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Live rock question

M

mikedelo

About a year ago I was given two live rocks from the Atlantic ocean. They were brought up when a team of divers sunk a train car to create an reed display for divers.

Since then they have been outside in a cardboard box. I have been afraid to put them in my salt water tank where they belong.

Right now they are in a five gallon bucket soaking in saltwater for a week.

My question is how do I go about making sure the rock is good to add to my tank. They are good size rocks and would be perfect for my tank.

Thank you in advance for your input.
 
E

evoIX

i cleaned mine thoroughly with a 25% bleach:water mix with a cheap toothbrush thoroughly. then boiled it in a pot, rotating for about an hour, then i did the procedure 2 days after drying in the sun not outside. then after day 7 in it went no problems and seeded fine with my other 4-5month old LR. it was considered dry rock i didn't expect a cycle
 
redfishbluefish

redfishbluefish

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I speak with an expertise in ignorance, so take this with a grain of salt. I would not bleach the rock. Bleach leaves too many byproducts and residual for me....especially in porous rock.

You might want to just wash it off, power wash it, boil it, if you wish, or take the PaulB approach and just put it in your tank. I personally would powerwash the rock (to remove the dead surface stuff), cure it, and then in the tank it goes.
 
D

Dave

Considering it is a year old, I would have thought after dusting off the cobwebs and other debris you could just add it.

That said, I would not consider myself an expert on adding rock.
 
Nickjr000

Nickjr000

Just scrub it good with a wire brush and keep rinsing it off between scrubs. Just to clean it up you said it was outside for a year already so everything on it is far dead.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

I am another vote no bleach or chemicals.

However washing, baking(oh your wife will love that), and curing in salt water .... put in small piece of live rock to seed it are all fair game.
 
M

mikedelo

I think it was taken from the Jersey Shore. The rocks was given as a gift so I don't know exactly.

After cleaning, can I just add it to my tank, or do I have to cure it? And If I have to cure it, what is that process like?

My tank is a 90 gallon set up. I will weigh the rocks tonight or tomorrow morning. Not that I am good at guessing weight, but no more than 6 - 10 pounds.

Michael

Nickjr000 - Love your signature line!
 
N

njstillwell

Guest
Bleach is fine on live rock as long as you wash it off. Bleach is just ammonia so thats fine, but since its been out of water for a really long time then its fine to just wash it off with a hose and put it in the tank.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

njstillwell said:
Bleach is fine on live rock as long as you wash it off. Bleach is just ammonia so thats fine, but since its been out of water for a really long time then its fine to just wash it off with a hose and put it in the tank.
Click to expand...

Bleach is not just ammonia. In a simple sense they sell bottles of ammonia cleaner and bleach cleaner not the same.

You could probably just rinse it off then put in the tank but if you have some organic material in the rock it is going to go straight into your tank and you don't need that. Letting it re-cure and adding some other live rock to seed it would be a much safer route IMHO.
 
steamman

steamman

I don't think it is that complicated. Boil, cook, wire brush, chemically treat with it with bleach. Do it all. Just do it already.
 
N

njstillwell

Guest
OK not getting into the compounds of bleach ...its ammonia so do what you want just clean the rock already
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

OK I was trying to be nice but don't do it.

Here
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula NH3.

"chlorine bleach", a solution of approximately 3–6% sodium hypochlorite NaClO

Clorine is not the same as ammonia. Not a single element that is the same.

Before you give advice to someone know what you are talking about because when they kill their tank off you will be to blame.
 
panmanmatt

panmanmatt

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Actually you can bleach live rock with no ill effects. Just have to make sure you use some dechlorinator afterward or let it dry in the sun for a day or so. I bleach rock all the time and re use it.
 
H

Hirobo

I have bleached rock first then rinse it under water then boil it for an hour then sat it in the sun for a few days put it in the tank and no problems
 
G

Gonzapa

Hirobo said:
I have bleached rock first then rinse it under water then boil it for an hour then sat it in the sun for a few days put it in the tank and no problems
Click to expand...
My LFS confesed that all their dry rock they have come from customer tanks. They have a bleach bucket in the back where they put the rock in for 1 week then it goes into an RO bucket for a week. After that they dry and put it in the store. When we buy dry rock that it is completely white it has probably been bleached.
 
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