Using live rock that has been sitting in fresh water.

[fizzlefish]

A very nice gentleman has offered some live rock to me for my larger tank. It has been sitting in fresh water for 4 months not salt. Should I clean and "bake" it before use? In my mind everything in that rock is going to die off and cause major issues going from fresh to salt or am i wrong? I am going from a established 32 gallon to a RSM 250. The bio load is minimal so I dont know that I need the additional rock at the moment but will be for future use.

 

[stoney7713]

A very nice gentleman has offered some live rock to me for my larger tank. It has been sitting in fresh water for 4 months not salt. Should I clean and "bake" it before use? In my mind everything in that rock is going to die off and cause major issues going from fresh to salt or am i wrong? I am going from a established 32 gallon to a RSM 250. The bio load is minimal so I dont know that I need the additional rock at the moment but will be for future use.

It's no longer live saltwater rock. It would be the same as starting from dry. Totally different environments.

 

[Unique Fins]

A very nice gentleman has offered some live rock to me for my larger tank. It has been sitting in fresh water for 4 months not salt. Should I clean and "bake" it before use? In my mind everything in that rock is going to die off and cause major issues going from fresh to salt or am i wrong? I am going from a established 32 gallon to a RSM 250. The bio load is minimal so I dont know that I need the additional rock at the moment but will be for future use.

Nothing will live, bacteria and microfauna for salt and fresh are completely different

 

[fizzlefish]

Sounds good. Looks like ill put it in another tank and let it cycle separately. Appreciate the feedback.

 

[brandon429]

you have a chance to provide cycling data nobody has provided before.

put them in saltwater and take a baseline ammonia test right after, to show the known controlled condition, post that baseline ammonia pic so there's something to compare to

buy dr. tim's cycling ammonia, and input NOT the degree to cause 2ppm as everyone does, but the degree to cause .5 ppm and then take another test picture to show your kit was able to read that large jump. if it can't read it, find a kit that can, and take it's picture of the .5 condition.

wait 48 hours and post the third resolution pic, everyone will expect it to be the same as the .5 pic #2

but it might not be, and that's the missing data. dosing to 2 ppm wrecks cycle studies because most kits, and kit handlers, can't get proper readouts at that mega high dose. .5 is a far more sensible test load for today's cheap non digital ammonia kits, and that's still a huge amount of ammonia to clear in two days.


we need a ten day test + pic as well, to prove the transferred-in bacteria didn't die. so that's 4 total pics for new cycling data.

 

[fizzlefish]

you have a chance to provide cycling data nobody has provided before.

put them in saltwater and take a baseline ammonia test right after, to show the known controlled condition, post that baseline ammonia pic so there's something to compare to

buy dr. tim's cycling ammonia, and input NOT the degree to cause 2ppm as everyone does, but the degree to cause .5 ppm and then take another test picture to show your kit was able to read that large jump. if it can't read it, find a kit that can, and take it's picture of the .5 condition.

wait 48 hours and post the third resolution pic, everyone will expect it to be the same as the .5 pic #2

but it might not be, and that's the missing data. dosing to 2 ppm wrecks cycle studies because most kits, and kit handlers, can't get proper readouts at that mega high dose. .5 is a far more sensible test load for today's cheap non digital ammonia kits, and that's still a huge amount of ammonia to clear in two days.


we need a ten day test + pic as well, to prove the transferred-in bacteria didn't die. so that's 4 total pics for new cycling data.

Interesting... Might be something I will under take then for the community.

 

[brandon429]

I have several cycling threads I'd link your findings to. I honestly don't know what will happen.

there are strains of bacteria that do both freshwater and salt water...tetra brand cycling bac from wal mart is one of many brands. dual-ability bacteria/euryhaline ones/aren't unheard of so this could be an interesting test. out of the countless experiments done on the board, in the experiments forum, I've never seen this type.