Cleaning Old Rock

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hi ,good write ,im trying to restart my tank .
I have point now ,we dont have acid here ,any suggestion how to dry my rock without using acid ??
I was thinking to dry it then soak it with water and vinegar then brush it and final stage washing by RO/di

What are you trying you accomplish in treating the rock?

You must have some sort of acid available. Maybe it goes by different names locally. Vinegar will also work.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

From what I understand about copper is that once it's in the system there is no way to get it out.
I think it gets adsorbed into the silicone and is in the tank forever.
I'm not 100% sure though.

It does not significantly adsorb into silicone sealants, at least not enough to be a problem later (IMO, that is a myth) or onto silica glass (some little does, but it can be cleaned). Calcium carbonate is the concern.

The blue discoloration on silicone sealants is more likely methylene blue and other blue medications.

 

[Volpone]

What are you trying you accomplish in treating the rock?

You must have some sort of acid available. Maybe it goes by different names locally. Vinegar will also work.

I find muratic acid ,can i get the method how to do acid bath for my live rock ,i want to restart my system with new aquaescape .
Is it true that i need to cure the rock after acid bath for a month to leaching out po4 ??

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I find muratic acid ,can i get the method how to do acid bath for my live rock ,i want to restart my system with new aquaescape .
Is it true that i need to cure the rock after acid bath for a month to leaching out po4 ??

Assuming the phosphate is not inherent to the rock, but came later in an aquarium, then the acid rinse will remove most of it and I wouldn't bother with another treatment just for phosphate.

 

[Volpone]

Assuming the phosphate is not inherent to the rock, but came later in an aquarium, then the acid rinse will remove most of it and I wouldn't bother with another treatment just for phosphate.

Thx Randy ,can u tell me the step of acid bath , i have to mix acid with water ?? Or wgat ever i have to do ,sorry for my questions

 

[Niall_Jones]

From what I understand about copper is that once it's in the system there is no way to get it out.
I think it gets adsorbed into the silicone and is in the tank forever.
I'm not 100% sure though.

Thanks lads, I tried using the Triton Detox product and it worked for a while, but once the copper start leaching from the rock it caused the same problem. So I have stripped all the rock all the sand and am now rebuilding, so I am wondering, if I purge the rock, will I be left with just rock and no additives? Or is there a chance I will still have problems once the rock goes back in?

 

[Volpone]

I watch a video on YouTube how to bleach live rock using acid ,its look very dangerous and alot of hassle .
They are using also baking soda after acid bath and i doubt there is any miss in cleaning rock by tape water will leave acid in it and will be risky .
So plz follower of this thread.
There is any another method to bleach live rock ?
What i know is to clean rocks by fresh water ,then dry ,then brush then dry and final step raise it with Ro/di .
This method will work good if i follow it ?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I watch a video on YouTube how to bleach live rock using acid ,its look very dangerous and alot of hassle .
They are using also baking soda after acid bath and i doubt there is any miss in cleaning rock by tape water will leave acid in it and will be risky .
So plz follower of this thread.
There is any another method to bleach live rock ?
What i know is to clean rocks by fresh water ,then dry ,then brush then dry and final step raise it with Ro/di .
This method will work good if i follow it ?

To be clear, actual bleaching (with bleach) and acid treatment (with vinegar or diluted muriatic acid) of rock are different and accomplish different things.

If muriatic acid concerns you from a safety perspective (a reasonable concern if you have not previously used it to clean pumps and such), vinegar is much less risky.

 

[Volpone]

Thx Randy again ,let me figure out the whole thing ,my rock is live and its from my tank which is running for almost 2 years ,
I have alot if hassle with my tank like nitrate issue,bubble algea , and knocking voice i blieve its mantis ,i want to restart my system with new begging and new aquaescape, just to be sure that all my new steps is going well to not have any issue in further future .
That why i want to dry my live rock.
If u have other suggestions fir my new start u welcome to drop ur comments.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Drying it will kill most things, although algae may take quite a while dry to actually die. It will leave the dad stuff in place.

Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) will kill all organisms and remove all organics (if left long enough).

Acid will strip the outer layer of the rock, removing phosphate, copper, etc, but might leave some organic residue in pockets. It ill likely kill everything, but some algae deep in pockets may survive.

That is while some people use both. Whether the bleach step is needed for you, I can't say for sure.

 

[Volpone]

Drying it will kill most things, although algae may take quite a while dry to actually die. It will leave the dad stuff in place.

Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) will kill all organisms and remove all organics (if left long enough).

Acid will strip the outer layer of the rock, removing phosphate, copper, etc, but might leave some organic residue in pockets. It ill likely kill everything, but some algae deep in pockets may survive.

That is while some people use both. Whether the bleach step is needed for you, I can't say for sure.

Thx Randy ,i think with 50 C degree heat of sun in UAE nothing will left a life in rock, so plz confirm me if this step will be enough :
First dry under sun ,washing+brush ,then vinegar soak and brush then dry and final step washing and soak with RO/DI.
All what i want to not have bubble algea or mantis in rock again or anything will cause nitrate as detritus.
For po4 will cross finger and wish has no issue.

