Old rock usage

[miccap]

Hi all, I currently have a 32 gallon Biocube and it’s been going great so I upgraded my tank to a 90 gallon with a 30 gallon sump. I bought this tank off of someone on Facebook market place and he gave me all of his previously used now dried rock. I was concerned with putting this in because I see it has dried up worms on the sides which are now stuck to the rock. I was wondering if this rock is still good to put into this tank as I really do not want any pests or other unwanted things in my tank. Any advice is much appreciated thank you!

 

[MnFish1]

Hi all, I currently have a 32 gallon Biocube and it’s been going great so I upgraded my tank to a 90 gallon with a 30 gallon sump. I bought this tank off of someone on Facebook market place and he gave me all of his previously used now dried rock. I was concerned with putting this in because I see it has dried up worms on the sides which are now stuck to the rock. I was wondering if this rock is still good to put into this tank as I really do not want any pests or other unwanted things in my tank. Any advice is much appreciated thank you!

The pests will not still be alive, however, there is still organic material on the rock (the dead stuff) that can decompose

 

[cilyjr]

I always give old dry rock and acid bath before I use it.

 

[miccap]

I always give old dry rock and acid bath before I use it.

How would I perform this acid bath? Just have the rock sit in a tub of vinegar for a bit?

 

[Cell]

Soak in bleach water for a week, rinse well, let fully dry in sun, good to go.

 

[mfinn]

I prefer doing a bleach bath with used dry rock. Just cleans up old organic matter that may be on the rock.
2-3 cups of bleach per 5 gallons of tap water for 24-48 hours. Repeat if needed.
Rinse and let dry for a couple days

 

[MnFish1]

I prefer doing a bleach bath with used dry rock. Just cleans up old organic matter that may be on the rock.
2-3 cups of bleach per 5 gallons of tap water for 24-48 hours. Repeat if needed.
Rinse and let dry for a couple days

And you can also soak in water with a heavy dose of thiosulfate after drying - incase there is still some bleach left inside nooks that don't dry off.

 

[cilyjr]

How would I perform this acid bath? Just have the rock sit in a tub of vinegar for a bit?

Doing bleach or vinegar or any of those will not give you the deep cleaning and rid the rock of bound phosphates.

See the article from bulk reef supply below. I have done this several times and I skip a lot of the algae phases that people go through.

How to cure live rock with acid for a saltwater aquarium - Reef FAQs

Acid curing is the most aggressive method of curing rock. It is also the least safe among the accepted methods of how to cure live rock for a reef tank or saltwater aquarium. There are very few instances in which we consider acid curing a necessity over a bleach or natural live rock cure. We will

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I also bleach all used rocks for a week before use. I am accident prone so I don’t touch acid lol

 

[MnFish1]

Doing bleach or vinegar or any of those will not give you the deep cleaning and rid the rock of bound phosphates.

See the article from bulk reef supply below. I have done this several times and I skip a lot of the algae phases that people go through.

How to cure live rock with acid for a saltwater aquarium - Reef FAQs

Acid curing is the most aggressive method of curing rock. It is also the least safe among the accepted methods of how to cure live rock for a reef tank or saltwater aquarium. There are very few instances in which we consider acid curing a necessity over a bleach or natural live rock cure. We will

www.bulkreefsupply.com

This is correct - if one is concerned about phosphates, muriatic acid (which is extremely caustic) can be used - and it often dissolves quite a bit of the actual rock itself (I'm not sure I remember the exact percentage - and it would depend on the length and strength of the treatment but up to 1/3 or the rock could be lost.

Not all rock will have phosphorous that leaches out. Bleach will do a good job oxidizing a lot of the organic matter without the need to use muriatic or other strong acids.