Used Real Reef Rock

[Biznizface]

Hi just got hold of 8 kilos of RRR off a local reefer. It has been dry a while after having been in his 4ft for over a year.

He said he cleaned it with RO and vinegar etc. It had putty here and there which I removed and those white dead worms are here and there on the rock.

I have a 3ft that I've had running around 3 months with a approx 5 kilos of live rock in the DT and another 5 kilos or so in the sump along with 5 litres of Siporax.

Do you think I need to take any precautions with the RRR or will just a good clean and perhaps another soak in RO for a couple of days be ok ? Obviously worried it may start another cycle from anything dying within the rock.

Your help is appreciated !

 

[Brew12]

Hi just got hold of 8 kilos of RRR off a local reefer. It has been dry a while after having been in his 4ft for over a year.

He said he cleaned it with RO and vinegar etc. It had putty here and there which I removed and those white dead worms are here and there on the rock.

I have a 3ft that I've had running around 3 months with a approx 5 kilos of live rock in the DT and another 5 kilos or so in the sump along with 5 litres of Siporax.

Do you think I need to take any precautions with the RRR or will just a good clean and perhaps another soak in RO for a couple of days be ok ? Obviously worried it may start another cycle from anything dying within the rock.

Your help is appreciated !

You have a couple of options. If you don't think the rock is too dirty your best bet is to soak it in heated saltwater with a powerhead. Then monitor it just like you were cycling a new aquarium. You will probably get an ammonia spike that will die off and be converted to nitrates. Then they should be safe to add to your DT.

If they do have a lot of organics you can soak them in vinegar for a few days to clean them. Much more work and takes longer.

 

[Biznizface]

I can def see some deposits on the rock as I mentioned those white worm type things.

I was going to give them a good jet wash at a garage and then put them in my DT but I think you're right to exercise caution.

How would I know I have a lot of organics as you say ?

 

[Brew12]

I can def see some deposits on the rock as I mentioned those white worm type things.

I was going to give them a good jet wash at a garage and then put them in my DT but I think you're right to exercise caution.

How would I know I have a lot of organics as you say ?

It can be tough to tell, especially in porous rock. If you do give them a good jet wash and see much of anything come out it is going to be best to cure them in saltwater and treat that tub just like cycling a new tank IMO.

 

[Biznizface]

Yeah the rocks are very porous and knobbly with crevices and holes all over them that's why I am so concerned

 

[Biznizface]

So while I am at it with this rock I could add one large piece of dead live rock to the container and that would be ok ?

Was thinking large plastic container with heated salted water a power head and a bag of rowa leave for a week change all the water and rowa then same again so total of two weeks monitoring ammonia and phos when zero on both counts ready for the DT ?

 

[Brew12]

So while I am at it with this rock I could add one large piece of dead live rock to the container and that would be ok ?

Was thinking large plastic container with heated salted water a power head and a bag of rowa leave for a week change all the water and rowa then same again so total of two weeks monitoring ammonia and phos when zero on both counts ready for the DT ?

Yup, adding dead rock would be just fine. I think you have an excellent plan.

 

[Biznizface]

Cool glad i have some understanding of what to do.

When I jet-washed the rocks I didnt notice much come off them but there must be some dead **** with it being so porous.
I did spend some time removing some old putty wedged here and there but some is to stubborn to remove with out deforming the rocks.
I would really like a smaller time frame could i change the above plan to 4 days then change the water then another 4 days do you think ?

As long as ammonia and phos were ok after 8 days of soaking hoping this would be enough ?

Also you don't think there's a danger from the dead live rock I'm going to add that that could give the RRR phos issues further down the line as that rock is bound to leach more ?

 

[Brew12]

Cool glad i have some understanding of what to do.

When I jet-washed the rocks I didnt notice much come off them but there must be some dead **** with it being so porous.
I did spend some time removing some old putty wedged here and there but some is to stubborn to remove with out deforming the rocks.
I would really like a smaller time frame could i change the above plan to 4 days then change the water then another 4 days do you think ?

