Setting up a new tank w/ "used" dry rock - Seeking advise

[Dan_P]

Some of the outer edges, yes.

I would get rid of them or at least use only the ones that are not crumbling.

 

[bakbay]

They're not falling apart by any means. If they were, I would have gone another direction.

I guess we'll see how long it takes for the rocks to cook. If it seems like it's not going well, I'll remove and dry them, then bleach and start over. Only time will tell.

Ok - perhaps I read it wrong. You’ve asked for the “least screw-ups as possible”. Looking at the responses, almost unanimously folks are saying that you should treat the rocks (with muriatic acid / bleach) outside the tank. You’re basically just let things “cook” inside the tank as-is and wait & see. I honestly don’t understand the logic of using untreated rocks but that’s just me.

Good luck with your experiment.

 

[Hex_Reefer]

Ok - perhaps I read it wrong. You’ve asked for the “least screw-ups as possible”. Looking at the responses, almost unanimously folks are saying that you should treat the rocks (with muriatic acid / bleach) outside the tank. You’re basically just let things “cook” inside the tank as-is and wait & see. I honestly don’t understand the logic of using untreated rocks but that’s just me.

Good luck with your experiment.

Because untreated rock is not the fastest way to have a tank ready to go, but it will still work. Nutrients that are built up in the rocks will Leach out into the water and then be removed with water changes. This is not the first time I've done this exact method, my Nano tank was started 8 years ago using the same untreated dry rock that I had laying around from a different build.

This is however the first time I've done this with a bare bottom and no live sand from the start. My main question that I wanted information on was sand or no sand during this cooking/cycling process.

After speaking with a local fish store employee today, I've decided the live sand is going in this weekend as well as some live rock from my Nano tank, as planned.

 

[Joshua Jordan]

Hey all,

I am setting up a new tank (112g Innovative Marine lagoon - used and running just prior to my purchase 2 weeks ago, no live stock included, just tank/sump/return pump/skimmer). Much of the rock I will be using is very old dry rock that I had in a previous tank that was removed and set aside over 10 years ago. The rock sat around in an old plastic bin in my back yard for years. The bin sorta fell apart in the AZ heat which introduced a lot of bugs into the rock. To start the cleaning process on the rocks, I soaked them in water I collected from water changes from my other 30g tank. I then scrubbed the rocks down with a nylon brush and aggressively swished the rocks around in the water to remove as much filth as possible. (All of this rock is real ocean rock from back in the day when you didn't need a lean on your house to afford it)

End goal of cycle/cook process:
-Get this rock cooked/cycled as efficiently as possible
-Add live rock from another tank at some point (I am moving 5 fish and some live rock from a 30g tank that's been operating for many years)
-Add a medium depth live-sand bed (sand is a mix of new live sand and dry sand for cost purposes - mostly live sand)


The plan:
-cook/cycle dry rock in the main tank
-process will happen on a bare bottom for easy clean up of die-off and to keep the live-sand bed clean - rock
-add bacteria to aid process
-weekly water changes (~25%)
-Wait until ammonia drops to 0
-Remove rock (keeping rock wet in a bin during process)
-Add sand bed/place rock/aqua-scape/add live rock from old tank (all in one step)
-Wait for any cycling to finish after addition of live sand and old live rock

Current status:
-Bare bottom w/ corrugated plastic sheets to protect glass bottom
-Saltwater/rock added 5 days ago (Mix of RO and RODI water per what I could obtain, there's some phosphates going in to start. RODI system coming soon)
-3 power heads running
-Lights off
-sump/return not running because I lost the return pump power-pack (replacement in mail)
-Recommended dose (for new tanks) of aquavitro "seed" added today (bacteria)

Questions:
-Should I continue to add bacteria during this cooking/cycling process per the instructions?
-Am I actually cooking/cycling at the same time, or just cooking?
-If I continue to add bacteria, should I feed that bacteria with some fish food every few days?
-Should I add in a damsel fish to aid in ammonia production at some point? If so, when?
-Per my plan, should I continue to wait until ammonia drops to 0 to add the new live sand and live rock from the other tank? Or, should I just do this asap?

The reason for the post is to lean on the collective experience of this group to complete this setup process as efficiently as possible, with as few screw-ups as possible.


Please feel free to ask any an all questions to obtain any info I may have left out. Thanks in advance for any advise.

I copied and pasted part of one of my replies on a similar topic. I used to start all of my tank using live rock and I also have used old dried out live rock similar to your situation.

Here is the last method I ussed and it has been up and going for nearly two years and I never once had an "ugly phase" (diatoms, etc.)

"I have been storing live rock for around 15 months. The only thing I do is check it about once every month or two for salinity and nitrates. I have done two water changes in the entire 15 months and both were about 10 gallons. (they are in a 36 gallon BRUTE trashcan with a lid. Inside I keep the smallest wave maker that Jebao makes....I think it is the Jebao SW-2.....I also keep a heater in it set to 79F. The reason I decided to start it so long before I set up my tank is because I had finally had it with starting my reef tanks off with live rock from other people's tanks. I wanted an "instant tank" where I didn't have to wait long for the tank to be seeded with beneficial bacteria and be cycled. I started out with dry rock.....here is how I went about it:

First, I cured or "cooked" my dry rock...I did this by soaking my live rock in 1 part bleach and 2 part tap water for about a week. This guarantees that every bit of life that was in and on those rocks were completely dead. After that I neutralized the bleach by purchasing some Sodium Thiosulfate Pentahydrate, otherwise known as Swimming Pool Dechlorinator. (it is the exact same stuff that people use in freshwater tanks to remove the chlorine in tap water, only MUCH MUCH stronger). I soak the live rocks in water with a couple of tablespoons of the dechlorinator crystals. This ensures that all of the bleach is completely gone and neutralized.

It was at this point that I put the cured rock in the BRUTE trashcan with some freshly made from RODI saltwater. (salinity = 1.026 or 35ppt) I then proceeded to follow the steps in Dr. Tim's fishless cycle. (using Dr. Tim's Ammonium Chloride and Bacteria) but instead of using Dr. Tim's One and Only, I used Brightwell MicroBacter7 as the source of beneficial bacteria. I followed the exact steps in Dr. Tim's method and it worked perfectly. All of my tests that I have done over the past 15 months have been 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and a tiny tiny bit of nitrates. Every now and then I will feed it a tiny bit of flake fish food and a small amount of MB7.

I am planning on supplementing my live rocks by using some plastic bioballs in a media bag in my sump so I have them soaking in my BRUTE container, too. The whole reason I am going to all of this trouble is because the last two tanks I have started with actual live rock from another person's tank and each time I have gotten a terrible hitchhiker. Aiptasia in both and Vermetid Snails in one. I now understand why most new tanks these days are started using dry rock....it is the only way to avoid pests and hitchhikers from the beginning. I will also be dipping everything that I put in this new tank, as well. I am also going to be starting the tank with a healthy colony of copepods. I am hoping to avoid the ugly phase all together...fingers crossed."

Like I said, I wrote the above content between the quotes a while back and thought you might get some use from it.