dry rock now black and smelly after seeding

SeeCrabRun · 07/25/2014, 09:47 PM

Obviously did something wrong here. I've had some dry rock growing in a separate tank with a piece of live rock.

The back that has been possibly over exposed to light was almost black with algae and smelled bad.

I just scrubbed it with a brush and rinsed it and need to know if it is OK to go back in the tank to try again.

This picture is after cleaning it.

jay13 · 07/25/2014, 09:54 PM

If it stinks that bad out of water it is probably not cured yet. Big water change in the curing tank and back in it goes for a few weeks.

SeeCrabRun · 07/25/2014, 09:59 PM

Yeah for sure not cured. I was worried it might be Dinoflagellates, but after reading the articles I don't think so.

It wasn't slimy and my snails are doing great. In the tank are 4 nerite snails, who have even laid eggs, and a xanthid crab.

I know that side was getting to much light, possibly not enough circulation, and my nitrates test high but everything else is normal.

I'm moving it all to a larger tank and so replacing a lot of the water.

jay13 · 07/25/2014, 10:06 PM

yup change all the water and let it go for a few weeks. Don't worry too much about seeding it, instead worry about curing it. Seeding can happen in the display, curing should not.

SeeCrabRun · 07/25/2014, 10:09 PM

I'm seeding some in my display as well and it is going beautifully, but i'm a fishless FOWLR at the moment.

I spread it between 2 tanks because I knew it would kill my DT to do it all there but my other tank was too small for all of it at once.

Now I'm confused what the difference between seeding and curing is?

apstreck · 07/25/2014, 10:12 PM

Quote:

yup change all the water and let it go for a few weeks. Don't worry too much about seeding it, instead worry about curing it. Seeding can happen in the display, curing should not.

I disagree here. Curing is for live rock... when you transfer live rock there is a certain amount of die off of the organisms and bacteria that lives in the rock. You cure it to get rid of all this die off so that your nitrates don't blow up in your DT. IMO there is no reason to "cure" dry rock because there is nothing alive in it to die. If you are worried about leaching any phosphates just give it a muratic acid bath. Dry rock can go right into your tank.

jay13 · 07/25/2014, 10:14 PM

"curing" is more of letting the organic garbage on there that is dead or dying finish rotting off. Seeding is usually the process of bacterial colonization of the rock. They are happening at the same time but curing is what you are more concerned with.

apstreck · 07/25/2014, 10:16 PM

That's what I was saying but why cure dry rock? There is no organic garbage to begin with.

SeeCrabRun · 07/25/2014, 10:19 PM

I got the reef saver so I'm not worried about phosphates and yeah there is nothing to die off.

Well now there is... Gross smelling dark brown algae of some kind.

I've got a diatom bloom going on in the tank I believe so maybe it is just extreme concentration of diatoms on the rock?

jay13 · 07/25/2014, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by apstreck

I disagree here. Curing is for live rock... when you transfer live rock there is a certain amount of die off of the organisms and bacteria that lives in the rock. You cure it to get rid of all this die off so that your nitrates don't blow up in your DT. IMO there is no reason to "cure" dry rock because there is nothing alive in it to die. If you are worried about leaching any phosphates just give it a muratic acid bath. Dry rock can go right into your tank.

dry rock is more than the outside surface. the porosity of live rock is what makes it so great in our systems. it allows all kinds of life to live on and in the rock. trusting that there is no organic material in your dry rock because it is dry is a setup to fail. now adding a few pieces to a well established aquarium with a sufficient water volume would not even cause a blip on the radar. filling a newer tank with it and you will be riding out a significant nitrogen cycle. op you are doing it right.

SeeCrabRun · 07/25/2014, 10:24 PM

Except this rock is from an inland reef that dried up a while ago, so it was dry through and through and not just rock that dried out for lack of care.

jay13 · 07/25/2014, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeeCrabRun

I got the reef saver so I'm not worried about phosphates and yeah there is nothing to die off.

Well now there is... Gross smelling dark brown algae of some kind.

I've got a diatom bloom going on in the tank I believe so maybe it is just extreme concentration of diatoms on the rock?

you already have a visual reason to cure your rock in front of you. the argument that it does not need it because of where you bought it does not hold water. most new reef tanks go thru a diatom bloom, but they do not "smell gross" or look like that. your rock needs to cure longer. seeding will happen concurrently.

jay13 · 07/25/2014, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeeCrabRun

Except this rock is from an inland reef that dried up a while ago, so it was dry through and through and not just rock that dried out for lack of care.

all that dirt that covered that reef all those years ago did not clean the detritus and other rotting debris out of that rock. in fact it packed more in most likely. if that rock had no organic matter in it then you would not have foul smelling slimy rock now. you would have clean rock that looked the same as the day you put it in that tank to cure.

