Cleaning infected rock

[Wings317]

This may be relevant in another thread also. I had either ich or velvet breakout in my DT. Have all fish in QT. I had to remove all rock so I could get the fish.

I was already in the process of building a new DT. I want to add the rock I just removed into the new build. I was just about to start building formations.

Can I bleach/hydrogen peroxide the rock to eliminate the chance that parasites are in/on the rock to keep them from returning?

 

[Big G]

Yep. Bleach, Rinse, rinse, rinse. Put into a plastic trash can with fresh saltwater, heater, and powerhead. Turn it on and let it run for a few days. Do some water changes. Add some Prime to make sure to neutralize the bleach.

Some like to use acid instead of bleach. Can neutralize with baking soda.

Wear chemically resistant gear when cleaning. Protect yourself.

 

[Wings317]

Thanks for the respone. So dont let it dry out?

 

[Big G]

No need after chemically treating the rock, neutralizing the chemicals, rinsing, rinsing, etc. for it to dry out. Besides it would be pretty tough to attempt that this time of the year.
Just run a good strong powerhead that really stirs up the water.

 

[Wings317]

Ok. Fortunately, here, its not too cold. I can pressure wash also. For my knowledge, what does soaking in saltwater do?

 

[Big G]

For my knowledge, what does soaking in saltwater do?

I assumed you were going to dose the rock with some bacteria starter like BioSpira, Seachem Stability, etc. to get the biofilter started again after cleaning the rock. That's why I mentioned the heater too.

 

[Wings317]

Ok. Gotcha. That is a good idea. Thank you.

 

[Big G]

Best of luck with your new build. Consider starting a build thread in the Members Tanks area. You get a cool little banner for doing it.

 

[redfishbluefish]

That "dead" rock will need to cure. Bleaching jump starts the removal of the dead stuff....but the remaining dead stuff in the rock still needs time to totally breakdown and leach out of the rock. This can be done without heat (assuming in a heated house) or light. Simply need saltwater, and some water motion (powerhead) and let it "stew" until the decaying nitrates and phosphates decline. I'd suggest weekly water changes, and this is the one case where 100 percent water changes aren't an issue. The cycle typically occurs while the cure is occurring. Dependent on how "dirty" the rock is, this cure can take between 1 to 2 months. Best of luck.

 

[Wings317]

Great info. Thank you.

Also, I did start a build thread last weekend I believe.

 

[Nokiaec11]

If you don't mind letting the rock bacteriarize from start....put the rock in fresh water, not saltwater...that will kill any saltwater parasites...I had a meltdown some time ago, and I bleached the entire system for 1 week, and during that time all of the aptasia and worms in the tank survived...I did a freshwater cycle for 1 week, all of the aptasia started releasing from the rock from spots I could not even see, and worms just started floating up when I turned the sand...during the freshwater cycle I removed loads of bad stuff I never saw in the tank before, because they needed saltwater to survive. I flushed the freshwater out and filled with saltwater, it was like I had brand new tank with no pest...cycled and I was back in business