Dry Pukani rock

[User1]

Stay away from the acid. Just lose money in the long run since it will eat away your investment...what starts at 60lbs of dry Pukani in an acid bath end up with a percentage less. Just how much depends on your mixture rate. In any case acid and/or bleach are means to help remove decay on the rock(s). Having just finished 150lbs of dry Pukani (never to do again btw) on my own here recently I chose to:

1. Unbox
2. Pressure wash
3. 24 hours in tap water / bleach combo
4. Dump water - repeat 24 hour tap water / bleach combo
5. Dump water - refill with tap water
6. 24 hours lanthanum chloride bath
7. Dump water - repeat 24 hour lanthanum chloride bath
8. pressure wash

Added sand and then filled the tank with RI/RO per-made salt using Instant Ocean. Added rocks, then turned on Sea Swirls, return pump, and gryre, and dechlorinated the water. Let sit for 24 hours, measured ammonia, then added Ammonia to reach 2 mg/L (ppm), and started the fishless cycle. Once ammonia reached what I wanted I added Dr. Tim's one and only bottle of bacteria and that was it. More or less tested until ammonia went to 0 then add ammonia to reach 2 mg/L (ppm) and have it processed to 0 in less than 24 hours. Once this was good I new the cycle was more or less done on the ammonia front. That was about 20 something days (traveling so don't have exact :) ). I've since watched over time Nitrites going to zero and know I'm ready.

During this whole time no skimmer or lighting outside natural light. I am expecting, and looking forward, to diatoms and hair algae. I'll drop a 50% water change then move over my 40 breeder so the clean up crew, fish, and corals, will have stuff to munch on. Pukani is really nice rock but honestly having used it now compared to the live Fiji I had years ago it doesn't compare. Hitch hikers is part of the fun but if I had to do it again I would go with TBS rock. 2 children in college lead me down the Pukani path :) All part of the ride in this hobby.

Just say away from the acid bath - go slow and you will be fine. Lots of people using the rock with great success.

 

[Smo]

Thank you to all who have replied so quickly to my question. I appreciate the input.

(the following rant is not based exclusively on those who replied here, but on the many reefing forums and YouTube videos I have been viewing)

This hobby obviously involves nearly infinite numbers of variables that need to be factored in, balanced, and adjusted in multiple combinations in order to achieve a healthy tank. My biggest challenge seems to be finding a definitive source of advice. Everyone seems to have an opinion, and they are all across the board. But because there are so many variables, it’s difficult to know if one person’s opinion (or experience) is accurate for my particular situation. It seems that few people are basing their opinions on actual science with measured and repeatable results, or at a minimum are not explaining the full details of their experience and how they came to their conclusions.

From my research, I believe the dry rock will leach phosphates for several weeks while sitting in saltwater, but it may be possible to filter our the phosphates with either GFO or PhosGuard in a reactor with the return pump running, in addition to possibly growing cheato in the refugium to help absorb the phosphates. Additionally, a carbon reactor and frequent water changes can help with reducing the odors. I have my system set up for fully automated water changes, so this could run in the background with no interaction needed. Lastly, leaving the lights off and even covering the tank to block out ambient light will help avoid algae growth. Once the phosphate levels are under control, I could begin cycling the tank using Dr. Tim's bacteria and start monitoring ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites.

So with all that said, am I still setting myself up for a nightmare if I cure the rock in my display tank as some have predicted, or are those nightmares they experienced due to not following some of the procedures I outlined above?

You’ve learned a lot already. Most of the info out there—and there is a great deal of good info on this forum—is anecdotal. To be successful in this hobby you need to be willing to experiment. That’s a big part of the fun. Just don’t make sweeping changes. Slow and subtle is better. There are exceptions of course.
Given the work you have done so far...go ahead and cure the Pukani in your DT. It could be nasty for the first week or so. Run your skimmer like crazy. Wet skim and drain the cup in a bucket if practical.
I think GFO would be impractical to export all the phosphate. I suggest dosing lanthanum chloride (SeaKlear). Although I cured my Pukani in a trash can in the garage, regular doses of LC helped leach the phosphates out. Following cycling, just be sure to complete a major water change prior to adding livestock—especially wrasses.
Once you get thru the ugly stages you will love the look and performance of Pukani.

