Second hand dry rock

[Piece of reef]

Hey guys
I have found 50kg of second hand real reef rock for $100, which is cheap here in aus

Ive been told after i cure it itll be fine and ive also been told by lfs not to buy it because it may have metals in it


Just wondering what you guys think

Is it to risky or is lfs just trying to make a sale
Thanks guys

 

[JGT]

Metals? Stay away from that LFS. Clueless.

 

[Reef.]

Metals? Is he saying RRR has metals in it or is he suggesting the rock could have been used in a tank that used copper etc?

 

[Devaji]

yeah I doubt it has metals in it. unless it was used in a tank that they treadted with copper even then not sure how much would soak in?

does he know something we dont? like the owner of the rock maybe some him some copper or something?

 

[Piece of reef]

Well the guy im buying it off has had it stored away for a while so its all dried out and i just didnt know if it was safe to use and the lfs told me to stay away but it felt like he was just trying to sell hes product
Ill attach a the photo ive got of the rock
Not sure if it helps

 

[Reef.]

Looks very white for RRR?

I would ask what he has used in the tank such as copper etc and why it’s so white.

 

[Piece of reef]

I honestly have no idea
Im still new to this so i dont know if it even is rrr or something else but that what ive been told by the seller

 

[Piece of reef]

Oh woops
I just re read hes ad its says some is RRR and some is real dead coral
My bad

 

[Reef.]

I honestly have no idea
Im still new to this so i dont know if it even is rrr or something else but that what ive been told by the seller

yeah I don’t think it’s RRR some of the pinker bits could be, but to be fair none of it looks like it’s seen the inside of a tank.

 

[Piece of reef]

Ive never even heard of real dead coral

Is it something to be concerned about ?

Thanks for the help

 

[JGT]

Nothing to be concerned about. All it is is dead coral skeletons. All the rage 20 years ago. Today, not so much.

 

[Piece of reef]

Hmm time to do some research on appearance
Thanks alot everyone, appreciate it

 

[Billdogg]

That looks like perfectly good rock and coral skeleton to me. It's just been dry for awhile. I'd be happy to use it in any of my tanks. Rinse it well, cure it if you want, and use it. IMHO, your LFS didn't want you to use it because doing so would prevent him from selling you his rocks for lots more $$$. You are paying less than $1/lb. Around here dry rock goes for at least 3-5$/lb.

 

[Piece of reef]

Thanks i went and bought them, thanks for the advice guys

 

[polyppal]

Haha yeah drop that LFS - they are full of 'detritus'

 

[blasterman]

How do you know your LFS isn't selling second hand rock.

Just soak the stuff in a tub of water and a mild acid like vinegar if you want. Who cares what color it is now. It won't be that color after a couple months in your tank.

 

[Piece of reef]

How long do you think i should soak in vinegar for ?

 

[polyppal]

Its hard to tell from the pics, is there crud encrusted on the rock, or is that just the coloration? If there was dried on stuff left over from his last setup on it, I would pressure wash it off, then soak it in some tap water/little bleach (wouldn't bother with RO for just cleaning it unless you have really nasty tap water) for 24-48hr with a powerhead...

After its clean, soak it in RO for a few days and should be good to go

 

[Piece of reef]

Heres some pics i took, id just like to start with as least risk or potential problems as possible

 

[Billdogg]

If you are concerned about anything leeching from the rock, you could soak them in rodi for a few days and then test - especially for PO4. Otherwise, rinse it and use it!