BRS reef saver rock

ibryson · 02/20/2019, 09:55 AM

Anyone have experience with the reef saver rock BRS sells? I’m buying roughly 180lbs for my new system and was curious if it needed to be cured or not. I could understand giving it a good rinse in saltwater and maybe letting it soak for a day or two to remove the small rock particles/dust, but I can’t understand why it would need to cure for weeks like normal rock. Am I missing something?

Reefer Tom · 02/20/2019, 01:36 PM

I didn't cure mine. I ordered 120 lbs about a year-and-a-half ago. Just hit with a hose with a spray nozzle attached and let it dry out in the summer sun. This stuff is really dusty / dirty.

mcgyvr · 02/20/2019, 02:11 PM

It should not need to be cured to remove bound phosphates..
But I have heard a few stories of those that "think" they have had algae/phosphate issues that said they didn't cure their Marco rock.. I do not know if that is truth or not..

Its probably a smart idea to cure some for a few days or so and check phosphate levels.. If zero no curing is needed.. If elevated..oops.. cure it..

dkeller_nc · 02/20/2019, 02:12 PM

Many users of this rock do an acid bath and/or a 4 to 6 week soak for the purpose of removing surface phosphates. The idea behind this is to remove any inorganic phosphate deposits on the surface of the rock that may promote surface algae growth.

However, if that's going to be too much trouble because you don't have a suitable place for an acid bath (outdoors only, of course), you could simply set the rock up in the tank, fill it with seawater, buy a Hanna Checker ULR Phosphate Tester (with a 25-pack of reagents), leave the lights off, and simply monitor the phosphate content of the water for a week.

If it's low (<200ppb) and stays that way, you're probably good. If it's initially high or continues to rise, then you can remove the phosphate in the water column with a GFO reactor and/or dripping Lanthanum Chloride (SeaKleer) into the water flow into a felt sock. You'd need to keep the GFO reactor on-line and/or continue to use the LaCl2 treatment until the phosphate level drops and stays low.

02/20/2019, 09:55 AM	#1
ibryson Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Missouri Posts: 73	BRS reef saver rock Anyone have experience with the reef saver rock BRS sells? I’m buying roughly 180lbs for my new system and was curious if it needed to be cured or not. I could understand giving it a good rinse in saltwater and maybe letting it soak for a day or two to remove the small rock particles/dust, but I can’t understand why it would need to cure for weeks like normal rock. Am I missing something?

02/20/2019, 02:11 PM	#3
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	It should not need to be cured to remove bound phosphates.. But I have heard a few stories of those that "think" they have had algae/phosphate issues that said they didn't cure their Marco rock.. I do not know if that is truth or not.. Its probably a smart idea to cure some for a few days or so and check phosphate levels.. If zero no curing is needed.. If elevated..oops.. cure it.. __________________ Who me?

02/20/2019, 01:36 PM	#2
Reefer Tom Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 11	I didn't cure mine. I ordered 120 lbs about a year-and-a-half ago. Just hit with a hose with a spray nozzle attached and let it dry out in the summer sun. This stuff is really dusty / dirty.

02/20/2019, 02:12 PM	#4
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	Many users of this rock do an acid bath and/or a 4 to 6 week soak for the purpose of removing surface phosphates. The idea behind this is to remove any inorganic phosphate deposits on the surface of the rock that may promote surface algae growth. However, if that's going to be too much trouble because you don't have a suitable place for an acid bath (outdoors only, of course), you could simply set the rock up in the tank, fill it with seawater, buy a Hanna Checker ULR Phosphate Tester (with a 25-pack of reagents), leave the lights off, and simply monitor the phosphate content of the water for a week. If it's low (<200ppb) and stays that way, you're probably good. If it's initially high or continues to rise, then you can remove the phosphate in the water column with a GFO reactor and/or dripping Lanthanum Chloride (SeaKleer) into the water flow into a felt sock. You'd need to keep the GFO reactor on-line and/or continue to use the LaCl2 treatment until the phosphate level drops and stays low.