 

[kswan]

FWIW, I built my aqua scape and then disassembled to cure. I went with a bleach soak for 2 weeks followed by 4 weeks in heated saltwater. My system started in July 2017 with 100% dry pukani and things are going well.

 

[Whispers]

Hey suncrest I’m setting up a xxl750 and I’m curing it in the tank I never had any smell my water is a tad bit yellow it’s been running almost 3 weeks I’m running gfo phos went from .48 to .18 . I’m going to run a month than add sand and Bacteria

 

[dmunyon8]

I started my new Reef tank 4 months ago and I used 40lbs of Pukani from BRS. I had the rock sit in water/bleach solution for 5 days let it dry then rinsed in with RO/DI several times. My rock turned out great! I haven’t had any algae issues in my tank. I wouldn’t use any acid on it or you’ll take away a lot of the rock itself. Bleach works just as good as acid and it’s way safer!

 

[Todvod]

Does anyone think it would be possible to cure the rock in the display tank using saltwater and running the carbon & GFO reactors to help deal with the smell and water color, do frequent water changes over several weeks, and test frequently for phosphates, ammonia, and nitrates/nitrites?

Look up CJ’s aquariums on YouTube. He’s got a tone of vids and his latest build is an SCA 120 gallon with Pukani rock that he cured and cycled in the tank. He still had to deal with plenty of alge but he discusses his reasons and there’s no denying he’s got a fantastic tank. And a smooth radio voice. Haha

 

[Legal Reefer]

I unpacked my pukani, pulled out any visible dry dead material (I realize there will be some you can't get or see) and rinsed it really good with fresh water from my garden hose that has really good pressure. I then placed it in a heavy duty brute container with salt water, powerhead and heater. By the time I did the first water change the water had yellowed some and had an odor but it was by no means as foul and bad as others say they have experienced. It was curing in my house in a bedroom right beside our living room and never had a odor that bad even when standing right over it. I would definatly not do an acid bath. If I was that worried about treating it I would go the bleach route that others have done. Like some one else suggested I would cure it in the display covered to keep light out. But I would also not add sand until the rock was in the tank and cured. I always place rock first anyway to protect tunneling livestock from getting crushed as they dig sand away from under the rock. I usually start my tanks with live rock because I also like to see what interesting creatures pop up, but I'm also not purchasing expensive corals that would be put in jeopardy from hitch hikers. I buy inexpensive frags to grow out. Still a bummer to see something eat your favorite zoas though...lol.....that's one reason I went dry this time. You can do the research as you are doing now and make good informed decisions. The best advice I was ever given was to be patient and take it slow. I think you will pull it off and end up with a beautiful reef tank. Please be sure to share pics of your progress with us.

 

[gpwdr]

Would never run a tank full of Pukani without a muriatic acid dip.

Why a acid dip?

 

[TRNANCE]

I'm setting up a brand new Reefer 425 XL aquarium for the first time, and I purchased 60 lbs of dry Pukani rock from BRS. Somewhere along the way I read that this rock is free from most hitchhikers and I think I interpreted that to mean it's ready to just put in the tank and start cycling. But now as I'm getting ready to fill the tank with water and get started, I'm starting to read articles saying the rock should be soaked in acid and dried, then cured for weeks before putting it into the tank.

I have already put the rock in my display tank without any prep work and have done a lot of aquascaping along with 80 lbs of Tropic Eden sand, so I'm hoping I don't need to rip it all out and start over because I skipped the step of acid washing/curing. Is it possible to cure the rock in the display tank without the acid wash and start the cycling process? Will it stink us out of the house?? I do have two carbon and GFO reactors plus a biopellet reactor plumbed into my sump if that will help.

It's a little frustrating that there's no definitive guide on how this is supposed to work. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!!!

We cured our Pukani outside in big trash cans for at least a month; there was some pretty nasty stuff that came off of that rock and I don’t think you would not want it in your new tank. Sorry I know that’s not what you want to hear.

 

[KJAG]

Why a acid dip?

