live rock doomed?

marcrunner · 12/26/2006, 11:23 PM

I have a bad case of hair algae and aiptasa. I started using ro/di water but haven't seen any results yet. I can treat this rock if I want to for the aiptasia, and leave it fishless for a while. I am just wondering if it is worth it. there is 150 pounds from various origins.

reefD · 12/26/2006, 11:37 PM

well first consider this. your hair algae and aptasias are feeding on nutrients. where are they comming from in excess amounts? what size tank and how many fish?

benray4fun · 12/26/2006, 11:56 PM

Well I've had a bad algae outbreak when I first recieved my live rock that I threw in the tank "uncured."...

Bad idea...
Anyways, the hair algae was so bad that it grew about 18" long and while it was growing I ordered a cleaning crew and live sand from garf.
Also, consider a mithrax crab, I did and it is an algae killer...to say the least.
I cleaned the tank as much as I could and let the crew and live sand do the rest..."it's been great ever since." DO NOT FEED THE TANK and clean all the filters often, it should recover in about two months or less.
I've never dealt with aiptasia, so I can't help you there..."good luck."

reefD · 12/26/2006, 11:57 PM

well i cant wait for your response so heres my advice without getting any info. first if you have stock you must reduce. increase flow and filtration. if your skimmer is in yourt mind okay then get a better one. also strip water of nutrients. clean water and dont feed. you dose plankton? stop! you need to do a water change keep salinity stable with diligent top offs and use carbon to strip water.

supertech3 · 12/26/2006, 11:59 PM

150 lbs is an expensive thing to just throw away, if you have patience you should be able to treat the rock, by as indicated by reefd and cleaning off the hair and if no nutrients present should not come back like you have now

reefD · 12/27/2006, 12:20 AM

never result to throwing live rock out. look at nutrients . if your gonna be deligent and keep water prestine then it will burn out. it sounds like a myth never seen but it happens ive seen it occur. ive set up a algae scrubber sump and saw the algae in the displace burn out in 48 hours! if you cant strip the water ( if your doing everything in your power to keep the water clean and it not helping) then try algae competition in a sump/fuge . leave lights in the in line sump 24 hrs so it competes with display algae and burns it out each night.

marcrunner · 12/27/2006, 01:37 AM

rock is in around 75 gallons of water. I had to move it all when I took down my 125. I am now geting ready to set up my 300 gallon, and don't wat to add it if I will have problems down the road. It will be hard enough to reach to the bottom for cleaning. Once the rock goes in, I don;t want to take it out for a while.

marcrunner · 12/27/2006, 01:40 AM

I have two fish, a map puffer and a gragon wrasse. I could leave this rock in a tank fishless, and try to revive it. I cannot have anything except hermit crabs because of the puffer. Is this valuable to anyone else if I wanted to sell it?

reefD · 12/27/2006, 02:11 AM

okay if its (live rock) is out. in any case .....this live rock will not be the cause of any issues in a new set up...especially if your speaking of algae blooms. now. how long has it been removed and left in a bin? if its all white its mostly dead now. your live rock is good..your nutrients arent. if you have no room for this LR sell it. but if you inteand on replacing it ...dont! its better than the new stuff and not the source of your issues at all. nutrients are! remove them..strip them...

you keep speaking about the live rock like its your reason for issues? right? well let me explain to you that the hair algae bloom wasnt from the rock but a source (seeded somehow)that was awakened by excess nutrients! when you do strip your nutrients for real you have nothing for hair algae to feed on. thus it will burned out. if your water is clean and you cant except this for real....... next check phos levels. we test ammonia nitrate nitrite and ph but phos is another source. top off and salt mix fresh water source needs to be tested for phos. test freshwater source without mixing with salt or nothing. this is how youll know if it has phos in it which is common and possible.my best explanation is use all the rock you have. if you do it right things will work if not it wont and the rock wont be a cause of it at all! look elswhere like ph swings at night...hardness and salinity levels. check salinty with a good source. swing arm sucks! and consider above. good luck and dont every jump fast.lol...dont reacte with disregard. good luck

reefD · 12/27/2006, 02:20 AM

okay better qestions.
the tank size rock is in?
2 stock of fisk
3- filtration?
4-parameters...salinity ph ammonia etc...
5_water change schedule
6-dosing?
7-anything i left out.lol

