Questions about old long dead dried live rock??

[Ricky@3rdshift]

Ok so I am hanging out at the My Grand fathers house today and low and behold if I don't look over in the Flower beds and find what appears to be 100's of LBS of Coral skeletons, and possibly Tonga/marshall islands shaped pieces of Rock. Upon close inspection it appears to have been out there for a long long time. This is something the previous owner left behind I am assuming b/c my Grandfather has only owned the house 3 years.

So I am just wondering if it is possible to clean this rock up, and re introduce it to a SW tank? I am sure it would need some time in a QT tank with good SW washing over ut, but heck man its free if it will work.

any sugestions or ideas of if and how to make it work?

 

[austinsdad]

I'd probably leave it alone since it was in a garden. Likely has been treated with pesticides or fertilizers, etc. Maybe boiling water and scrubbing. Forget the SW wash, everything is dead anyway, and what ain't, you'll need to kill.

I'd stay away from it if it were me.

 

[Ricky@3rdshift]

I see what yor saying , however this is a rock garden, not a flower bed as stated. Think that would nake a difference? Its some very nice pieces of rock.

 

[tecwzrd]

It was probably abandoned for a reason. God knows what is growing inside those pores from being exposed to the environment so long. I wouldn’t trust it in my tank personally but it’s your funeral If you want good base rock www.hirocks.com sells 60 lbs of it for $92 shipped to your door.

 

[austinsdad]

Maybe a good boil and brush might work. Of course, it's dead/base rock now and will have to be seeded with live rock.

Wonder what others think. I'd still be cautious and try a pc or so out - just how to do that without affecting livestock.

 

[Hara]

Actually, I will play devils advocate, I would use it. Most likely the tank was dumped when the people moved. I often use natural rocks that I find outdoors in my tanks. I would be sure to soak it in a vinegar solution to kill anything that may be in there, then put it in a tub of saltwater. Yes, you will be taking a risk, but only you can decide how much of a risk. After you have had the rock in the saltwater for a couple weeks, I would add a few snails to do a "copper test".

 

[ace1uno_00]

I agree With Hara. I mean. Wash it really good, boil it, scrubb it, rinse, rinse, rinse, and test. It may take some elbow grease but it may be worth it.

 

[ace1uno_00]

I just checked out www.Hirocks.com
They seem pretty cool. anyone order from them before?

 

[tecwzrd]

I just checked out www.Hirocks.com
They seem pretty cool. anyone order from them before?

I got my base rock from them, the pieces are mostly 3-6" long with a good mix and a couple of larger 6-9” pieces. If you need larger you can specify it on the order form. It’s a very porous rock and easy to stack.

 

[austinsdad]

The snail/copper test sounds good too Hara. Maybe a hardy pair and a more sensitive pair too just for the heck of it. Of course, the test conducted outside of the main somehow.

 

[dscount]

I'd totally use it as well. BUT.. I would take a more dramatic cleaning approach.

Scrub like crazy in the tub, wash down with shower nozzle and then plop in as much as possible into a the Dish Washer. No soap/detergent or what not should be well blasted. If you have that rinse stuff spitting out then CANCEL this idea.

NOTE: Do NOT let you wife/spouse see you do this!

2nd Approach is your PWC buckets and a visit to the local self car wash and blast them in the bucket. (Again no soap).

Now, I've not actually tried this so your mileage may vary. HTH

 

[Ricky@3rdshift]

I think I am gonnna go get some of the nicer rock pieces, and wash them down with a presure washer, see what they look like then. Then boil each piece, if looking good I will place them in a tank of freshwater with a power head blowing over them for a few weeks. Changing water out as needed. if all goes well I may switch them into saltwater and see what happens.

if they make it this far would adding those bio zymes work or should I throw in some live sand, or live rock rubble to seed it?

 

[cmor1701d]

Follow Hara's advice. Clean the rock then keep it overnight in white vinegar. Follow that with a fresh water rinse, then into a salt water bath. Throw in some snails for a copper test (acclimate them properly).

If all goes well you got free rock.

 

[Ricky@3rdshift]

yea I was wondering about the vinegar. I am probably gonna o get some rock this weekend and see how it goes. Could I just test the water for copper instead of using snails?

 

[austinsdad]

Copper test might not do it. Critters will live and eat off the rock and find copper, but I don't think a test will find it.

 

[Ricky@3rdshift]

*UPDATE*

I have gotten mucho info on rock. Last september It was found in closed tubs of water, in the crawl space of my grandfathers house. It was dumped out and laid on top of the rock beds he has around his house and never touched since. They said it stank when it 1st came out. It still smells fishy when you get it wet, and I have washed it out soaked it in scalding hotwater/water conditioner and placed a few pieces in a running SW tank to see wat happens.

 

[pike]

I would use it and have use it for my base rock. I got some pieces from an old tank I bought and they have worked out fine. Nothing that was outside. But with proper wash in QT time. It should work out fine.

"I am sure it would need some time in a QT tank with good SW washing over."

Actually saltwater flow up from under the rock is best.

www.tampabaysaltwater.com
watch this move from the home page. It shows a lot about LR.

I also checked out www.hirocks.com Nice site with good deals

 

[The Blue Fish]

Dead rock to live rock

Hello Everyone,
I would do this. Take a hose to it and wash the holy hell out of it. Don’t worry; it is dead as dead gets so you are not going to hurt anything. Get yourself a “new” outside plastic trashcan, $6-$15. Get some salt water from your LFS, like Catalina water. It’s about $.40 to $.50 a gallon over here. Get yourself a bubbler and a couple small power heads. If you are lucky like I am, your LFS will sell you a used filter to hang of the side of the can itself. Let it cycle for a while. Use the water from your tanks water change for the live rock’s water change. After a couple weeks test the water for copper. If everything looks good pick up a couple pounds of like rock from a LFS and add it to the can. Along with the water from your tank, this should help new growth on the rock. At this point you should start feeding the rock Calcium, etc. those little calcium block would be ideal because this is not something you will be looking at everyday. I would give it a couple more weeks, and test again. If everything looks good, add some snails. This will let you know if the rock is really copper safe. If you want to get real crazy, ad a Damsel or two. Also, it would be great if you had an extra PC you could use. I did this with about 80 lbs of live rock my buddy gave me that was sitting outside for a couple months. I added the rock to my new tank about 3 months ago and it looks great. One other thing, I'm sure this was over kill. I had some live sand in the trashcan that I had just taken out of my sump.

Good Luck!

Nick