Because I’ve tried the bleach method and it didn’t even come close to stripping the rock of nearly as many organics as an MA dip. The key is to simply not leave the rock in the MA for too long. I don’t go beyond ten minutes, where I’ve previously gone 30 which was a mistake. There are however some benefits to a long MA dip for heavy, solid pieces of Pukani however. It’ll open the solid heavy pieces up more, allowing for more crevices/ caves to appear with hardly any chiseling/ cutting. Whereas the same time frame for a delicate piece would possibly almost disintegrate it.

 

[Firedawg1983]

I used both muratic acid and bleach(not at the same time) and haven’t had any issues. The Pukani is clean and looks great! I already have another bucket of pukani soaking to make some more archways.

 

[Seminoles76]

Another vote for bleaching the Pukani as others have stated. I bleached 100 lbs of mine for 12 hours in about a 4:1 water to bleach ratio for about 12 hours. Rinsed in tap about ten times, then with RODI. Then soaked in RODI and added applicable amount of prime. Then one last rinse in RODI. Entire process took about 14 hours or so. Put the rock in the tank and threw a bunch of bottle bacteria on it. I eventually had to start dosing Phosphate after months of reading zero phosphate on test kits and extremely heavy feeding. I also dose NO3. I do run bare bottom with heavy flow and a oversize skimmer so that could be a reason for the super low nutrients.

 

[rkpetersen]

Wow, so many slightly or significantly different techniques being described here, it must be dizzying/confusing for the OP and others.

So I'll just add my own .02. I recently set up a Reefer 450 with 80 lb of dry rock, mostly pukani with some marco thrown in. Now 5 weeks since DT startup, without any water changes, frequent testing has shown no ammonia ever, a tiny amount of nitrite on the first day only, stable nitrate of 0-1 ppm and phosphorus of 2-10 ppb (<.03 ppm phosphate). Fish, a few corals, and quite a few anemones already, all doing great. Some mild filamentous algae growth, just enough to keep the blenny and snails busy. Coralline algae growth just getting started. If you want it to go like this, try the following:

1. Do all work in a Brute garbage can before DT startup, not in your DT.
2. Bathe rock in 10:1 dilute muriatic acid for 1 or 2 hours. Even with dry rock, you can expect lots of brownish bubbling from rapid oxidation of organic matter and dissolution of surface rock.
3. Rinse rocks well in RODI water.
4. Bathe rock in lanthanum chloride solution for 5 days. Use excess lanthanum chloride. Testing for phosphorus at this stage is pointless imo, just use lots of LC to maximize lanthanum phosphate precipitation.
5. Rinse rocks well in RODI water x 3.
6. Add heater and at least two powerheads to the Brute.
7. Cycle rock in fresh saltwater, adding ammonium chloride, some sand from an established DT, and several different brands of startup bacteria. Keep adding smaller doses of ammonium chloride and bacteria daily until testing shows 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite. Timing may vary; in this case, it took 7 days. (Nitrate at this point will be off the chart.)
8. Rinse rocks well in new warm saltwater, let excess water drip off, and place in DT. :)

 

[SuncrestReef]

Wow, so many slightly or significantly different techniques being described here, it must be dizzying/confusing for the OP and others.

Yes, this has gotten away from the original question of whether I can cure the dry Pukani directly in my new display tank and turned more into a debate of acid/bleach or not.

I spoke directly with someone at BRS who said curing in the DT without bleaching or acid will be fine, and several other R2R members emailed me directly with first-hand experience also confirming it should be fine. Since I'm already set up with media reactors and a 100% automated water change system, here's what I am going to do:

1. I have removed all the sand from my display tank to avoid infesting it with any material coming off the rocks. Since it was still dry, this was relatively easy.
2. I removed 3 larger free-standing pieces of Pukani that were not glued to the rest of the aquascape and placed them in a tub with heated RO/DI water and a powerhead. They have been soaking now for over 24 hours and there is no smell whatsoever, and very little detritus or coloration in the water. Several people warned the rock will stink link crazy as soon as it gets wet. Either they were exaggerating, or perhaps my Pukani is much cleaner than theirs was, but so far that has not been the case. I basically wanted to get a sense of how dirty the initial water will be.
3. I am going to leave the rest of the aquascape in place in the DT and fill it with salt water tomorrow after I finally get my return pump installed.
4. I am going to leave the return pump and powerheads running.
5. If it starts to smell, I will turn on my carbon reactor.
6. I'll be monitoring for phosphates and if they start getting high, I'll turn on my GFO reactor.
7. I'll set my automatic water changes to flush about 5 gallons per day.
8. Every couple of days I will blast the rocks with a turkey baster and/or go over each rock with the powerhead to hopefully release any dead material. Then I will vacuum out what I can from the bottom of the tank. This should be much easier without the sand.
9. I'll check and clean out the filter socks every couple days or more if needed.
10. I might run the skimmer to see if it collects anything.
11. Once the phosphates are under control, I'll turn off the reactors, add the sand back in, turn off the auto water change, and begin a normal cycling process starting with Dr. Tim's.

