Killing live Rock

[kurplunk]

I'm going to start a new tank, and I wanted to reuse some pieces from my old tank. What is the best method to kill off all the current algae and aptasia.

 

[Apon]

let it sit out in the sun for a week or two : )

 

[jkreefer]

pressure wash it, and then let it sit in the sun. If they make it through that they deserve to be alive

 

[bluenassarius]

got a torch? surefire method in getting rid of the problem. i soak it water first then burn.

where is the torch avatar?

 

[LeviT]

Not sure what a torch would do but it sounds fun I'd opt for boiling it and letting it dry for a week or 2. If you just leave it out in the elements you could get other stuff on it you don't want though couldn't you?

 

[kurplunk]

After letting it sit and drying it out, should i let it sit in a tank of ro water or saltwater? Or can it go straight into the new system.

 

[bluenassarius]

i can tell you that letting it sit and dry out won't remove the algae. it will just grow back where it died off. i just burn the whole rock and recure it. when you let it dry out, its the same thing. things die, and you have to recure. someone gave me some free dried rock before. i put it in the tank and as soon as there was a nutrient spike all this hair algae grew all over the rock. i burn all the dried rock i have before curing just as a precaution now.

 

[scuzy]

i bleached my rocks a few weeks ago. They're al lnice and white now Goign to take a long time to get them to color up and alive again but worth it. Not misc pests.

 

[Gomer]

hard to get rid of all the perchlorate from the rock pores.

Whenever I want to nuke something, I soak it in 3% hydrogen peroxide. The beauty is that time and light will decompose all of the peroxide.

 

[scuzy]

i did the bleaching following the following bleach 2 days, sit in fresh water bin 2 days, take out rinse, sit in fresh water bin for 2 days. Then take out rinse and sit in baking soda to neutralize bleach for 3 days. Take out riunse and sit in fresh water bin for 3 days. Take out and air dry for 3-4 days

 

[Mr. Ugly]

What perchlorate?

"Nuke", not actually blowing it up

 

[Gomer]

oops. hypochlorate. Can't have too much O in there!

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Hehe... the more the better

How about potassium permanganate?

Manganese septoxide, even more fun

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Should be able to bleach and let the organics oxidize.

Then rinse and neutralize with some dechlor.

Then rinse the residual alkalinity.

 

[tuberider]

Oxi-Clean works if your too chicken to use bleach, it just takes longer, I use bleach all the time to clean corals and plastic plants.

Hot water in a bucket 1/4 c bleach (if I'm in a hurry I use 1/2c [don't try this at home]), soak for 15 min. Rinse well, and place in a bucket filled with hot water and a generous dose of Prime, soak for a half hour, re-rinse, toss in bucket to let it drip off and evap a little, place in tank.

I'm not advocating using this method with reef tanks, although I have, my point is it is possible.

Tony, you building a rocketship with all that perchlorate? I've always wanted to go to the moon

 

[kurplunk]

I think i'm going to try the 1/4 of bleach and see how thing work out. Will scrbbing them with a nylon brush make a difference?

 

[Mr. Ugly]

It'll make you more tired for no useful reason

Hehe... just let the bleach do all your work for you

 

[kurplunk]

Thanks for all the help guys!