Help .... Dry Rock reuse

[Scubado63]

I have a few hundred pounds of rock that was in the back of a trailer in the FL sun for a while, what would be best process to get it ready to use , working on a 200 gallon tank, Tank thread to follow soon, any help would be appreciated, this is some of the rock

 

[bevo5]

Just spray all the dirt etc. off (looks clean anyway). Then drop in a rubbermaid and run some bleach through it all for a while. That'll kill everything.

Then empty and refill the container a few times with fresh water and bunch of Prime - running for a few hours between each one. Let it dry out and you'll be good to go.

I like the rock scape you've got going.

 

[Willz]

Here is what I did to mine to get it ready (starts at post #40):

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/w...exhibit-a-in-the-future-divorce.264992/page-2

 

[Scubado63]

pretty clean, washed it off with a pressure washer, what would muriatic acid do, I assume just remove the top layer , not sure if I need to do that on these.... maybe just bleach or vinegar to make sure

 

[Willz]

I just wanted to ensure the cleanest rock possible for my tank. If you don't mind phosphates then bleach and a pressure washer should be fine on a FOWLR.

 

[Scubado63]

Thanks for the info, oh and Bevo5 , looks like your emblem on your hat is upside down, just sayin BOOMER

 

[Scubado63]

Hey Willz, how long did you leave it in the acid bath

 

[Buford25]

I had about 90 pounds of rock. I dried it out ran it through a muratic acid bath. Let it dry out for a week in the summer sun. Stored it for a few months while I was setting my tank up in a storage tote. Right before I put it in the tank I rinsed with rodi water and that was that.

 

[Willz]

Hey Willz, how long did you leave it in the acid bath

It took about a gallon and I put each piece in for about 30 minutes. It bubbled off a ton of nasty looking stuff that looked to be organics that were in the cracks and holes. I can send you a pic of the rock now after the muriatic acid, rinse, dry, bleach water, rinse, dry, and soak in Prime. It is has been wet through a really high nitrate period and I do show some light bacterial stringiness on it, but nothing like the mess I have gotten in the past without the treatment. Like hair algae, cyano, dynos, etc. I'm definitely a big believer in treating the rock before it goes in the tank

 

[Willz]

Here are some pics from tonight. You can see a little dusting of diatoms and bacteria since I have been carbon dosing. The second shot shows the glass with comparable growth on it (which tells me the source of the problem isn't in the rocks):

Again, this is my first time using this method and it really seems to work. Good luck with you new tank

 

[dbl]

I would highly recommend a MA bath. Then rinse well and let it dry in the sun for a week or so. If you have the ability to start curing it in a tub of saltwater with a powerhead (and heater if needed) while you're putting your system together, all the better.

If you do go the MA route, please wear gloves and eye protection...it's really nasty stuff, so think safety.

 

[Scubado63]

I have read about using 30% hydrogen peroxide when cleaning rocks instead of Muriatic Acid .... any help on which is better, easier or affective

 

[Rob Lion]

I use H2O2 only 3% food grade, mixed 50/50 with RODI water, completely safe with no risk of any residue chemicals being retained.
I soak it for a week with a small power head and its completely white at the end. I remove the "scum" from the top of the water daily. When no more scum its ready.

 

[Idoc]

I just cleaned up some really, really dirty rock with Muriatic acid. It really isn't as bad as many people make it out to be. Just make sure you do it where a little overflow of the tub isn't going to cause any problems...I did mine in the street by my driveway. As long as you don't get crazy with the acid, you won't have an out-of-control reaction. I believe a good mixture was 10gal water to 1gal Muriatic acid. Definitely wear gloves and eye protection is a really smart idea...you will get some splashing when you add the acid, even if you are very careful. Also, stay up-wind from the reaction...those fumes are kind of rough.

I put all my rock (about 50-75lbs) in a rubbermaid garbage can... place rock so you can maximize the space around each rock, filled with water (from the hose) until the rocks were covered...probably about 20g or so. Then poured in 2 gallons of acid...when adding acid make sure you add slowly and watch the reaction. I added all the first gallon at one time, then added the second gallon a little at a time as the initial reaction died down some. DON'T PUT THE ACID IN FIRST AND THEN ADD THE WATER...that will be a very bad day for you! I "cooked" the rocks for about 30-40min and that was plenty! When ready to empty, I slowly poured in 2 large boxes of baking soda to neutralize the acid...you can tell its neutralized when the baking soda isn't causing any further reaction when pouring it in. Then, I got the hose and filled the rest of the garbage can up with water to further dilute anything present...then poured out into the street to go down into the drain. I'll probably get some tree-huggers whining about that...but the stuff was neutralized and no different than those who use muriatic acid to wash their driveways!

I then sprayed off the rocks individually with a very hard spray of water and used a brush to scrub. Then set the rocks out in my garage to dry until ready to use. I'll rinse them off in RODI before getting ready to use.

 

[Scubado63]

Thanks for the info last step before I can start putting my 200 together, started a year and a half ago building and buying bit by bit ....

 

[Idoc]

Thanks for the info last step before I can start putting my 200 together, started a year and a half ago building and buying bit by bit ....

Me too...bought a system from a friend a few months ago and still don't have it up and running yet. I'm in no hurry, but I would like to get the think up and going very soon. My next big thing...researching like crazy stand ideas and sump designs...since building both as well. It would be easier to buy completed stuff, but I think it's more satisfying and fun to research, learn, and then ultimately do it myself.

 

[Scubado63]

I have a 90 up already, built stand and sump for it also .... definitely like do as much as I can DIY

 

[don_chuwish]

When 'killing' my rock between tank builds I just did a heavy vinegar bath for a few days with powerhead running. The death that ensued was impressive. Huge bristle worms hanging limp out of their little caves. I KNOW these guys were killing my snails.
Then a good hosing off & picking at any obvious organics, a few days in tap water, then dried out and put in storage for a little while.

When I bought more rock for the new tank it was all Fiji dry rock, which comes with lots of dead stuff on it. (Kind of fascinating what you find actually.) So that got a careful picking & cleaning before going into tubs along with my already cleaned original rock. I had months to prepare, so I put in saltwater, heater and powerhead, covered the tops with insulation and let it run for a week. Took it all out, cleaned & scrubbed & rinsed. Put it back in and repeat.
Eventually there was no more gunk clouding the water, nothing left to pick off, and the rocks were fully cured. The tubs went through a cycle essentially. All in the dark so no algae at all. Now in the DT for over a year and still no uglies on the rock and no snail murdering worms around at all.