Curing rock

EHaddad · Feb 12, 2019

Okay I am currently curing rock. The rocks are leaching Phosphate is there anything I can put in the water to speed up the curing of do I just need to keep doing water changes?

acabgd · Feb 12, 2019

EHaddad said:
Okay I am currently curing rock. The rocks are leaching Phosphate is there anything I can put in the water to speed up the curing of do I just need to keep doing water changes?

Search for many available threads on using Lanthanum Chloride

Heart of Dixie · Feb 12, 2019

Get some SeaKlear (lanthanum chloride) from a pool supply store. I cured 60 pounds of Pukani this way. The rock was in a tub of 1.025 saltwater with a strong power head. I did several large water changes. During the process I dosed 10 ml of SeaKlear twice week. Start to finish took about 3 months.

Colin E Matthews · Feb 12, 2019

Keep testing and do the water changes ,patience my son,patience

EHaddad · Feb 12, 2019

acabgd said:
Search for many available threads on using Lanthanum Chloride

Heart of Dixie said:
Get some SeaKlear (lanthanum chloride) from a pool supply store. I cured 60 pounds of Pukani this way. The rock was in a tub of 1.025 saltwater with a strong power head. I did several large water changes. During the process I dosed 10 ml of SeaKlear twice week. Start to finish took about 3 months.

From what I am reading that just neutralizes it. I am looking for something that’s speeds it up I am curing the rock prior to putting it in my tank. I currently have it in a 55 gallon brute trash can.

acabgd · Feb 13, 2019

By neutralising phosphate (actually precipitating) lanthanum removes all dissolved phosphate from water, enabling more to leach from the rock. There is no other way of "speeding it up", unless you decide to use muriatic acid which will dissolve the top layer of your rocks.

ScottR · Feb 13, 2019

Are you curing in the tank that you plan to use? Or separately? If not curing in the tank that you’re going to use, I wouldn’t worry. Just let it cure. That’s part of the process. Lanthanum will help the phosphates in the water but your rock will continue to leach phosphate as it cures. Patience is key here. Don’t speed anything along. And btw, hitchhikers - if any - tend to be very hardy for some reason. I had my LR go through the ringer before. I still had crabs, anemones, snails, and others survive the ordeal.

EHaddad · Feb 21, 2019

ScottR said:
Are you curing in the tank that you plan to use? Or separately? If not curing in the tank that you’re going to use, I wouldn’t worry. Just let it cure. That’s part of the process. Lanthanum will help the phosphates in the water but your rock will continue to leach phosphate as it cures. Patience is key here. Don’t speed anything along. And btw, hitchhikers - if any - tend to be very hardy for some reason. I had my LR go through the ringer before. I still had crabs, anemones, snails, and others survive the ordeal.

I am curing in a brute trash can. Should I take the lid off or keep the lid on while curing it? Does it matter? It was dry rock so I'm not too worried about hitch hikers.

EHaddad · Feb 21, 2019

acabgd said:
By neutralising phosphate (actually precipitating) lanthanum removes all dissolved phosphate from water, enabling more to leach from the rock. There is no other way of "speeding it up", unless you decide to use muriatic acid which will dissolve the top layer of your rocks.

Does it matter that I have the lid on the trash can?

acabgd · Feb 21, 2019

No it's even better to keep it in the dark and also prevent evaporation.

EHaddad · Feb 21, 2019

acabgd said:
No it's even better to keep it in the dark and also prevent evaporation.

The level I am getting are in between the .08 and .04. Do I need to keep waiting till it is at 0?

acabgd · Feb 21, 2019

Yeah I wouldn't want any phosphate to leach from rock. Also, keep in mind rock can continue leeching phosphates. You need to get them all out if you want a trouble-free tank. That's why it's called "curing"

EHaddad · Feb 21, 2019

acabgd said:
Yeah I wouldn't want any phosphate to leach from rock. Also, keep in mind rock can continue leeching phosphates. You need to get them all out if you want a trouble-free tank. That's why it's called "curing"

Awesome thank you I think I'm gonna do a 20 gallon water change this weekend.

ScottR · Feb 21, 2019

EHaddad said:
I am curing in a brute trash can. Should I take the lid off or keep the lid on while curing it? Does it matter? It was dry rock so I'm not too worried about hitch hikers.

You’d want to keep the light out as to not allow unwanted algae growth.

EHaddad · Mar 1, 2019

So I have been curing in a 55 gallon Brute. I have done a 10 galling water change then a 20 gallon water change I have also used some phosphate remover from Petco and my Phosphate levels haven’t dropped any is this normal or am I doing something wrong?

acabgd · Mar 1, 2019

How do you measure phosphate?

EHaddad · Mar 1, 2019

acabgd said:
How do you measure phosphate?

With the Red Sea kit but it’s not the easiest to read

acabgd · Mar 2, 2019

What phosphate remover did you get from Petco? Brand?

EHaddad · Mar 3, 2019

acabgd said:
What phosphate remover did you get from Petco? Brand?

Phosguard and Kent

DesertReefT4r · Mar 3, 2019

EHaddad said:
Okay I am currently curing rock. The rocks are leaching Phosphate is there anything I can put in the water to speed up the curing of do I just need to keep doing water changes?

Add some Microbacter7 or Biospira to add bacteria. Po4Rx and water changes to remove the po4. I was curing dry live rock for my QT and it leached out 30ppm of po4 for a month then held steady at 10ppm for 4 months until I dosed Po4RX. Had it down to undetectable in a week.