Curing dry rocks (?)

[LetItReef]

Hello,

I already soak with bleach and water for a day then give it a good rinse then I air dry it.
Question, can I cure the rocks on my new tank or has to be on a container?

Thanks and advance Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Matt Carden]

As I understand it depends on which dry rock you have?

 

[EmdeReef]

You can cure in your DT but don’t add bleach etc. just let it sit there. If phosphates are the issue you may be better off doing it in a container with RODI and adding some lanthanum chloride until you can’t detect phosphates.

 

[LetItReef]

As I understand it depends on which dry rock you have?

Rocks were from my previous tank.
purchased from Reefcleaners.

 

[LetItReef]

You can cure in your DT but don’t add bleach etc. just let it sit there. If phosphates are the issue you may be better off doing it in a container with RODI and adding some lanthanum chloride until you can’t detect phosphates.

Thanks! Yes, no bleach in the DT. I finished all those on a seperate container and I will monitor Phosphates.

 

[Matt Carden]

Funny I just posted the same question before realizing you have the same situation. I'd I get an answer there I'll share here.

 

[Matt Carden]

Funny I just posted the same question before realizing you have the same situation. I'd I get an answer there I'll share here.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-cure-previously-used-rock-and-sand.508552/#post-5383467

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Don’t strip all the phosphates.

Your nice.
We don’t want to meet in the dino thread.

Also , let the Rock dry in the sun. That’s what removes the bleach.

Fwiw, curing is an oft misdescribed process. Acid , bleach , etc are part of the process, cycling is last.
So if your done with the chem process , there’s no reason not to cycle the rock in the tank now

 

[NY_Caveman]

I will add that in the curing process, the Phosphate level will usually drop, but not all the way to 0 ppm. Usually it will reach a plateau and sit around this level.

What I believe happens is there is Phosphate on the outside of the rock from dead organic material. This is what we want to remove by curing. There is also Phosphate that is in the rock structure (remember our “rocks” are ancient coral skeletons). That latter Phosphate came in chemically when the skeleton was formed. This cannot be removed easily (you can dissolve the rock away with acid to remove it, but then of course you are dissolving away the rock itself as well).

 

[LetItReef]

Don’t strip all the phosphates.

Your nice.
We don’t want to meet in the dino thread.

Also , let the Rock dry in the sun. That’s what removes the bleach.

Fwiw, curing is an oft mis-described process. Acid , bleach , etc are part of the process, cycling is last.
So if your done with the chem process , there’s no reason not to cycle the rock in the tank now

Is bleach harmful? The rocks were not completely exposed to the sun.

 

[LetItReef]

Is bleach harmful? The rocks were not completely exposed to the sun but it was out dryin' out for about a week.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

That should be ok I think. Def give them a sniff.
Bleach will kill bacteria. But it’ll also oxidise in salt water after a time.

 

[LetItReef]

No smell of bleach at all.
Thanks!

 

[NY_Caveman]

After I soaked my rocks in bleach/RODI for some time, I then soaked them in RO/DI with dechlorinator just to be sure.

 

[LetItReef]

After I soaked my rocks in bleach/RODI for some time, I then soaked them in RO/DI with dechlorinator just to be sure.

Will this work?

https://www.marinedepot.com/Kordon_...alek_Oasis-NV33156-FIADWTTCDC-NV33156-vi.html

Thanks again!

 

[NY_Caveman]

That should work fine.

 

[New reefer11]

I have 80# of rock that when I first bought was dry rock. I set it up and cycled it with my 75 gal. Tank. After having the tank up and running for a year, I didn’t have time to maintain a tank that big. So I tore down that tank, my question is what is the best way to clean (kill all bacteria and algae) on the rock and also what is the best way to store it until I’m ready to get a big tank up and running again? My goal is to have a 250+ gallon tank one day. Thanks the pic below is my tank in the first few weeks of set up