nitrate leaching rocks

[Eric C]

I have nitrates in my rock from a tank I just took down prior to moving, that are saturated with nitrates, I have them stored in a garbage can in water, and I was wondering, if over a few months the bacteria would convert the nitrates to nitrogen gas, or if the problem would still be there?

 

[brandon429]

That's not likely to occur anywhere as fast as just cleaning out the rock

that physical action while common in ocean sediments is slow/nearly ineffective in aquaria as we overload those zones with detritus. Removing the detritus is the way, actual physical export of the accumulations in the rock. Blast clean it imo

 

[brandon429]

We just weren't able to attain denitrification in any consistent manner after 15 yrs or bio pellets refugiums sulfur denitrators et al wouldn't exist. Others may disagree or have a different take.


People cook their rocks for mos and mos like what you are considering but its so much faster to just physically clean it out. We are about to reuse it in a system that w bombard it with detritus just in the first month and thereafter...so I never could see the benefit of extending cooking other than for rare invasions like dinoflagellates or certain invasive macros like neomeris where lack of light is used to kill it off in months of cooking.

 

[brandon429]

When I think of nitrate saturation I think of detritus that is easily removed in shorter time. If you had phosphate issues that would be different imo, I can't think of a way to store nitrates other than detritus *excellent clarity below from Randy gracias!*

 

[Eric C]

Thanks I already got rid of most of the detritus....just want to be sure I don't import a problem when I start it up again

 

[brandon429]

I would be curious to know if they leach a little phosphate if you did soak them just for a bit to test that soak water after, it might help indicate a little gfo use on the reboot

 

[Reefing Madness]

Yup, leaving it in the tubs is just like curing the rocks again. It will eventually leave the rocks altogether, like leaching phosphates out of the rocks, same idea. Leave them in the tub with a heater and powerhead, and test weekly. When the Nitrates get up a bit in the water column, change out the water like you would a tank. Or throw a skimmer on the tub and vodka dose.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Just to clarify, nitrate doesn't bind to calcium carbonate the way phosphate does.

So if some rock appears to be releasing nitrate, it must be coming from the breakdown of organic matter on the rock.