Killing Live Rock Questions

[TheMillennialReefer]

Hey!

Long story short... I recently lost $300 in fish over the past week so I’m restarting my tank.

I had it set up as. FOWLR but since I lost all my coral eating fish I’m going to turn it into an SPS dominated mixed reef.

Now, I want to kill everything on the rock. The sand. Everything. I’m soaking my LR in RODI water and my sand I’m going to throw away and buy new.

Is there anything else I can do besides soaking the rock in pure freshwater RODI that I can do to kill the rock? I’ve heard of people adding bleach but as a chemist.. that seems excessive. Anything in a saltwater environment should died in a FW environment but I wanted to be sure!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Tanggy]

I’ve bleached them. Then dry them in the sun for a few days and final step was soaking it in rodi water for about a week. That should kill everything on that rock.

 

[fabutahoun]

Bleach is not used to kill the live rock, it used to break down the dead organic matter and remove it from the rock. bleach will reduce the rock curing period significantly.

 

[TheMillennialReefer]

Bleach is not used to kill the live rock, it used to break down the dead organic matter and remove it from the rock. bleach will reduce the rock curing period significantly.

I’m not trying to cure the rock. Just trying to kill everything on the rock. Starting the tank all over

 

[dannyfish]

Bleach the rocks and sand, fo plenty of rinses, then lat them out in the sun. The UV will rid of the bleach.

 

[Captain Quint]

I’m not trying to cure the rock. Just trying to kill everything on the rock. Starting the tank all over

May I ask what you are trying to kill on the LR?

 

[don_chuwish]

Bleach, vinegar, acid - all valid approaches. BRS has a great video series on it. I like vinegar, seems the best balance between easy, effective and harmless. 1:1 ratio of vinegar:water at most, weaker is fine, just takes longer. A good 24 hr soak with water movement, blast with garden hose to clean off the rocks, repeat if you like. Then a tap water soak to dilute out any vinegar. RO soak after that if you feel ambitious. Then 'cure' the rock in saltwater with heat & movement but NO light for as long as you have the patience for - doing weekly 100% water changes. Sounds excessive but so far I'm happy with my results.

 

[Captain Quint]

Bleach, vinegar, acid - all valid approaches. BRS has a great video series on it. I like vinegar, seems the best balance between easy, effective and harmless. 1:1 ratio of vinegar:water at most, weaker is fine, just takes longer. A good 24 hr soak with water movement, blast with garden hose to clean off the rocks, repeat if you like. Then a tap water soak to dilute out any vinegar. RO soak after that if you feel ambitious. Then 'cure' the rock in saltwater with heat & movement but NO light for as long as you have the patience for - doing weekly 100% water changes. Sounds excessive but so far I'm happy with my results.

+1 and pretty much the best method I've used.

OP, if you're gonna soak it in fresh water use very hot hotter for some pests you might be trying to rid the rock of many pests.

 

[dugthefish]

Why do you want to kill everything? Surely the conditions can be adjusted to transition easier....

 

[TheMillennialReefer]

Why do you want to kill everything? Surely the conditions can be adjusted to transition easier....

Couple reason.

- rebuilding sand and sump. I can only fit a 20 long under the stand and it was my first time building a stand so I can’t fit a skimmer underneath. I want to fit a 40 breeder for the sump underneath.
- I just lost $300 in fish. Chunks of my fish were missing and a couple straight up vanished. Probably drastic but I want to kill what is in it.
- I know it’s drastic, but I just want to start over with this tank. Never liked the aquascape, and it makes me upset knowing I lost fish. Money aside I view them as pets and it’s always sad losing them.
- also want to re do the plumbing. It was my first time setting up a tank and I want to rebuild it. Add unions, better design, etc. just a poor first attempt. Lol

 

[Engloid]

Personally, I steer away from chemicals. Others may be more comfortable, but I just don't feel they are necessary. I put the rock in fresh RO water for at least a week, with good circulation and a skimmer. I don't rush, so it may wind up being 3-4 weeks by the time I get to it. I will do a couple water changes to help clean up the water, because you can't clean rock with dirty water. This freshwater time should kill off all saltwater organisms and animals. I then do a BIG water change, possibly 100% if I have enough RO made up. I then run it for a week or so longer, then add salt. The salt will then kill off any freshwater algae or other organisms that grew, leaving me a good saltwater base with nothing living in it.