Does Paragaurd deep into rocks?

[ReeferMadness710]

I used live rock in a tank I was using to Qt a few fish and used paragaurd. Will paragaurd seep into the rocks and make it unuseable or could I use it in a new tank and my coral and inverts will be fine?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I used live rock in a tank I was using to Qt a few fish and used paragaurd. Will paragaurd seep into the rocks and make it unuseable or could I use it in a new tank and my coral and inverts will be fine?

I tried to research this for you and couldn't find any definitive answer, just lots of opinions.

The aldehyde component of Paraguard isn't an issue. In the old days, we all thought malachite green had copper in it (because the mineral malachite does). That is incorrect, it is called malachite green just because of the color, it is an organic dye.

For any rock contamination (by copper, etc.) the total amount that can possibly be bound to the rock is much less than the amount added to the tank in the first place. That means that tanks treated with medications just once have much less risk than rocks that have been held in tanks that were dosed over and over again.

If you are not concerned with keeping the rock "alive", then soaking it in freshwater, with some white vinegar for a few days will release much of what is bound with the calcium on the surface of the rock.


Jay