What to do with LR

[mussedeq]

Ok so I won a new tank with everything (here is a vid.) I want to know what to do with my LR now frankly it is covered with aiptasia (but has no other problems like hair algae) and I want to know how to sell it for a good price. I will start off with some nice clean base rock (for omy new tank) so I will not have any problems this time, but i will try to get Florida live sand for both my sump and main tank so my diamond goby can eat well. How much can I sell my live rock per pound? It has plenty of rich purple coralline algae. Can i cure the live rock in a dark tank will that get rid of the aiptasia? What do you recommend I do, also any good lfs that won't sell aiptasia infested liverock in the Orange County Area? On another note avoid Pacific Reef tropical fish and Coral Oasis go to new Age aquariums instead!

[Sisterlimonpot]

To Reef Central

As for the rock I usually buy LR for about $2-$3 a pound I've seen some people selling it upwards of $8 a pound it all depends on if you get that sucker that needs LR in a hurry, but if it has aiptasia you won't get too much for it. I used to have a copperband that I wanted LR covered in aiptasia so if you find someone that is planning on getting or has a CBB they may jump on it.

[Sisterlimonpot]

BTW, I watched the video, looks like you are a lucky guy. Be sure to read up on everything. I would advise not to use the bioballs convert the sump into a refugium. It sounds like you have your priorities right (with school) the tank can wait. Good luck with you new winnings.

[mussedeq]

Yup last summer I read basically everything I could get my hands on from the internet and book stores. Thanks for the advice.

[Dont Ask Me]

Why dont you use your old rock in your new tank?, as for the aptasia a nice boiling vinegar bath will solve the problem.

[Dont Ask Me]

Then you will have clean base rock.

[mussedeq]

Good idea. Will it leave any chemicals Behind and what will happen to the coralline algae?

[Sugar Magnolia]

It will kill any living organisms on the rock, including the coraline algae. Basically it will be dead base rock after doing something as drastic as boiling it with vinegar and water. Have you tried peppermint shrimp to get rid of the aiptasia?

[Fizz71]

+1 on treating the rock and keeping it. Even dead rock will become live again if it's seeded with other neighboring live rock. I would find a good way to nuke it then buy a small amount of good live rock to reseed it. Even dead rock can get expensive if you have to ship so I wouldn't give any of it up. I've never nuked LR, so no advise from me on how, but I will tell you that I have over 50lbs of rock in my system that was dead when I got it; I can no longer tell which is which.

[Zappo]

I nuke rocks the lazy way. Whenever I spot an undesirable pest like aptasia or bubble algae on a rock that can be removed, I just take it out and set it on a shelf. A month or two later when I remember it, I give it a good rinse to remove dried up algae and stuff and put it back in the tank.

I've seen people who have done tests, and as long as aptasia is submerged in saltwater it won't die no matter how long they "cooked" it in a dark tank. If you're impatient, boiling it will be the fastest way to get a nice clean rock. If not, just letting it dry out somewhere (preferably in the sun) will do fine. Either way, if you want clean base rock for your tank, the piece you have can be used.

On a side note: Live sand is overpriced. Dry sand works just as well, with a cup or two from an established tank to get some sand critters. Or all dry sand, and drop in some live rock from an established tank. I just set up a new tank with 80 lbs of dry sand about 2 weeks ago, and with 2 fist sized rocks from my old tank I was able to kickstart the worm/pod population. It really doesn't take much, and I already have a couple worms tunneling around under the sand.

[tuc2]

Looks great! Just an FYI check the dates on your test kits, I just got a marineland test kit and all the test packets were expired by almost a year. All the local shops have been having them on there clearence racks. Look at the individule foil packets there is a exp. date on them.

Have fun with the new setup.

Andy

[chuckreef]

I would put your LR in a large rubber made with a single powerhead and a heater and a half dozen peppermint shrimp. I did this with zero mainentance except for adding a little makeup water once a month. After six months the LR came out white and mejano free (like aiptasia), but the coralline came back like gangbusters even with out any seeding.

I would not kill with harsh chemicals, keep the microbial stuff alive and let darkness and time take care of the non-microbe pests.

[mussedeq]

Originally Posted by tuc2

Looks great! Just an FYI check the dates on your test kits, I just got a marineland test kit and all the test packets were expired by almost a year. All the local shops have been having them on there clearence racks. Look at the individule foil packets there is a exp. date on them.

Have fun with the new setup.

Andy

Never mind it looks like you were right and they expired in 06. Is it still good, somewhat useful, or useless?

[Dont Ask Me]

06! i would be taking it back and telling them to shove it, that is way past being of any use what so ever.

[steelhead77]

A Burnz-o-Matic torch will take care of any Aiptasia on any rock lickety-split. Plus it won't kill the whole rock.