SeeCrabRun · 07/25/2014, 10:36 PM

Next question.

Gross side up or down when I put it back in the tank? Or should I be rotating it every so often?

apstreck · 07/25/2014, 10:39 PM

The amount of organic material that would be on dry rock is negligible to a large system. Maybe if you had used live rock that you let dry out and decided to use later it would have too much to use right away, but with dry rock purchased as dry rock, its not an issue. I did give a muratic acid bath just to be safe, but that's not even necessary. My tank cycled with 100% dry rock in a week with a dead shrimp and bio-spira. What OP did wrong was let light in while curing... it should be done in the dark. I would suggest throwing a blanket over it while it finishes its cure. The algae will die and the snails will eat the leftovers.

jay13 · 07/25/2014, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeeCrabRun

Next question.

Gross side up or down when I put it back in the tank? Or should I be rotating it every so often?

Doesnt matter. Pm sent

07/25/2014, 09:59 PM	#3
SeeCrabRun Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 552	Yeah for sure not cured. I was worried it might be Dinoflagellates, but after reading the articles I don't think so. It wasn't slimy and my snails are doing great. In the tank are 4 nerite snails, who have even laid eggs, and a xanthid crab. I know that side was getting to much light, possibly not enough circulation, and my nitrates test high but everything else is normal. I'm moving it all to a larger tank and so replacing a lot of the water. __________________ Sara ~ Perpetually tinkering with my tanks.

07/25/2014, 10:09 PM	#5
SeeCrabRun Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 552	I'm seeding some in my display as well and it is going beautifully, but i'm a fishless FOWLR at the moment. I spread it between 2 tanks because I knew it would kill my DT to do it all there but my other tank was too small for all of it at once. Now I'm confused what the difference between seeding and curing is? __________________ Sara ~ Perpetually tinkering with my tanks.

07/25/2014, 10:19 PM	#9
SeeCrabRun Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 552	I got the reef saver so I'm not worried about phosphates and yeah there is nothing to die off. Well now there is... Gross smelling dark brown algae of some kind. I've got a diatom bloom going on in the tank I believe so maybe it is just extreme concentration of diatoms on the rock? __________________ Sara ~ Perpetually tinkering with my tanks.

07/25/2014, 10:24 PM	#11
SeeCrabRun Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 552	Except this rock is from an inland reef that dried up a while ago, so it was dry through and through and not just rock that dried out for lack of care. __________________ Sara ~ Perpetually tinkering with my tanks.

07/25/2014, 10:36 PM	#14
SeeCrabRun Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 552	Next question. Gross side up or down when I put it back in the tank? Or should I be rotating it every so often? __________________ Sara ~ Perpetually tinkering with my tanks.

07/25/2014, 09:54 PM	#2
jay13 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: michigan Posts: 220	If it stinks that bad out of water it is probably not cured yet. Big water change in the curing tank and back in it goes for a few weeks.

07/25/2014, 10:06 PM	#4
jay13 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: michigan Posts: 220	yup change all the water and let it go for a few weeks. Don't worry too much about seeding it, instead worry about curing it. Seeding can happen in the display, curing should not.

07/25/2014, 10:14 PM	#7
jay13 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: michigan Posts: 220	"curing" is more of letting the organic garbage on there that is dead or dying finish rotting off. Seeding is usually the process of bacterial colonization of the rock. They are happening at the same time but curing is what you are more concerned with.

07/25/2014, 10:16 PM	#8
apstreck Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 173	That's what I was saying but why cure dry rock? There is no organic garbage to begin with.

07/25/2014, 10:39 PM	#15
apstreck Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 173	The amount of organic material that would be on dry rock is negligible to a large system. Maybe if you had used live rock that you let dry out and decided to use later it would have too much to use right away, but with dry rock purchased as dry rock, its not an issue. I did give a muratic acid bath just to be safe, but that's not even necessary. My tank cycled with 100% dry rock in a week with a dead shrimp and bio-spira. What OP did wrong was let light in while curing... it should be done in the dark. I would suggest throwing a blanket over it while it finishes its cure. The algae will die and the snails will eat the leftovers.