rocks you use, better safe then sorry. A lot of different stones leach salts, carbon, alkalinity, calcium, iron, lead, and on and on all the way to radiation. But if the rocks seem vary solid and doesnt dissolve, check your ph and maybe do a copper and iron or lead test.
Cook em like you would Live Rock or Dry Rock, then you'll be ok. May leach out like posted above, but you can also cure them in their own tub to get everything under control before throwing them into your DT.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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What sort of rocks?
If they were naturally in the ocean, they should be of no concern unless there are dead organisms, as others have mentioned. Any bad things (other than dead stuff which can release phosphate and nitrate) that would likely dissolve probably did so hundreds or thousands of years ago.
If they were naturally in the ocean, they should be of no concern unless there are dead organisms, as others have mentioned. Any bad things (other than dead stuff which can release phosphate and nitrate) that would likely dissolve probably did so hundreds or thousands of years ago.
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Randy Holmes-Farley
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If they are coral, you can bleach them and/or acid wash them to remove organic matter.
