Restarting rock?

[smhray]

I’m trying to clean off my rock because I am restarting my tank but I do not want to use bleach or boil it. Is there anything else I can let it sit in or other things I can do to clean it off?

 

[WIReefer]

I’ve heard of others using citric acid

 

[rwreef]

I have done this many times in the past. I normally just powerwash/rinse and put in new tank. Never had any issues with rock I've had for 15yrs.

 

[92Miata]

What are you actually trying to do? What's the problem you're having.

All these things will kill your rock and set you back to basically dry rock. There are very few times this is actually a good idea.

 

[JCTReefer]

If you’re intentions are sterilizing it and removing organics then bleach will do the trick. Some aren’t comfortable using acid. It’s also not any better than bleach anyways. I know you said you don’t want to use it, but it’s really easy to do. There’s details that can found right here. A ratio of about 1:10 will do the trick. Power washer will remove a lot of stuff also. Vinegar soaking is an option also. Never tried that though. You could always just scrub of with a stiff nylon brush using tank water if you want to preserve beneficial bacteria and such. Just don’t let it dry out. Peroxide also works well for algae scrubbing.

 

[cvrle1]

I’m trying to clean off my rock because I am restarting my tank but I do not want to use bleach or boil it. Is there anything else I can let it sit in or other things I can do to clean it off?

Whatever you do DO NOT boil it!!!!! Term cooking rock is often misinterpreted, as people think that you literally need to boil and cook rocks. Bleach is easiest and safest way of killing everything on and in the rock to start over again with clean slate. If you dont know what you are doing with acid, do not use it! It is dangerous and can cause you many issues in a second if you arent careful. Also acid physically destroys layer of rock, so you loose about 10-20% of it, depending on how strong of acid mixture you use, and how long rocks are in the mixture for.

 

[southerntnreefer]

I always do the bleach method. Bin rock with water and bleach for a few days, do a WC, then Water with Prime for a few days, then out to the sun. It gets it all pearly white and ready to use again.