Reusing old liverock

[scotlandsnewreefer]

Hi people, i just wabt to run my plan by some experienced reef keepers to see if i am on the right track or setting myself uo for a nightmare.

I recently bought preused live rock. I have no better words to describe it really. It was in his garden recently remived from his tank. Hie long i do not know. It was damp and it was a dry couple of days so i dobt think it was long was but thats irrelevent.

I see it as dead rock. Dead rock that will ve full of dying organic matter. So i currently have it in mt tank, submerged, threw in some api quick start and aimed a powerhead across the tank.

I am going to remove the rock and cement it together into a shaoe and then test it to see wether rock is producing ammonia or not. Once i have zero ammonia showing and depending where the nitrite and nitrates levels are i then start raising it with ammonia to cgeck if i can clear the levels within 24 hours. I am used to cycling freshwater tanks and i would dose ammonia until 5ppm. This would be test 0 after 24 hours with no nitrite also. Then i classed my tank as cycled. I have read repeatedly that taking it to 2ppm in a saltwater reef is much more allopriate so that is where i stand.

Is this the correct method. I will also be buying live sand and a full water change after i cement the rockwork and will mainly be monitoring the rocks firstly in order to confirm they are no lo ger producing any dieback and ammonia and that they are in fact filtering the water.

Then aim to get it to handle 2ppm of ammonia in 24 hours consistently and without any spikes. Then add a clean up crew and take it from there?

 

[Fish Fan]

If this rock had been previously used in an aquarium for some time, and has now been outside in a garden, it is for sure absolutely full of organic material that will decay and cause ammonia. Your method (in tank with bacteria and flow) will work, but could take weeks to even months before all the organics are consumed.

Better, in my opinion, is to bleach cure the rock. The bleach will oxidize all the organics in a much shorter period of time, like a few days. Then, you'll have rock that's basically bright, white, brand new base rock

This guide has more details:

Bleach Curing Dry Rock for a Saltwater Reef Tank - BRStv Reef FAQs

There are three main methods for curing live rock for a saltwater reef tank: natural, bleach and acid. Our focus today is using bleach for curing dry rock and we answer three direct questions. 1. What is a bleach cure? 2. When is it appropriate to bleach cure rock? 3. How to do

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Good luck!

 

[scotlandsnewreefer]

If this rock had been previously used in an aquarium for some time, and has now been outside in a garden, it is for sure absolutely full of organic material that will decay and cause ammonia. Your method (in tank with bacteria and flow) will work, but could take weeks to even months before all the organics are consumed.

Better, in my opinion, is to bleach cure the rock. The bleach will oxidize all the organics in a much shorter period of time, like a few days. Then, you'll have rock that's basically bright, white, brand new base rock

This guide has more details:

Bleach Curing Dry Rock for a Saltwater Reef Tank - BRStv Reef FAQs

There are three main methods for curing live rock for a saltwater reef tank: natural, bleach and acid. Our focus today is using bleach for curing dry rock and we answer three direct questions. 1. What is a bleach cure? 2. When is it appropriate to bleach cure rock? 3. How to do

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Good luck!

Thank you for your help. Yeah i was going to assume it was dirty as possible and prepared to wait it out. A good presssure wash and bleach does sound like a good option if it allows me to me to start afresh. Ill check out the atricle. Thanks again

 

[fishface NJ]

I would do as @Fish Fan has said. It's the best way to clean it. Good luck!

 

[scotlandsnewreefer]

Yeah definetly. I read the article and fully on board with this idea. Itll take about a week for my reef cement to be ordered and deliverd and this makes perfect sense to me. Ill get it out the tank and start a 1:10 ratio 100% pure bleach solution and leave it a week.

This would definetly have been plan a if i was aware of it. Thanks to you both