Using another reefer's 5+ year old rock?

[duberii]

I just got some rock from another reefer who has been out of the hobby for 5+ years (It has been out of water for that long). It had some sand and this weird membrane on it (maybe just a sheet of some algae that had died off and lost all of its color), but I hosed is off and it now just looks like normal dry rock. Is there any harm to putting it in a tank?

 

[bobssecrtsn]

I would acid bath it and let it dry in heat for a day or two, then soak in RO and then add to your tank.

 

[cvrle1]

I would acid bath it and let it dry in heat for a day or two, then soak in RO and then add to your tank.

If you dont know what you are doing, do not use acid. It can be dangerous and things can go south really fast. Much safer to use bleach. Put rocks in a bucket, use tap water and bleach 10:1 ratio or stronger (no set rule really) and let is sit for a week. You can have a powerhead to move water around a bit but not necessary.

After week take out, hose off and put in fresh water with dechlorinator for several days. Once thats done, put in RO/DI water and test for PO4 after several days to make sure rock isnt leaching any ammonia.

 

[BYU]

 

[johnc_ct]

Unless he used a lot of copper in the tank previously, there is nothing at all to worry about. If he did, there is a chance that the rock could have absorbed copper and might release it in your tank, but I think that worry is overblown unless he really used a lot of it.

 

[duberii]

Unless he used a lot of copper in the tank previously, there is nothing at all to worry about. If he did, there is a chance that the rock could have absorbed copper and might release it in your tank, but I think that worry is overblown unless he really used a lot of it.

He had a reef tank with corals, so I doubt he used any copper at all

 

[duberii]

If you dont know what you are doing, do not use acid. It can be dangerous and things can go south really fast. Much safer to use bleach. Put rocks in a bucket, use tap water and bleach 10:1 ratio or stronger (no set rule really) and let is sit for a week. You can have a powerhead to move water around a bit but not necessary.

After week take out, hose off and put in fresh water with dechlorinator for several days. Once thats done, put in RO/DI water and test for PO4 after several days to make sure rock isnt leaching any ammonia.

Do you mind explaining why it's necessary if the rock is so old? I feel like anything harmful would be gone in terms of biological hazards, and unless any chemicals like copper was used, any other nutrients should be regulated by the cycling process, no?

 

[cvrle1]

Do you mind explaining why it's necessary if the rock is so old? I feel like anything harmful would be gone in terms of biological hazards, and unless any chemicals like copper was used, any other nutrients should be regulated by the cycling process, no?

If rock was live at any point, all that was alive is now dead. All that dead material will break down in aquarium when put back in the water, and will produce lots of phosphate. By putting it in the bleach bath or acid bath, you destroy that organic matter.

Take a look at this video to get bit more details and to see how curing rock in different ways works phosphate wise. Also it talks about why acid isnt the best idea, especially if you dont know what you are doing.

BRStv Investigates: What is the best way to cure dry live rock?

Today on BRStv, we have a brand new episode of our series, BRStv Investigates. In this series, we explore popular reefing theories, products, methods, and what the manuals are missing, with a focus on putting them to the test! There are many different methods for curing rock out in the reefing...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[BYU]

it’s actually easy to acid then bleach

tons of utube videos

 

[ShepherdReefer]

My two cents, I would just place the rock into a large garage can with saltwater to your liking, use a skimmer, and let the rock cycle...that is if your tank is already up and running. Just a thought.

 

[johnc_ct]

My two cents, I would just place the rock into a large garage can with saltwater to your liking, use a skimmer, and let the rock cycle...that is if your tank is already up and running. Just a thought.

Exactly. Cycle the rock and use. Just like when you buy live ocean rock.

 

[duberii]

My two cents, I would just place the rock into a large garage can with saltwater to your liking, use a skimmer, and let the rock cycle...that is if your tank is already up and running. Just a thought.

Could I cycle it with a tank? I'm gonna transfer everything from my old tank but I think I'd rather cycle the tank on its own first

 

[Auquanut]

Could I cycle it with a tank? I'm gonna transfer everything from my old tank but I think I'd rather cycle the tank on its own first

You could, but as has been stated before, you may get very high phosphates. I personally would at least go with @ShepherdReefer's suggestion and "cook" it in a trash can with SW, bottled bacteria and flow for a couple of weeks. Then remove, brush it off as best as you can and repeat with fresh SW. Might save you some heartache down the road.