reusing dead live rock

schoch79 · 04/07/2007, 08:51 PM

Ok so I was thinking to reuse some of my old "dead" live rock that I cleaned with ammonia and saved in some buckets about 1 year ago. I cleaned it with clear ammonia that even though the bottle said it had surfactents when I shook the bottle there was no foam/bubbles or whatever. I read on RC that if it doesn't foam it is probably ok. Couple of questions now.

1 Just in case the ammonia was bad stuff and "ruined" my rock could a month or so of carbon filtering the rock in a clean tank make it ok to use?

2 If I reuse it, could I count it into my total lbs of live rock? Or how soon can I count it into the equation? Ie. The dead rock is 20 lbs plus say another 20 lbs for a 30-40 gallon tank. Would it be safe to start adding a decent bioload that 40 lbs of rock can handle or should I only add as much as 20 lbs could do? This is just hypothetical btw, I understand not to add the full bioload all at once.

3 Anything else you can suggest would be greatly appreciated.

murfman · 04/07/2007, 09:08 PM

I would run the dead rock in a bucket under a power head for a week or so and test the water before adding it to the tank. Using it in conjuction with your live rock is a great idea, it will become live again, in time.

racrumrine · 04/07/2007, 09:15 PM

I think if you rinse the rock really well with fresh water and let it air dry in the sun, you should have minimum impact from what you may have done over a year ago.

You can count the old rock in your Live Rock total. The critters will recolonize it. That said, as you set up your tank, you still want to add items little by little.

Assuming you are using a QT for your fish and you QT each fish 6 weeks, you'll give the critters in the live rock a chance to stay ahead of your new bioload.

Best of luck,

Roy

schoch79 · 04/07/2007, 10:28 PM

Thanks for the input guys. Yeah, the biggest concern with using it was any chemical residue. I'd hate to ruin any new live rock in the process of reusing the old stuff.

DrBDC · 04/08/2007, 09:52 AM

Def. run the rocks in some salt water for awhile before adding to the tank you plan to run. Question on why you used ammonia though. I would probably use some vinegar in regular water for a short time, maybe a half a day, then take it to some salt water for a couple weeks or so. On the vinegar I'd probably use 1 gallon per 10 gallons water. If adding to an existing tank I'd go for a month in the salt water and then only add a little bit per week.

Shagsbeard · 04/08/2007, 11:51 AM

Don't use vinegar. It's acidic and will disolve quite a bit of your rock. You use vinegar to destroy calcium deposits... putting live rock in it will reduce it to sand.

DrBDC · 04/08/2007, 12:07 PM

Not at a very low concentration for a short time. It's actually very useful for dissolving a little surface buildup and getting rid of phosphates when coming out of a dirty tank or when there are residuals of death.

schoch79 · 04/08/2007, 03:40 PM

I didn't use vinegar because like shagsbeard said I didn't want the rock to become deteriorated or brittle but the ammonia was just to kill off and clean off the rest of the life in and on the rock so that I could store it without it stinking (it works wonders btw). And if any residual ammonia is on it, it will just be part of the nitrogen cycle. But good point on the phosphate removal though. I've read that elsewhere too but with muriatic acid. That is something I didn't take into consideration. I will need to make sure to watch the phosphates now in the new tank and maybe use some phosban or something.

DrBDC · 04/08/2007, 04:40 PM

If it's dilute enough you can easily monitor it. It won't suddenly fizz up like a sand test does. It will give a slight etching on the surface and then you've done enough. Just try one small rock and you'll see what I mean.

AJtheReefer · 04/09/2007, 10:33 AM

Most of the rock used on my tank was dead rock. With that said, I stocked the tank very very slowly. After the initial couple of months, I've never been able to detect nitrates on my tank, and I went Bare Bottom after the first year in the hobby so the rock most be doing something.

One thing I highly recommend, is to place the rock with prepared RO/DI saltwater on a bucket and run strong circulation and test for phosphates. I wouldn't put the rock in the display tank as long as there are any kind of detectable phosphates. You must ensure the rock wont be releasing phosphates into the aquarium. This can lead to an ugly hair algae problem that may take months to cure and may discourage the most avid hobbyist. Aquarium Light + Nutrients + Phosphates = Bad Hair Day

If there are phosphates present. . you can run a two little fishies Phosban reactor with a small power head in the container to remove it. The key is to test until the phosphate is gone.

schoch79 · 04/09/2007, 02:52 PM

There we go! Good tip. Thanks for that. I would have just dropped the rock in the display and let everything run it's course. I definately don't want to be battling hair algae like that.

04/07/2007, 08:51 PM	#1
schoch79 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: hegins,pa Posts: 1,071	reusing dead live rock Ok so I was thinking to reuse some of my old "dead" live rock that I cleaned with ammonia and saved in some buckets about 1 year ago. I cleaned it with clear ammonia that even though the bottle said it had surfactents when I shook the bottle there was no foam/bubbles or whatever. I read on RC that if it doesn't foam it is probably ok. Couple of questions now. 1 Just in case the ammonia was bad stuff and "ruined" my rock could a month or so of carbon filtering the rock in a clean tank make it ok to use? 2 If I reuse it, could I count it into my total lbs of live rock? Or how soon can I count it into the equation? Ie. The dead rock is 20 lbs plus say another 20 lbs for a 30-40 gallon tank. Would it be safe to start adding a decent bioload that 40 lbs of rock can handle or should I only add as much as 20 lbs could do? This is just hypothetical btw, I understand not to add the full bioload all at once. 3 Anything else you can suggest would be greatly appreciated.