As long as ammonia and phos were ok after 8 days of soaking hoping this would be enough ?

Also you don't think there's a danger from the dead live rock I'm going to add that that could give the RRR phos issues further down the line as that rock is bound to leach more ?

You really won't know how much phos the dry rock has until you leave it wet for awhile. I had almost no phos from the 130 pounds I used recently.

The time frame is really going to depend on the rock. 4 days may be enough. You need to let it get to the point where they organic matter re-hydrates and then begins to break down and release ammonia. When ammonia gets down to zero, you are good to go. If you want to speed the process up you can add a bottle of nitrifying bacteria product. Not sure what is available in the UK but I like using Biospira since it is cheap and locally available for me.

2 numbers to keep in mind. If ammonia gets higher than 5ppm it can slow down the rate at which nitrifying bacteria reproduce. At higher than 10ppm i can start killing the nitrifying bacteria. The only reason to do a water change is to keep below those numbers.

 

[Biznizface]

Ok I have two products to hand been in my cupboard a while ? I know my LFS stocks Dr. Tims one and Only perhaps I need this ?

The products I have to hand are:

Microbacter 7 by Brightwell Aquatics.

Bacter gen-MD by Continuum Aquatics.

Would either of these suffice ?

I really want to take my time scaping the rock if using the bacteria wouldn't it then make the rocks live then once out of the water I'd be on a time frame before die off or am I ok?

Sorry for all the questions mate nearly there now haha

 

[Biznizface]

These are the products I have

 

[Brew12]

Ok I have two products to hand been in my cupboard a while ? I know my LFS stocks Dr. Tims one and Only perhaps I need this ?

The products I have to hand are:

Microbacter 7 by Brightwell Aquatics.

Bacter gen-MD by Continuum Aquatics.

Would either of these suffice ?

I really want to take my time scaping the rock if using the bacteria wouldn't it then make the rocks live then once out of the water I'd be on a time frame before die off or am I ok?

Sorry for all the questions mate nearly there now haha

I love the questions, it is all good. And hopefully more than just you and I look at them so others who may not want to ask can find help.

The Microbacter 7 would work well as would Dr Tims One and Only. My understanding on the Bacter gen-MD is that it is anaerobic bacteria specific designed to help convert Nitrate to Nitrogen Gas. Great for a deep sand bed or long term use with live rock, not so important now.

It will make the rocks live so you would be on a time frame. Bacteria is pretty hardy so having it out of the water for awhile won't hurt it too badly as long as it doesn't dry out. If you are looking to have it out of the water for more than a few hours at a time it could be a problem.

When it comes to adding the rock there are 2 main paths to follow. You can either soak the rock until all of the organic material breaks down and is removed. This process can take a few months if the rock was from an established system. The faster option is to make it alive to the point where it can process its own ammonia as the organics break down. You may have elevated Nitrates for a few months but those can be controlled.

 

[Biznizface]

I'm beginning to think I should have spent the extra money now and bought new fresh RRR. All this effort and then months of nitrate seems foolhardy now.

I will only have the rock out for an hour approx max ?

Have some live rock from another Nano tank I want to scape in with the RRR also.

My DT has the 5 litres of Siporax kicking in now giving me low nitrates wouldn't that take care of this additional rocks nitrate spike ? I suppose I would have to monitor nitrate and maybe carbon dose to control should nitrate spike ?

 

[Brew12]

I'm beginning to think I should have spent the extra money now and bought new fresh RRR. All this effort and then months of nitrate seems foolhardy now.

I will only have the rock out for an hour approx max ?

Have some live rock from another Nano tank I want to scape in with the RRR also.

My DT has the 5 litres of Siporax kicking in now giving me low nitrates wouldn't that take care of this additional rocks nitrate spike ? I suppose I would have to monitor nitrate and maybe carbon dose to control should nitrate spike ?

Have you ever had anything good happen either fast or cheap in this hobby since you started? Why would you think rock would be any different!

