Unique live rock- post hurricane Sandy question

[Sean_South]

SO hurricane Sandy screwed me pretty bad. I had to move and was without power for over a month. On a positive note im starting my tank back up and I am unsure what condition the rock is in/cycle.

Sp prior to the hurricane I had beautifully corralined live rock


Then the hurricane hit leaving me without heat, electric, running water for several weeks. I was able to get to my house and move my rock ( all live stock had died) into a bucket and have it heated and circulated. The problem is this was not for almost three weeks. This was the state of the rock sitting in the tank without heat and circulation for about three weeks


I then was able to have it heated and circulated in new salt water for about a month and a half in a bucket. I was not able to monitor it regularly because a family member was being kind enough to let me have buckets of rock circulating and heated in their house. So I finally found a permanent place to live posthurricane and have tried to set my tank back up and the rock now looks like this






So pretty much the rock has lost practically all of its color. The water, rock and sand, was added February 2nd, and I took some tests last night 2/6 and had the following parameters:
Salinity 1.026
Ammonia .25-.50
Nitrate 5-10

Pretty much I am wondering where I am at. Is this a cycle? Will I have to get a new piece of live rock to seed the tank or is there enough life on the current rock for it to flourish? I am quite confused with the situation because I have not been able to google anybody else having a similiar situation.



Condensed version. Tank crashed due to hurricane, rock sat in uncircualted cold saltwater for about three weeks, then for two months in new, clean circulating warm saltwater and now in the tank, and am just wondering if anyone could chime in on my current situation what to expect/ my next move. Do I need new rock?

Thanks for any help

[Breadman03]

With that ammonia reading, I would say you are having a cycle. Just keep testing and watch as it progresses.

As far as live rock goes, the bacteria that process ammonia are everywhere. You just need to provide a little ammonia (through ghost feeding or using pure ammonia) to feed the bacteria so that their population is big enough to process the waste from your livestock before you stock the tank.

[coralsnaked]

Yes probably a small cycle taking place as I would assume all nitrifying and de-nitrifying bacteria died during the shutdown and there is only a modium of ecayed critters in the rock to start the new cycle. I would treat it as cured dry rock and would boost that cycle thru normal means and monitor for a good ammonia spike in the 5 ppm range. Then continue process from there. Hope your tank is better than ever...

Merry Skerry

[Sean_South]

Originally Posted by Breadman03

With that ammonia reading, I would say you are having a cycle. Just keep testing and watch as it progresses.

As far as live rock goes, the bacteria that process ammonia are everywhere. You just need to provide a little ammonia (through ghost feeding or using pure ammonia) to feed the bacteria so that their population is big enough to process the waste from your livestock before you stock the tank.

I agree, however what I find strange is that there is an ammonia reading. I know I was unable to monitor the rock while in the bucket but I thought any die off would have happened over that two month period and once I put the rock in the tank there would not be any ammonia reading. I just am very confused with my current situation.

[Sean_South]

Originally Posted by coralsnaked

Yes probably a small cycle taking place as I would assume all nitrifying and de-nitrifying bacteria died during the shutdown and there is only a modium of ecayed critters in the rock to start the new cycle. I would treat it as cured dry rock and would boost that cycle thru normal means and monitor for a good ammonia spike in the 5 ppm range. Then continue process from there. Hope your tank is better than ever...

Merry Skerry

Thank you very much for your input! As frustrating as everything has been the last few months, getting this tank back running is a piece of mind that things are on their way back to normalcy. Thanks again

[Slystone]

Put a dead shrimp in there just to be sure..IMO

[brandon429]

The problem is the test kit. Its api ammonia right? They function one percent of the time, there is no ammonia I'll bet. Lets dig further. There are no more life forms to die on the rock.

[brandon429]

Break a test rock in half with a hammer if you want to see the insides, they will be free of organics too.

[Sean_South]

Originally Posted by brandon429

The problem is the test kit. Its api ammonia right? They function one percent of the time, there is no ammonia I'll bet. Lets dig further. There are no more life forms to die on the rock.

Yes I use API for ammonia, I have red sea for Ca Kh and Mg. So what do you think of my current situation? Do you thin ammonia is acually 0? In that case what about the nitrate reading (also API)? I feel I should wait to add a CUC or a hardy fish, any thoughts?

[brandon429]

You gotta admit that was a pretty fly prediction off just pics ok enough self tootin... Truly i would break a test rock, which ever one you guess looks like it would have stinky black ammonia leaking organics

When it looks normal inside, I'll vote no ammonia. The final test is a few lucky cuc members first before fish. No snail death, clean insides, cuc in tank for a week no probs, and i wouldn't care if a hach test kit said there was ammonia I'll call zero. Another ammonia assessment off pics and live rock history nothing but net lol

[Sean_South]

Originally Posted by brandon429

You gotta admit that was a pretty fly prediction off just pics ok enough self tootin... Truly i would break a test rock, which ever one you guess looks like it would have stinky black ammonia leaking organics

When it looks normal inside, I'll vote no ammonia. The final test is a few lucky cuc members first before fish. No snail death, clean insides, cuc in tank for a week no probs, and i wouldn't care if a hach test kit said there was ammonia I'll call zero. Another ammonia assessment off pics and live rock history nothing but net lol

I apologize but I am unfamiliar with the lingo of "break a test rock" Are you suggesting to take a rock I have aquascaped and break it to see if ammonia is released from it? I know I am fairly new in this hobby but I have never heard of this. If you look at one of the pictures of the rock after it had been sitting in the tank without power for a few weeks there is black tar like substance on a few of the rocks that I was unable to figure out what it was and assumed it was coralline dieoff. Could this come back to bite me in the @$$ by harboring bad bacteria?

Thanks again for your input and any help.

[brandon429]

This is what i was thinking in reading your live rock origin recount. Nothing done to that rock was antibiotic, it was antibenthic, killing the top life. It was primarily coralline...not tons of sponges and worms to keep dying for two months. You cared for resident bacteria well imo

[brandon429]

Yes breaking a rock into two reveals the insides since w don't have a trustworthy kit

We would be looking for stinky organic deposits

As of now, the inside is the only place we haven't verified...just a simple test rock its no big deal. My whole pico reef is whack fragments like this. You don't have to break if you prefer not to. A cuc will tell you if there's leaking ammonia.

[Sean_South]

Originally Posted by brandon429

This is what i was thinking in reading your live rock origin recount. Nothing done to that rock was antibiotic, it was antibenthic, killing the top life. It was primarily coralline...not tons of sponges and worms to keep dying for two months. You cared for resident bacteria well imo

Originally Posted by brandon429

Yes breaking a rock into two reveals the insides since w don't have a trustworthy kit

We would be looking for stinky organic deposits

As of now, the inside is the only place we haven't verified...just a simple test rock its no big deal. My whole pico reef is whack fragments like this. You don't have to break if you prefer not to. A cuc will tell you if there's leaking ammonia.

Thank you very much for your help Im heading to work and going to ponder my next move THanks again