Question about cyano and new tank.

[SLUF681]

I am in the middle of a 150g build and have the opportunity to get some live rock possibly for free. The catch is, it is covered in cyano. My question is: Should I get the rock and remove as much as possible manually (brushing, etc.) and put it in the tank, adding a CUC once the cycle is finished? I just filled the tank with RO/DI water and added the salt over the last few days, so there shouldn't be much on the order of food for the cyano once in the tank. I just don't wanna open a can of worms...

 

[Otter_rs]

I say use the rock, but here is what I would do. First, set up a tub of some sort with new saltwater in it. The bigger the better, but you will be wasting the water so nothing too huge. Get a powerhead with a decent flow rate(ie Maxijet1200) and attach a short hose to the discharge. When you are ready to add the rock to the system use the pump to blow off any cyano or sediment from each individual rock while submerged in the tub. Then go ahead and add the rock to the new system. There is no way to avoid cyan introduction so you may as well use the rock you have, just clean the snot out of it and disgard the dirty water.

 

[harley]

IMO, ya only need a few pounds of live rock to seed your tank anyways. I'd start with dry base rock, and get a few pounds to seed it, that way ya avoid any nasty clingers on from the rock. Otter is right, cyan is gonna get in the tank, the key is good tank husbandry, upkeep, maintenance, and good water and flow to control it! I'd be less worried about the cyano than other things that may be on it.

 

[boxer]

IMO, ya only need a few pounds of live rock to seed your tank anyways. I'd start with dry base rock, and get a few pounds to seed it, that way ya avoid any nasty clingers on from the rock. Otter is right, cyan is gonna get in the tank, the key is good tank husbandry, upkeep, maintenance, and good water and flow to control it! I'd be less worried about the cyano than other things that may be on it.

+1
Cyano Is a bacteria that can thrive in air, Freshwater, and saltwater.

 

[SLUF681]

Ok, that pretty much confirms what my thoughts were. I figured as long as I cleaned it up good it would be fine. I've got about 200 lbs of DIY rock that I wanted to mix and match with it.