Cooking Live Rock

albertan22 · 02/08/2009, 05:29 PM

Hi all,

I've read that by cooking the rock you can avoid a lot of the algae problems most new tanks have because you esentially remove any phosphates. I haven't read about a lot of people actually cooking their rock though, is it just because most don't have the patience to do it?

I was also wondering if the process of cooking live rock kills off a lot of the beneficial life in the rock (pods, coraline algae, hitch hikers, etc.)? Is a loss of life the tradeoff you get for missing the bad algae phases?

mrter · 02/08/2009, 06:14 PM

I'm about six weeks into cooking the rocks from my old tank before I add them to a new one. I don't think it eliminates the stored phosphates; I'm just trying to kill off the hair algae.

So far the only hitchhiker I lost was a worm (peanut worm?). I found a live bristle worm and brittle star on the bottom of the container after a water change, and I added them back to the tank. I'm told the coraline will eventually die off, but it'll grow back afterwards.

gwenvet · 02/08/2009, 08:49 PM

Along for the ride here. I just bought some from another reefer that I may cook.
mrter: after 6 weeks is the hair algae gone?
Alos, I've heard of people doing daily water changes (OMG) and others who do weekly ones. What to do?

02/08/2009, 05:29 PM	#1
albertan22 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 83	Cooking Live Rock Hi all, I've read that by cooking the rock you can avoid a lot of the algae problems most new tanks have because you esentially remove any phosphates. I haven't read about a lot of people actually cooking their rock though, is it just because most don't have the patience to do it? I was also wondering if the process of cooking live rock kills off a lot of the beneficial life in the rock (pods, coraline algae, hitch hikers, etc.)? Is a loss of life the tradeoff you get for missing the bad algae phases?

02/08/2009, 06:14 PM	#2
mrter Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 12	I'm about six weeks into cooking the rocks from my old tank before I add them to a new one. I don't think it eliminates the stored phosphates; I'm just trying to kill off the hair algae. So far the only hitchhiker I lost was a worm (peanut worm?). I found a live bristle worm and brittle star on the bottom of the container after a water change, and I added them back to the tank. I'm told the coraline will eventually die off, but it'll grow back afterwards.

02/08/2009, 08:49 PM	#3
gwenvet Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: West Lafayette, Indiana Posts: 300	Along for the ride here. I just bought some from another reefer that I may cook. mrter: after 6 weeks is the hair algae gone? Alos, I've heard of people doing daily water changes (OMG) and others who do weekly ones. What to do?