Thanks for all your opinions, but I don't think I'm going to get a definitive answer to my original question unless I just try it.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Yes, this has gotten away from the original question of whether I can cure the dry Pukani directly in my new display tank and turned more into a debate of acid/bleach or not.

I spoke directly with someone at BRS who said curing in the DT without bleaching or acid will be fine, and several other R2R members emailed me directly with first-hand experience also confirming it should be fine. Since I'm already set up with media reactors and a 100% automated water change system, here's what I am going to do:

1. I have removed all the sand from my display tank to avoid infesting it with any material coming off the rocks. Since it was still dry, this was relatively easy.
2. I removed 3 larger free-standing pieces of Pukani that were not glued to the rest of the aquascape and placed them in a tub with heated RO/DI water and a powerhead. They have been soaking now for over 24 hours and there is no smell whatsoever, and very little detritus or coloration in the water. Several people warned the rock will stink link crazy as soon as it gets wet. Either they were exaggerating, or perhaps my Pukani is much cleaner than theirs was, but so far that has not been the case. I basically wanted to get a sense of how dirty the initial water will be.
3. I am going to leave the rest of the aquascape in place in the DT and fill it with salt water tomorrow after I finally get my return pump installed.
4. I am going to leave the return pump and powerheads running.
5. If it starts to smell, I will turn on my carbon reactor.
6. I'll be monitoring for phosphates and if they start getting high, I'll turn on my GFO reactor.
7. I'll set my automatic water changes to flush about 5 gallons per day.
8. Every couple of days I will blast the rocks with a turkey baster and/or go over each rock with the powerhead to hopefully release any dead material. Then I will vacuum out what I can from the bottom of the tank. This should be much easier without the sand.
9. I'll check and clean out the filter socks every couple days or more if needed.
10. I might run the skimmer to see if it collects anything.
11. Once the phosphates are under control, I'll turn off the reactors, add the sand back in, turn off the auto water change, and begin a normal cycling process starting with Dr. Tim's.

Thanks for all your opinions, but I don't think I'm going to get a definitive answer to my original question unless I just try it.

Plan sounds solid to me. Congratulations on your decisiveness! :)

 

[spiraling]

Everyone has a "best" way, and even a consensus of best practices only work a fraction of the time. Research is good, but this hobby is far from scientific. You have a solid plan.

I started with BRS pukani and tonga. I did cure it for 8+ weeks (no acid or bleach), and still did get a ton of hair algae (really more a turf style) and then cyano for a long time. I don't blame the rocks leaching, as my phosphates and nitrates keep bottoming out at 0 (on the hanna uls). I do blame the rock for being dead and it taking a lot longer to even get simple life forms to establish, and individual dominant life forms to flourish. I'm over a year now and the coraline is just getting going, even though I have seeded it many times. Your tank might be completely different and you my get coraline everywhere as soon as you introduce it. If you can get some good live rock, even a small amount, it will help your tank mature much faster.

My last tank was live rock from a local reefer and I had two really bad hitchhikers that caused me to tear down the tank. So starting dry, waiting, waiting, waiting, and dipping and QT everything is on my list this time. I still have no regrets about starting dry. If you take it all out and cure it in a rubbermaid, or just cure it in the tank, is the same amount of time. Carbon will certainly help with any smell. You can also add ammonia and start cycling. My bet is in 6 weeks your tank will be just as ready as if you cured it in the garage, and already cycled.

The only advice - if anyone cures it or not - is that the pukani has a TON of sponges in it. I cut my pukani a lot and always found them inside, even after curing. Take a flashlight and tweezers and keep trying to get them out to speed up the curing. Also run your skimmer just to get it broken in, but I bet it pulls out a ton of gunk.

