How to prep dead rock with bleach, vingar or boiling.

[jkef2010]

I have a lot of dead rock that's been subjected to the elements since augest. I would like to get it in my established tank. I know I can use acid but honestly don't want to take that path. Also don't have want to wait for the old curing meathod. So I know I can use bleach, vingar, or boil it. Can anyone help me with one. My question for them are.

Q1- how much bleach, water/ vingar, water solution do I use.? The ratio. If 10:1 what exactly does that mean?

Q2- how long do I leave it to soak or boil?

Q3- when boiling I don't having anything to do this with outside so it will be done inside, are there any safety concerns I should know about.?

Q4- if you have don't any of these 3 methods, what one and what were your results?

 

[reefer gladness]

Not sure I would use any of those methods. Bleach sterilizes, a 10:1 ration of bleach means 10 parts water to 1 part bleach. This is sufficient to be used in a clinical lab environment to sterilize surfaces to give an idea of how potent bleach is at even 10:1 ratio.

Vinegar is an acid so if you're going that route you can look up what other folks are doing with muriatic acid. Honestly think this is overkill for what you want to do, those people have something nasty they're trying to eradicate on the rock.

Boiling or baking of any kind I wouldn't recommend, regardless of how long it's been outside. There are toxins that could be released and it's just not worth it.

So you have dead rock now that used to be live and it's probably just dirty from being in the elements. Clean it up good and cure it would be my solution. The rock has only been exposed to air, dirt and water right? Plenty of that in the ocean already.

FWIW, some folks get confused by a term of 'cooking' live rock. This method actually involves circulating the rock in pure RO/DI water because it kills just about everything that lives in saltwater, it doesn't mean the rock is literally cooked at high heat.

 

[cracker]

Ok, I think others will agree with me here. Your going to have to cycle the tank before adding any livestock anyway ,right? Are You using the sand from the 1st setup? I'd rinse the sand as best as possible.Setup the tank,get the pumps and all going. Boil the rock one piece at a time if necessary.Put it in the tank. and let it cycle. You will need to test for ammonia,nitrites and nitrates just like setting up a new tank. The boiling will kill any live stuff.The cycle will eat up any leftovers and will feed the cycle.I personally don't like the idea of using acid or bleach. It's just not natural and You never know if those chemicals are left in there to leach out later. As for question 1 10 :1 means 10 prts water 1 prt chemical. If I was going to boil any rock, I'd leave it in the pot for a good while.

 

[DaveK]

...
FWIW, some folks get confused by a term of 'cooking' live rock. This method actually involves circulating the rock in pure RO/DI water because it kills just about everything that lives in saltwater, it doesn't mean the rock is literally cooked at high heat.

This isn't quite correct. "cooking live rock" is more of an extended curring process where the rock is kept in SW, in the dark, with a heater and circulation pump. The idea is to let the bacteria consume most all the available nitrates and phosphates. This can take several months. You can tell when the process is complete when the nitrate, in addition to the nitrite and ammonia readings all drop to 0. This way you still have a bacteria base on the LR and its now ready for use and the tank will only go through a minor cycle

This method is usually used when the LR is way overgrown with algae or when it's been used in a tank for many years and a bit clogged from all the dirt it's picked up.

Usually cooking live rock is the preferred method, but in this case the op has had the rock out of the tank and outside for months, so it's already dead. In this case, using bleach on it is the best way to deal with the rock.

 

[wscttwolfe]

In this case, using bleach on it is the best way to deal with the rock.

If you choose to go this route, make sure you soak the rock in several rounds of RO water first to remove any residual bleach before putting in your tank

 

[DaveK]

...
Boiling or baking of any kind I wouldn't recommend, regardless of how long it's been outside. There are toxins that could be released and it's just not worth it. ...

I've got to agree with reefer gladness here. Never boil LR. In addition to possibly releasing toxins, it's a long, time consuming process, since you need to do the pieces one at a time, and you need to boil each one about 10 - 15 min to make sure you kill everything. Even after you do that, there can still be a lot of dead material left on the rock.

Bleach is prefered because it will kill everything and consume any dead material. The big advantage is that bleach is easy to remove. A few water changes using FW will do it, but it your still in doubt, you can also use something like Prime to remove any residual bleach.

When I used cartridge filters, I would clean the cartridges by soaking them in water and bleach to clean them and then 3 changes of FW to remove any bleach.

 

[jkef2010]

Ok, I think others will agree with me here. Your going to have to cycle the tank before adding any livestock anyway ,right? Are You using the sand from the 1st setup? I'd rinse the sand as best as possible.Setup the tank,get the pumps and all going. Boil the rock one piece at a time if necessary.Put it in the tank. and let it cycle. You will need to test for ammonia,nitrites and nitrates just like setting up a new tank. The boiling will kill any live stuff.The cycle will eat up any leftovers and will feed the cycle.I personally don't like the idea of using acid or bleach. It's just not natural and You never know if those chemicals are left in there to leach out later. As for question 1 10 :1 means 10 prts water 1 prt chemical. If I was going to boil any rock, I'd leave it in the pot for a good while.

The tank is already cycled, that's what I'm concerned about is adding this "dead" rock without cleaning it?

 

[jkef2010]

This isn't quite correct. "cooking live rock" is more of an extended curring process where the rock is kept in SW, in the dark, with a heater and circulation pump. The idea is to let the bacteria consume most all the available nitrates and phosphates. This can take several months. You can tell when the process is complete when the nitrate, in addition to the nitrite and ammonia readings all drop to 0. This way you still have a bacteria base on the LR and its now ready for use and the tank will only go through a minor cycle

This method is usually used when the LR is way overgrown with algae or when it's been used in a tank for many years and a bit clogged from all the dirt it's picked up.

Usually cooking live rock is the preferred method, but in this case the op has had the rock out of the tank and outside for months, so it's already dead. In this case, using bleach on it is the best way to deal with the rock.

How much do you suggest I use I'm going to be putting the rock In a 20g tub to soak.

 

[DaveK]

When you use bleach, you really have a lot of latitude. For 20 gal of water, I'd start with about a quart of bleach. After 24 hours, it should be finished.

Rinse the rock off and see how it looks. You may see a lot of sediment coming off it. If your in doubt, the bleach process may be repeated.

If the rock is clean, then clean out the container, and soak the rock in FW for a day or so. Next day rinse of the rock and replace the FW. Do this until you have made at least 3 FW changes. You should not smell any bleach odor. If you want to feel safe, you can add Prime to the FW to make sure there is no residual bleach.

 

[jkef2010]

Thanks Dave. I appreciate it.