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#1
11-25-2014, 06:30 AM
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Dilema what to do
So im getting ready to set up my 6ft 300gal. I have approx 220lbs of pukani rock from Eli at fijireefrock. Sure is nice looking stuff. Im having trouble trying to figure out what i can fit it all into to get it circulating before my tank gets here. Its a lot of friggin rock! Im not sure how critical it is to cirulate/cure it or if I should bleach it before i put it in my tank... Should I clean it more? There seem to be so many opinions of what to do I'm just not sure... Theres visible decay in some of the rock and some smell but nothing horrendous. Can anyone let me know what I should do. I've never used dead rock to start a system before.
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#2
11-25-2014, 07:56 AM
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I ordered from Eli as well it is really nice rock. What I did was a bleach bath over night then a acid bath for a hour and a half 74 lbs of pukani. Then I put it in the tank with 64 lbs of live Fiji and I think by doing so I never did see a tank cycle no ammonia spikes every thing was testing good right from day one.
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#3
11-25-2014, 10:52 AM
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Congrats on your new tank!
I would set up the largest tupperware container you have, and set it up like you would any other tank and do water top offs, Ideally if you can add something like two little fishies Bac 8 to the tub of rock and get it cycling! Boom! Insta tank :-)
__________________
......You taught our hand speed,skill, and grace.... ....to go beyond our dwelling place..... -Father John W. MacGillivray
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#4
11-25-2014, 01:24 PM
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Bleach and acid are useful for different purposes. My opinion on dry rock is that most all of it could use a bleach bath to remove surface organics. Then let the rock soak in RODI water bleach-free for a week and test phosphate. If phosphate is high do an acid bath. If phosphate remains high after that use a lanthanum chloride product like Ocean Fresh Foz Down. If you have time to spare or you're concerned about chewing up too much rock (acid removes the top layer of rock), you can skip the acid and just use Foz Down. Once you've stripped all the phosphate out of the rock (nitrate should be out by this time too) you can start seeding it with cured live rock or bottled bacteria products if you prefer. I would do all of this in a vat with no light on the rock. You don't need to use saltwater until you start seeding it.
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#7
11-25-2014, 06:33 PM
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just make sure it's unscented bleach and or free from additives/perfumes etc.
My advice would be just bleach it then acid bath it and be done with it. Bleach would be useful for any organics and would help prepare for purging. You don't need to soak after bleach. Just rinse really well and let it dry completely. Once it's dry, there is no more bleach. Based solely on the properties of bleach. Soaking would just be a waist of space, water and time IMO. I would highly recommend doing a muratic acid bath if you are (and should be) concerned about bound up nutrients within the rock. Yes acid will strip away the surface of the rock, but I can guarantee that whatever you strip away on rock (which would not be that much anyways) would be cheaper and a heck of allot easier then dealing with any potential bound phosphates after the fact. I just looked at a tank the other day who used the same source rock, and was covered in a thick layer of hair algae. There will be allot more invested into purging that rock of bound phosohates then if the rock had been properly prepared prior. And we read story's like this all the time. I don't know where the rock in question is sourced from but most dry rock that is availabe is sourced inland. The very nature of this means that in most cases it would be heavily loaded with bound phosphates. Yes you can purge by other methods, but IMO require much greater investment of resources. In some cases substantial. Bleach, let dry, acid bath, throughly rinse and throw in tank and start seeding. Couldnt be simpler. But could be awhole lot worse.
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#8
11-25-2014, 07:24 PM
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Ok so are you saying to put it in a bleach/water mixture for a minute or two then rinse it off and let it dry? And then once its dry put it in the acid/water solution for a minute or two and rinse and dry again. And then into the tank?
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#9
11-25-2014, 10:06 PM
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Quote:
The lenght of the acid treatment and strength is going to be dependant on the rock you have. Very soft, light acid for short time. Very dense stronger acid for longer time. If you are uncomfortable trying it out for the first time just take a few small pieces of rock and test the process out before you commit to doing the lot. To be safe I'd just start with a 10 to 1 ratio (water to acid) and test for 10 min or so. You don't want to eat away half the rock so start low and less time exposed and up either one and/ or the other depeding on your findings. Some rocks I have done multiple treatments using 100% acid solution, while others can only take very little acid and exposure. Just start with less. If you thik you need more after that increase. Just make sure to add acid to water, and take precautions for your own safety. Don't breath in the fumes protect your skin and eyes etc. you don't need to nutrilize as the rock will automatically do that for you. Just be sure to rinse every nook and cranny really really well. After yes, it can go directly into tank. Or you can let it dry, or soak it, whatever you want to do with it. But as long as its rinsed well it can be ready immediatly for tank.
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#10
11-26-2014, 12:28 AM
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The biggest differences between using acid and using lanthanum chloride is time and precaution. Acid is quicker and possibly risky to your health if you're not smart about it or you have an accident, but in my experience doesn't remove all phosphate (just what's bound to the surface). Lanthanum chloride is safer and in my experience more complete, but takes longer.
Quote:
 Last edited by Myka; 11-26-2014 at 12:33 AM.
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