What to do with this rock?

[Macdaddynick1]

So I just picked up some rock from my friend's tank. It's still alive and I don't really want to kill it, however it has hair algae on it. I was wondering whether I can just dip it in hydrogen peroxide to remove the hair algae and keep the rock alive, .... or should I just dry it out and go through the whole muriatic acid process?

 

[dbl]

I think someone on the [HASHTAG]#reefsquad[/HASHTAG] is a peroxide user. I'm not sure it will take care of the hair algae though. I personally would kill it and start over but you may want to see if someone chimes in with more information.

 

[Shep]

Muriatic acid would be the only way to be 100% sure that you killed it all, any other method would leave the possibility that some of the HA survived.

 

[melypr1985]

I would just put it in a small tank with like 20 hermit crabs. They will clean that rock for you :D

 

[domination2580]

Or remove all you can manually and as long as your tank has very minimal phosphates and nitrates which is what they feed on you should be good and it should starve itself out

 

[LetItReef]

+1 manual removal and Lawnmower blenny and Turbo snails.

 

[KDirk]

put it in a food grade rubber made garbage can with a heater and powerhead, cover wait about a week or 2 and test phosphate. If its really high use the Lanthanum Chloride method.

 

[domination2580]

put it in a food grade rubber made garbage can with a heater and powerhead, cover wait about a week or 2 and test phosphate. If its really high use the Lanthanum Chloride method.

I like the whole test on phosphates. But ive never heard of the lanthanum chloride method. Could you give us all some insight?

 

[KDirk]

Lanthanum Chloride is used in swimming pool phosphate removers. You drip it real slow with saltwater into a filter sock it binds the phosphate and sticks in the sock when you remove the sock before it overflows. Its a cheep way to remove po4. You can do it in the tank but you have to be real careful and drip slow, most of it binds.

 

[KDirk]

Read this
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2059711

 

[KDirk]

Hope I can post that here.

 

[domination2580]

Ok i personally don't do reef central. Say if i wanted to do this what steps should i do? How would i do it? What if i dont have a sump? And how much do i add? What is the exact stuff i would use?

 

[KDirk]

http://www.beananimal.com/articles/lanthanum-chloride-and-tangs.aspx

 

[domination2580]

http://www.beananimal.com/articles/lanthanum-chloride-and-tangs.aspx

Thank you sir! I might have to try it. I appreciate the willingness to help others out!

 

[KDirk]

if you google it their are many ways to use it. First thing is why do you need it high po4 or green hair algae? I used mine in water change water. My city water adds po4 to coat the pipes to prevent rusting out of the tap I was getting 1.87 po4 at the tap after ro/di I was still getting .03 so i used it to drop it to .00 at least I knew I was putting in clean water. I use SeaKlear Phosphate Remover.

 

[domination2580]

I have green hair algae and some elevated po4.

 

[KDirk]

How big is your tank? Have you ever tested your po4 after your ro/di? My last was a 125g I started getting gha so i started doing more and larger water changes but it kept getting worse then i figured it out bad clean water.

 

[domination2580]

40b and that does make sense. And no i havent. My nitrates are high. But when i test po4 you can barely two there's any at all using salifert test kit.

 

[domination2580]

Amd my triton test says i have like a .304 phosphate

 

[domination2580]

So yeah they are high