04/07/2007, 10:28 PM	#4
schoch79 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: hegins,pa Posts: 1,071	Thanks for the input guys. Yeah, the biggest concern with using it was any chemical residue. I'd hate to ruin any new live rock in the process of reusing the old stuff. __________________ We'd better get back, 'cause it'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night... mostly.

04/08/2007, 09:52 AM	#5
DrBDC Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ballwin, Missouri Posts: 10,358	Def. run the rocks in some salt water for awhile before adding to the tank you plan to run. Question on why you used ammonia though. I would probably use some vinegar in regular water for a short time, maybe a half a day, then take it to some salt water for a couple weeks or so. On the vinegar I'd probably use 1 gallon per 10 gallons water. If adding to an existing tank I'd go for a month in the salt water and then only add a little bit per week. __________________ Some drink at the fountain of knowledge, some just gargle, but most are rabid. Current Tank Info: 180g sps+75 softy/lps on one system tunze's, seio's, mjmods, aquacontroller w/add ons, 2X400 XM10000 and 3X160 vho actinic, 110g sump, 110 frag tank, Geo Beckett and other stuff

04/08/2007, 12:07 PM	#7
DrBDC Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ballwin, Missouri Posts: 10,358	Not at a very low concentration for a short time. It's actually very useful for dissolving a little surface buildup and getting rid of phosphates when coming out of a dirty tank or when there are residuals of death. __________________ Some drink at the fountain of knowledge, some just gargle, but most are rabid. Current Tank Info: 180g sps+75 softy/lps on one system tunze's, seio's, mjmods, aquacontroller w/add ons, 2X400 XM10000 and 3X160 vho actinic, 110g sump, 110 frag tank, Geo Beckett and other stuff

04/08/2007, 03:40 PM	#8
schoch79 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: hegins,pa Posts: 1,071	I didn't use vinegar because like shagsbeard said I didn't want the rock to become deteriorated or brittle but the ammonia was just to kill off and clean off the rest of the life in and on the rock so that I could store it without it stinking (it works wonders btw). And if any residual ammonia is on it, it will just be part of the nitrogen cycle. But good point on the phosphate removal though. I've read that elsewhere too but with muriatic acid. That is something I didn't take into consideration. I will need to make sure to watch the phosphates now in the new tank and maybe use some phosban or something. __________________ We'd better get back, 'cause it'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night... mostly.

04/07/2007, 09:08 PM	#2
murfman Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 4,670	I would run the dead rock in a bucket under a power head for a week or so and test the water before adding it to the tank. Using it in conjuction with your live rock is a great idea, it will become live again, in time.

04/07/2007, 09:15 PM	#3
racrumrine Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: San Francisco Posts: 2,290	I think if you rinse the rock really well with fresh water and let it air dry in the sun, you should have minimum impact from what you may have done over a year ago. You can count the old rock in your Live Rock total. The critters will recolonize it. That said, as you set up your tank, you still want to add items little by little. Assuming you are using a QT for your fish and you QT each fish 6 weeks, you'll give the critters in the live rock a chance to stay ahead of your new bioload. Best of luck, Roy

04/08/2007, 11:51 AM	#6
Shagsbeard Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Morro Bay, CA Posts: 2,143	Don't use vinegar. It's acidic and will disolve quite a bit of your rock. You use vinegar to destroy calcium deposits... putting live rock in it will reduce it to sand.

04/08/2007, 04:40 PM	#9
DrBDC Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ballwin, Missouri Posts: 10,358	If it's dilute enough you can easily monitor it. It won't suddenly fizz up like a sand test does. It will give a slight etching on the surface and then you've done enough. Just try one small rock and you'll see what I mean. __________________ Some drink at the fountain of knowledge, some just gargle, but most are rabid. Current Tank Info: 180g sps+75 softy/lps on one system tunze's, seio's, mjmods, aquacontroller w/add ons, 2X400 XM10000 and 3X160 vho actinic, 110g sump, 110 frag tank, Geo Beckett and other stuff

04/09/2007, 10:33 AM	#10
AJtheReefer Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: South Florida Posts: 399	Most of the rock used on my tank was dead rock. With that said, I stocked the tank very very slowly. After the initial couple of months, I've never been able to detect nitrates on my tank, and I went Bare Bottom after the first year in the hobby so the rock most be doing something. One thing I highly recommend, is to place the rock with prepared RO/DI saltwater on a bucket and run strong circulation and test for phosphates. I wouldn't put the rock in the display tank as long as there are any kind of detectable phosphates. You must ensure the rock wont be releasing phosphates into the aquarium. This can lead to an ugly hair algae problem that may take months to cure and may discourage the most avid hobbyist. Aquarium Light + Nutrients + Phosphates = Bad Hair Day If there are phosphates present. . you can run a two little fishies Phosban reactor with a small power head in the container to remove it. The key is to test until the phosphate is gone. __________________ 90G AGA, 30G Sump, SLS Tek Lights 8x54w, H&S A150-F2001

04/09/2007, 02:52 PM	#11
schoch79 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: hegins,pa Posts: 1,071	There we go! Good tip. Thanks for that. I would have just dropped the rock in the display and let everything run it's course. I definately don't want to be battling hair algae like that. __________________ We'd better get back, 'cause it'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night... mostly.