Newbie starting a reef!

[lcstorc]

I love everything about the TBSW rock except the negative HH. Everu person I have known to use it has lots of gorilla crabs and several have mantis shrimp. Now this can be overcome but is a time consuming and dificult process. I do think it is still worth it because of the diversity and the protection of our natural resources. Just wanted to make you aware.

 

[fatman]

I am a quarantine fanatic. I quarantine even my live rock and live sand to include GARF grunge. I have had some Gorilla crabs, no mantis shrimp yet. I have no problem getting rid of the crabs, as it is easy enough with a quarantine tank, but I hate macro algae on my rock, but I love everything good that comes with the rock that just doesn't come with rock that has sat on beaches and docks for a few days to a week or so before being shipped to California for trans shipping to retailers where it is some what resuscitated just to mainly provide some coraline algae and bacteria. I have photo graphs taken by a friend of divers lowering sledge hammers and metal pry bars into the ocean to get live rocks, and photos of piles of rock laying on beaches where maybe a couple times a day a child throws pails of water at the piles. I digress, I should have made some mention of the good possibility of bad hitch hikers also. At least there are hitch hiker though. But true with the many good can come some bad. Quarantining is a good thing, for every thing that is alive or for anything that comes with life forms that is to be added to a marine tank.
Thanks, lcstorc for bringing that up.

 

[turn8299]

My question is this....I have alot of base rock that was live rock years ago. The person that I got it from said that he bleached it about 2 years ago to clean it up. It has been sitting in a garage ever since. It really has some nice peices and it would save me alot of money if I could use it. Do you think I can and it be safe for my tank?

 

[fatman]

My question is this....I have alot of base rock that was live rock years ago. The person that I got it from said that he bleached it about 2 years ago to clean it up. It has been sitting in a garage ever since. It really has some nice peices and it would save me alot of money if I could use it. Do you think I can and it be safe for my tank?

Any chlorine should be long gone, but it would not hurt the rock at all to be put in a tub of water, preferably RO water along with a circulating pump or a couple air pump powered airstones. Any chlorine that could possibly remain would be gone within a day or two of heavy aeration. If you use a pump make sure the waters surface has good movement or rippling. The bleaching would kill life but not necessrily remove the dead organic matter from within the rocks pores. After aeration it would not be a bad idea to change the water to mixed salt water and add a live rock to the tub with the dead rock. Within a week the live rocks bacteria ought to colonize the dead rock and make it live if there are any nutrients in the rock to feed new bacterial growth. If this happens you should start seeing brown crud accumalating in the water. If this starts just keep removing the crud until it quits being produced, a few partial water changes should be done during this time. after the production of croud stops the rock will then be clean live rock, or "cooked rock." This can take weeks if the rocks pores are really full of nutrients, which is quite possible. This rock will be as good as most new live rock, better than some from nutrient rich waters, except for a lack of coraline algae growth, but that will come with time. This can be done in your tank as long as you keep the tank bare bottomed while the process is going on. This will of course require more water, but your tank will be cycled at the same time, and you can use a skimmer to remove the crud, and during this waiting time you can set up lighting, heating and such as the "rock cooking" is going on.

 

[reefsmoker]

"cooked rock."

MMmmmm......Gumbo anyone?


:barf:

 

[fatman]

Grungy hit, no not that. Not that. Actually I have been clean and sober for 17 years now. I do not know if it was the three marriages and three divorces or the felony charges and four years of free three hots and a cot. But I am free.
Really I just got sick in tired of being sick and tired, and then there is the fact that they quit working.

 

[turn8299]

Thanks fatman for all of the info. I have about 50 pounds of base rock and I would hate to throw it out. I will not use it all in my 24 aquapod so is anyone interesed in some trading?

 

[Craig Manoukian]

I doused my Tampa Bay LR with soda water before adding it to my display tank. All the hitchikers vacated! Used about a case of the small bottles, very well worth it!

 

[fatman]

Never heard of that before. I assume that would be due to the carbon dioxide causing the acidic water to cause some effervescing. Perhaps some fresh water with a little vinegar added would give the same result at a much lower cost. I can noteven remember the last time I actually bought soda water, except flavored soda pop.