Good luck, welcome to the hobby, have fun with the science, and embrace being patient :)

 

[spiraling]

And I should mention -
step 12 I would do a 99% water change to get rid of anything that leached out before adding fish or corals to the tank. Even if you cycle now (and I think you should) you will have enough bacteria on the rocks and sand to be fine. It will also get rid of the silicon and other things leaching from your new equipment.

 

[Seminoles76]

Yes, this has gotten away from the original question of whether I can cure the dry Pukani directly in my new display tank and turned more into a debate of acid/bleach or not.

I spoke directly with someone at BRS who said curing in the DT without bleaching or acid will be fine, and several other R2R members emailed me directly with first-hand experience also confirming it should be fine. Since I'm already set up with media reactors and a 100% automated water change system, here's what I am going to do:

1. I have removed all the sand from my display tank to avoid infesting it with any material coming off the rocks. Since it was still dry, this was relatively easy.
2. I removed 3 larger free-standing pieces of Pukani that were not glued to the rest of the aquascape and placed them in a tub with heated RO/DI water and a powerhead. They have been soaking now for over 24 hours and there is no smell whatsoever, and very little detritus or coloration in the water. Several people warned the rock will stink link crazy as soon as it gets wet. Either they were exaggerating, or perhaps my Pukani is much cleaner than theirs was, but so far that has not been the case. I basically wanted to get a sense of how dirty the initial water will be.
3. I am going to leave the rest of the aquascape in place in the DT and fill it with salt water tomorrow after I finally get my return pump installed.
4. I am going to leave the return pump and powerheads running.
5. If it starts to smell, I will turn on my carbon reactor.
6. I'll be monitoring for phosphates and if they start getting high, I'll turn on my GFO reactor.
7. I'll set my automatic water changes to flush about 5 gallons per day.
8. Every couple of days I will blast the rocks with a turkey baster and/or go over each rock with the powerhead to hopefully release any dead material. Then I will vacuum out what I can from the bottom of the tank. This should be much easier without the sand.
9. I'll check and clean out the filter socks every couple days or more if needed.
10. I might run the skimmer to see if it collects anything.
11. Once the phosphates are under control, I'll turn off the reactors, add the sand back in, turn off the auto water change, and begin a normal cycling process starting with Dr. Tim's.

Thanks for all your opinions, but I don't think I'm going to get a definitive answer to my original question unless I just try it.

Your question was answered right off the top in post 3 and then again in post 24 and 26 stating that it was alright to cycle in the tank which nobody refuted. Others just gave their experience on how they did it to give you options. Good luck with the new setup.

 

[Legal Reefer]

Sounds like you have a solid plan. I was thinking the same thing as you on the horrible smelling curing pukani. I must have gotten a clean batch also because as I stated earlier mine was in my house with no problem. My wife would have definatly told me if she had even noticed it at all.

 

[rkpetersen]

I started with BRS pukani and tonga. I did cure it for 8+ weeks (no acid or bleach), and still did get a ton of hair algae (really more a turf style) and then cyano for a long time. I don't blame the rocks leaching, as my phosphates and nitrates keep bottoming out at 0 (on the hanna uls). I do blame the rock for being dead and it taking a lot longer to even get simple life forms to establish, and individual dominant life forms to flourish. I'm over a year now and the coraline is just getting going, even though I have seeded it many times. Your tank might be completely different and you my get coraline everywhere as soon as you introduce it. If you can get some good live rock, even a small amount, it will help your tank mature much faster.

I'm having much the same experience right now. Despite treating the rocks with acid, lanthanum, and cycle before adding them to the DT, and even though phosphorus has been reading 0 from the start, I'm still getting quite a bit of brownish algae growth on these rocks. And I have seeded with so much coralline algae from my established DT, of at least two different varieties, but it has completely failed to take hold in the new DT as yet. However, I am seeing some coralline algae growing on glass surfaces in the sump/refugium, 6 weeks after system startup, so I consider that to be a positive sign.

This is my first time with dry rock. Not sure I'll use it again. Everything gets established, functional, and attractive so much faster with live rock. Although picking up some unwanted hitchhikers seem to be almost unavoidable, which like you is the reason I thought I'd try dry rock this time around.