It is really hard to say how much of a nitrate issue it will cause. I'm also not going to be of much help when it comes to Nitrates, I don't do high end SPS's and I run fairly low alk so if my nitrates are between 5ppm and 60ppm I just ignore them. You will know much more about nitrate control than I do.

Taking the rock out for 3 or 4 hours won't hurt the filtration much as long as you aren't working in extreme temperature conditions.

 

[Biznizface]

Just annoyed because the cost difference of about £50 is being eaten up by the fact I have to get a 100w heater now because I only have a 200w which will be to much for the 15-20 litres in the container also need a thermometer.

The rock is perfect shapes for my desired scape tho which is another reason I liked it the RRR at my LFS was all huge pieces.

I have my DT rocking at moment 3 months in and everything sweet you live and learn I suppose.

Maybe there won't be much of a nitrate issue but I'm not that lucky.

So tonight (1547 in afternoon here now) I will do water change on my DT and use that water for the rocks curing container. I will get it to temp add the micro bacter 7 and a small ehiem pump I have then add the rocks leave it a day then see if any ammonia the next day or will it take longer ?

How important is the pump by the way ?

This is only a small pump from a reactor?

 

[Brew12]

Just annoyed because the cost difference of about £50 is being eaten up by the fact I have to get a 100w heater now because I only have a 200w which will be to much for the 15-20 litres in the container also need a thermometer.

The rock is perfect shapes for my desired scape tho which is another reason I liked it the RRR at my LFS was all huge pieces.

I have my DT rocking at moment 3 months in and everything sweet you live and learn I suppose.

Maybe there won't be much of a nitrate issue but I'm not that lucky.

So tonight (1547 in afternoon here now) I will do water change on my DT and use that water for the rocks curing container. I will get it to temp add the micro bacter 7 and a small ehiem pump I have then add the rocks leave it a day then see if any ammonia the next day or will it take longer ?

How important is the pump by the way ?

This is only a small pump from a reactor?

You don't need to keep the rock at aquarium temperatures. Anything above 20C will work. Actually, anything above 15C will work, just a little more slowly. You just can't put it outside in a cold garage and expect it not to take forever. Even too large of a heater isn't a problem. You aren't worried about shocking anything alive by changing temp too fast. If that 200w heater is a spare, you can use that. If the rock doesn't stink too much you can skip a heater and keep it inside. Or, if it is nice weather by you, you can keep it outside.

A small pump is fine. Just enough to keep the water circulating.

I would give it 2 days and test it for ammonia and nitrate.

 

[Biznizface]

I live in a flat so no option of outside I hope it doesn't stink .

Trying to get an accurate amount of the microbacter 7 to add but not sure also will be adding around 20 litres of water to container the instructions say 5ml to 25 us gallons approx 95 litre or should I add a bit more as that concentration would mean 1ml to 20 litres surely that's not enough ?

 

[Brew12]

I live in a flat so no option of outside I hope it doesn't stink .

Trying to get an accurate amount of the microbacter 7 to add but not sure also will be adding around 20 litres of water to container the instructions say 5ml to 25 us gallons approx 95 litre or should I add a bit more as that concentration would mean 1ml to 20 litres surely that's not enough ?

Its just bottle bacteria so accurate measurements aren't necessary. Too little just means it will take longer for the necessary bacteria population to be established. Too much and.. well.. I'm not sure you can add too much! At some point it just stops giving added benefit.

 

[Biznizface]

I really hope it doesn't smell have got visitors this wkd haha.

Because it's RRR and the guy I bought it off said he rinsed it in RO and vinegar and a small piece of live rock I'm imagining there won't be much smell ?

 

[Brew12]

I really hope it doesn't smell have got visitors this wkd haha.

Because it's RRR and the guy I bought it off said he rinsed it in RO and vinegar and a small piece of live rock I'm imagining there won't be much smell ?

You can hope! Keeping the water circulating and adding the bacteria should help with any smell. You will also want to skim off the muck that I expect to start showing up on the surface of the water since that will be the source of most of any odor that may develop.