Help with Live Rock

[chrissohk]

So I am adding some live rock to my tank as it does not have enough. Currently in the process of curing (bleaching) live rock i picked up from the ocean.
1. I'm wondering how long I should leave the rock in the bleach for?
2. As well as, at the end do I need to cycle the rocks or is it okay to straight up put it in my tank.

My tank is nano to take into consideration and has been kept for 2 months.

 

[ApoIsland]

Most people would pay a premium for live rock direct from the ocean and not kill everything by bleaching. Just circulate it in a bin of salt water for a few days with a power head pointed at the top for aeration. the organisms that can't survive in a home aqurium will die off after a few days and then add the live rock to the tank.

If you already have it in bleach then let it sit for a week in there then let it dry completely for a few days so the bleach evaporates. Usually give mine 3-4 days sometimes longer to completely dry. I then put it in some fresh water with chlorine removing water conditioner for a day just to be safe.

 

[andrewey]

Hey there,

For the live rock you're keeping in bleach, it's a tricky question. Most people I've seen online suggest a week. I usually do a day or two, but I doubt the time after a couple days makes that large of a difference. Make sure you dry it well, then soak in some water with plenty of dechlorinator. You might have to do this a few times. If you can smell any bleach, it's not ready yet.

After this, it will need to be cycled before putting in a nano. Do not add it straight into a nano sized tank (unless you're talking about fractions of a pound).

Depending on the level of contamination/pests, have you considered keeping the rock live or if there is die off, curing it?

 

[chrissohk]

Hey there,

For the live rock you're keeping in bleach, it's a tricky question. Most people I've seen online suggest a week. I usually do a day or two, but I doubt the time after a couple days makes that large of a difference. Make sure you dry it well, then soak in some water with plenty of dechlorinator. You might have to do this a few times. If you can smell any bleach, it's not ready yet.

After this, it will need to be cycled before putting in a nano. Do not add it straight into a nano sized tank (unless you're talking about fractions of a pound).

Depending on the level of contamination/pests, have you considered keeping the rock live or if there is die off, curing it?

There were quite a lot of pests when I rinsed it off with tap water so I decided to bleach.

 

[andrewey]

Sounds good. Best of luck bleaching then cycling your rock!

 

[Fishbird]

One more thing to consider, is the rock you collected limestone? If it isn't, and you are doing a typical reef tank (instead of a cold water biome or something) I would hesitate to put it in my tank. There are lots of different minerals in different rocks depending what kind they are and I'd be concerned about dangerous (to corals, fish, etc) elements leaching out of the rock over time.

If it is limestone disregard what I said above.