I acquired a 5 gallon bucket full of rock from a friend. It was in his tank for a few years until he quit running his saltwater aquarium about a year ago. Since then, the bucket has been sitting in his garage. I want to use this rock, but I don't know if I should boil it or just let it sit in RO water for a while. What is the best way to clean out dried rock for use in an already running aquarium?
-
Welcome back Guest!MARSH is a private reefing group. Comments and suggestions are encouraged, but please keep them positive and constructive. Negative threads, posts, or attacks will be removed from view and reviewed by the staff. Continually disruptive, argumentative, or flagrant rule breakers may be suspended or banned.
Boiling Rock? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter d00dy
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Users who are viewing this thread
bleach & ro/di water for day good rinse then let it sit out in the sun. If it still smells like bleach after a couple of days you may need to soak it more with dechlorinator.
If you think the rock has phosphates then soak in bleach for a day, rinse well then soak in 10% Muratic acid (always add acid to water!!!) to 90% water (gonna have to gauge the length of time by experimentation -- wanting to take off the outer layer of the rock...). Be careful and observe all precautions listed with muratic acid (the vapors can hurt you).
or
soak in saltwater, measure phosphates, drip lanthium chloride to keep po4 at 0 so that it comes back out of rock
or
cook it (not with heat).. google it lots of threads with the instructions...
If you think the rock has phosphates then soak in bleach for a day, rinse well then soak in 10% Muratic acid (always add acid to water!!!) to 90% water (gonna have to gauge the length of time by experimentation -- wanting to take off the outer layer of the rock...). Be careful and observe all precautions listed with muratic acid (the vapors can hurt you).
or
soak in saltwater, measure phosphates, drip lanthium chloride to keep po4 at 0 so that it comes back out of rock
or
cook it (not with heat).. google it lots of threads with the instructions...
billw
Guest
Boiling is particularly dangerous. Rock with zoa/paly growth can give off poisonous vapors (google palytoxin)
billw
Guest
breiter3
Guest
I just did this with a bucket of dry rock I had sitting in storage. Pretty much scrubbed the rock with a wire brush to get off excess debris, rinsed with RO, then used water from my tank post water change to fill the bucket back up. Tossed some rubble rock from my tank in there as seed stock and circulated with a power head.
Took about 3 weeks and 3 water changes in the bucket before all my levels evened out. The big hint that it was ready was that it didn't smell so freaking bad anymore lol. Testing all the levels confirmed.
If you're worried about leaching from the rock then the acid bath will take care of that, then cure in the bucket. At least that's what I'd do.
Took about 3 weeks and 3 water changes in the bucket before all my levels evened out. The big hint that it was ready was that it didn't smell so freaking bad anymore lol. Testing all the levels confirmed.
If you're worried about leaching from the rock then the acid bath will take care of that, then cure in the bucket. At least that's what I'd do.
Well I just used the lingo that other forums used... I wasn't about to start making a stew or anything. Either way, I will try what was posted.
breiter3
Guest
Mmm Zoa Stew! That'll clear up the sinuses and them some 