 

[Harold Green]

If I was leery of the rock I'd just chunk it. That said I've got pieces of rock that I've had for thirty or more years. I toss them in a tub and sometimes they sit for years until I need them again. I hose them off, then put them in a bucket or other container and fill with water. Then let them soak for several days. At that point you can test the water for phosphate or other contaminants if you wish. Drain, rinse in ro water and use. I set up a 210 last year and a good portion of the rock was old dry rock that I had saved. Never had an issue with it, then again I don't put many chemicals in my tanks.

 

[robert]

As I mentioned in earlier posts - hydrogen peroxide is a vaible alternative to bleach - does not affect the structural integity of the rock - kills pest organisms and decomposes organics. How much organic material is left is a function of time and strength of the soak...some scrubbing may be required.

Dead corals skeletons and coral rock are somewhat of a magnet for certain metal contaminations and phosphate depending largely on the environment from which they are collected. Dissolving the surface of rock with acids should always be followed with a very through soak and rinse or you may inadvertantly release more than you bargained for.

Certain popular aquarium substrates (oolitic) can contain very high amount of phosphate (160ppm+) and should never see acid (even vinegar).

The degredation products of hydrogen peroxide are water and oxygen. Meaning hydrogen peroxide can be used directly in your system. No tubs, garbage cans, buckets required. Just remove remining livestock (if any), siphon out substrate, fill with RODI water and add 1-2 cups of 30% H2O2 to the system per fifteen gallons. of water volume. Prepare your skimmer to overflow and leave everything running...You will see bubbles everywhere as the H2O2 breaks down organics in the system - let it run for three days or until the bubbles die out. Clean filters, sponges and whatnot, scrub stubborn patches and repeat if needed.

Finally, throughly drain - siphoning loose organics - clean filters and sponges (etc) refill with saltwater - wait for cycle. The residual organics should assist.

Perfect - no - you won't get that "just set up aquarium" look. But if all goes well - in a month that look will be gone anyway.

30% H2O2 can be purchased at health food stores or from hydroponic suppliers. Avoid H2O2 which has been stabilized with phosphoric acid.

Powerheads, pumps, heavy coraline - muratic acid or vinegar is required...H2O2 won't touch it.

Just my opinion...YMMV.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thx Randy ,i think with 50 C degree heat of sun in UAE nothing will left a life in rock, so plz confirm me if this step will be enough :
First dry under sun ,washing+brush ,then vinegar soak and brush then dry and final step washing and soak with RO/DI.
All what i want to not have bubble algea or mantis in rock again or anything will cause nitrate as detritus.
For po4 will cross finger and wish has no issue.

That seems reasonable. )

 

[klp]

In the 70's we used to boil everything we put in the tank such as coral, sand etc. as that was the recommended solutions at the time. It is a non chemical solution but with its own physical dangers from spilling hot water. Once boiled there is nothing left alive. I never tried this on old coral just new coral being introduced to the tank. I wonder what Randy would think of this as a non chemical alternative. I have a lot of old coral I am going to reuse.

 

[Shep]

In the 70's we used to boil everything we put in the tank such as coral, sand etc. as that was the recommended solutions at the time. It is a non chemical solution but with its own physical dangers from spilling hot water. Once boiled there is nothing left alive. I never tried this on old coral just new coral being introduced to the tank. I wonder what Randy would think of this as a non chemical alternative. I have a lot of old coral I am going to reuse.

The problem with boiling is A) the amount of boiling water you would need would be insane but B) the most important is problem is that boiling can release chemicals or other unpleasant/dangerous things trapped in the rock. This can cause serious health concerns.

 

[klp]

We used just enough boiling water to cover the largest piece and did it one at a time so it did not take a huge amount of water. We never thought about gases being released so I am glad I asked. Nothing ever happened to us but one never knows I suppose. Thanks for the response.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, boiling water will kill everything, but not remove much of the organic matter (bleach will; acid removes some by removing the underlying rock) or phosphate bound to the calcium carbonate (acid will).

 

[Harold Green]

I'm having a little trouble understanding why so many people want to clean their rock. Unless it's covered with a plant you want to kill I just don't see it. Letting it sit dry should kill any live animals. If it's covered in algae you want to remove, a small amount of bleach in a bucket of water will remove it almost instantly. Rinse in fresh water and allow to dry for a couple of days. If you're worried about phosphates let the rock soak in ro water for a week and then test the water. If you're truly in doubt about using the rock then chunk it and start fresh. It's not worth the worry if the rock was exposed to something and you don't know if it's safe to use.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm having a little trouble understanding why so many people want to clean their rock. Unless it's covered with a plant you want to kill I just don't see it. Letting it sit dry should kill any live animals. If it's covered in algae you want to remove, a small amount of bleach in a bucket of water will remove it almost instantly. Rinse in fresh water and allow to dry for a couple of days. If you're worried about phosphates let the rock soak in ro water for a week and then test the water. If you're truly in doubt about using the rock then chunk it and start fresh. It's not worth the worry if the rock was exposed to something and you don't know if it's safe to use.

They want to clean the rock to get a fresh start in the presence of multiple different things that are on the rock, including organisms (live and dead) and inorganic chemicals such as phosphate or copper.

As you note, bleach is a good way to remove living or dead organic matter.

An acid wash is more effective and faster than trying to soak out phosphate or copper.