FOUND some great rock in the woods!

[SueAndHerZoo]

One man's trash is another man's treasure, right?! While walking my dogs today I came across a pile of sand and a pile of rock. It looked amazingly like reef rock so of course I examined more closely. Yup, sure was - complete with vermatid skeletons, reef putty remnants, shells, etc. As I dug through I found some gorgeous pieces and arches - this person had put some effort into creating them. I hauled the best pieces back to my car and plan on hosing them off, spraying them with bleach, and soaking them in the sun.

My concern is, if his/her tank was every treated with copper, would this discarded rock kill my fish even after being out in the elements and getting dried out? In other words, could some damaging copper leach into my tanks when I put them in there?
Sue

 

[BOYERZ]

Pics, and wow!

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

The pic of the rock in the back of my car is the stuff I haven't unloaded yet, the really good stuff is already soaking in a big vat of bleach water and hard to get a photo of. The stuff in the leaves is what I left behind.

 

[jabberwock]

The pic of the rock in the back of my car is the stuff I haven't unloaded yet, the really good stuff is already soaking in a big cat of bleach water and hard to get a photo of. The stuff in the leaves is what I left behind.

Left the pics behind as well...

 

[jabberwock]

There is SOME risk. I would maybe not put in an established system with a bunch of expensive livestock. Soak it and test for copper? As always, go slow.

 

[BOYERZ]

Cure in a brute for a month and test.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Great idea to soak and test.... but do I really need to soak it for a month before testing? I would think it would leach out before that. I have 10 seahorses in one of my tanks and yes, they are expensive. Thanks for the warning to test first.
Sue

 

[jabberwock]

Great idea to soak and test.... but do I really need to soak it for a month before testing? I would think it would leach out before that. I have 10 seahorses in one of my tanks and yes, they are expensive. Thanks for the warning to test first.
Sue

I would not risk it AT ALL in a pony tank. Looks like you have reason to start a NEW tank!

 

[BOYERZ]

Mix up some SW, heater, powerhead.

Add rocks.

Test 24 hours later.

Test 1 week later.

Test 2 weeks later

Etc.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

My concern is, if his/her tank was every treated with copper, would this discarded rock kill my fish even after being out in the elements and getting dried out? In other words, could some damaging copper leach into my tanks when I put them in there?

You can put the rock in a container with some water to soak and run cuprisorb and poly filters, and it should be safe to use even if it was treated with copper after a few weeks.

I’ve heard similar to lion king’s comment from others: water changes with cuprisorb and poly filters seems to work (at least in some cases).

Some threads with examples:

has anyone ever treated display tank with copper and recorded long term issues after the fact?

im forced into treating my display with cupramine and was wondering if anyone on here has in detail recorded a daily log of how hard it was to stabilize copper to proper levels in a display tank/how long it took to remove it/how they removed it/what issues they face long term due to doing so. if...

www.reef2reef.com

Copper treatment in a DT, Documented

Hello everyone. I have Ich in my DT. I tried using ich-x which worked well when it was in use, but the day I stopped dosing it, the ich showed back up. because my tank is very new, I have no corals yet, and very few inverts at all. I decided after reading the thread by @Marc88 , I would make my...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[aSaltyKlown]

Nice score, I agree, test for copper after a bit. I'd also go back and get the rest. Never can have enough rock on hand.

 

[vetteguy53081]

The pic of the rock in the back of my car is the stuff I haven't unloaded yet, the really good stuff is already soaking in a big vat of bleach water and hard to get a photo of. The stuff in the leaves is what I left behind.

Soak in a bleach/water solution and cold water rinse and allow to air dry. Then place in container with liquid bacteria for a couple of weeks and test water its in for low to no ammonia and copper and you can then introduce to tank if all clear

 

[PeterErc]

You can scrape some of the outer rock off, throw it in a copper test and see.

If tests negative give acid bath in muriatic. Can you baking soda to neutralize acid, couple three big boxes. Then soak in bleach, rinse well and let dry in the sun.

That’s Caribsea LifeRock in the vehicle

 

[BigAl07]

Although testing for copper is a great idea, my concern is what other things might it have been exposed to while there on land? Herbicides, Pesticides, and who knows what else could have been sprayed/spilled/poured/dumped in/around that area.

Also, the mere fact that someone totally discarded it would make me very VERY reluctant to put it into a tank with anything I was wanting to keep alive. I mean, maybe they discarded it because it has already created death and catastrophe in someone else's tank?

I believe I would "set it free" back in the woods and not risk it for a single moment. Just my 2 cents

Allen in NC

 

[jabberwock]

I am also a real ocean live rock fan. I don't want dry rock, or even wet rock, especially not Barney rock (caribsea).

 

[aSaltyKlown]

Although testing for copper is a great idea, my concern is what other things might it have been exposed to while there on land? Herbicides, Pesticides, and who knows what else could have been sprayed/spilled/poured/dumped in/around that area.

Also, the mere fact that someone totally discarded it would make me very VERY reluctant to put it into a tank with anything I was wanting to keep alive. I mean, maybe they discarded it because it has already created death and catastrophe in someone else's tank?

I believe I would "set it free" back in the woods and not risk it for a single moment. Just my 2 cents

Allen in NC

It might not have any of that stuff either. No harm in testing it.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Thanks, all.... lots to think about. I don't really want to toss it because there are a few really nice pieces. I'm in no rush to reaquascape my tanks so I can treat and test as per many of your suggestions over the course of the spring/summer. So this is discarded CaribSea, and that's not a good thing?

Regarding going back to get the rest, I have half of my shed filled with dead rock that I have purchased and used over the years so I really don't have the space for more "just in case" rocks. I was actually trying to clean out and organize my "excess pet supplies" shed earlier today but tossing stuff and then rock discovery. Looks like I'm gonna need a bigger shed!
Sue

 

[jabberwock]

Thanks, all.... lots to think about. I don't really want to toss it because there are a few really nice pieces. I'm in no rush to reaquascape my tanks so I can treat and test as per many of your suggestions over the course of the spring/summer. So this is discarded CaribSea, and that's not a good thing?

Regarding going back to get the rest, I have half of my shed filled with dead rock that I have purchased and used over the years so I really don't have the space for more "just in case" rocks. I was actually trying to clean out and organize my "excess pet supplies" shed earlier today but tossing stuff and then rock discovery. Looks like I'm gonna need a bigger shed!
Sue

Carib sea life rock is just gimicky, not necessarily bad. Just NOT life rock. It is painted purple and "spiked" with bacteria. The stuff you found is just rock at this point.

 

[Reefing102]

I’m curious would a Muriatic acid bath resolve some of the possible issues of any herbicides, pesticides, etc? Generally wouldn’t it dissolve the outermost layer of the rock which is likely where most of this would be?

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

and this was out in the woods? why would someone dump it out there?