12/26/2006, 11:23 PM	#1
marcrunner Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Folsom Posts: 309	live rock doomed? I have a bad case of hair algae and aiptasa. I started using ro/di water but haven't seen any results yet. I can treat this rock if I want to for the aiptasia, and leave it fishless for a while. I am just wondering if it is worth it. there is 150 pounds from various origins.

12/26/2006, 11:37 PM	#2
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	well first consider this. your hair algae and aptasias are feeding on nutrients. where are they comming from in excess amounts? what size tank and how many fish? __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

12/26/2006, 11:57 PM	#4
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	well i cant wait for your response so heres my advice without getting any info. first if you have stock you must reduce. increase flow and filtration. if your skimmer is in yourt mind okay then get a better one. also strip water of nutrients. clean water and dont feed. you dose plankton? stop! you need to do a water change keep salinity stable with diligent top offs and use carbon to strip water. __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

12/27/2006, 12:20 AM	#6
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	never result to throwing live rock out. look at nutrients . if your gonna be deligent and keep water prestine then it will burn out. it sounds like a myth never seen but it happens ive seen it occur. ive set up a algae scrubber sump and saw the algae in the displace burn out in 48 hours! if you cant strip the water ( if your doing everything in your power to keep the water clean and it not helping) then try algae competition in a sump/fuge . leave lights in the in line sump 24 hrs so it competes with display algae and burns it out each night. __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

12/27/2006, 02:11 AM	#9
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	okay if its (live rock) is out. in any case .....this live rock will not be the cause of any issues in a new set up...especially if your speaking of algae blooms. now. how long has it been removed and left in a bin? if its all white its mostly dead now. your live rock is good..your nutrients arent. if you have no room for this LR sell it. but if you inteand on replacing it ...dont! its better than the new stuff and not the source of your issues at all. nutrients are! remove them..strip them... you keep speaking about the live rock like its your reason for issues? right? well let me explain to you that the hair algae bloom wasnt from the rock but a source (seeded somehow)that was awakened by excess nutrients! when you do strip your nutrients for real you have nothing for hair algae to feed on. thus it will burned out. if your water is clean and you cant except this for real....... next check phos levels. we test ammonia nitrate nitrite and ph but phos is another source. top off and salt mix fresh water source needs to be tested for phos. test freshwater source without mixing with salt or nothing. this is how youll know if it has phos in it which is common and possible.my best explanation is use all the rock you have. if you do it right things will work if not it wont and the rock wont be a cause of it at all! look elswhere like ph swings at night...hardness and salinity levels. check salinty with a good source. swing arm sucks! and consider above. good luck and dont every jump fast.lol...dont reacte with disregard. good luck __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

12/26/2006, 11:56 PM	#3
benray4fun Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hartford, CONNECTICUT Posts: 1,147	Well I've had a bad algae outbreak when I first recieved my live rock that I threw in the tank "uncured."... Bad idea... Anyways, the hair algae was so bad that it grew about 18" long and while it was growing I ordered a cleaning crew and live sand from garf. Also, consider a mithrax crab, I did and it is an algae killer...to say the least. I cleaned the tank as much as I could and let the crew and live sand do the rest..."it's been great ever since." DO NOT FEED THE TANK and clean all the filters often, it should recover in about two months or less. I've never dealt with aiptasia, so I can't help you there..."good luck."

12/26/2006, 11:59 PM	#5
supertech3 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: El Paso Posts: 1,206	150 lbs is an expensive thing to just throw away, if you have patience you should be able to treat the rock, by as indicated by reefd and cleaning off the hair and if no nutrients present should not come back like you have now

12/27/2006, 01:37 AM	#7
marcrunner Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Folsom Posts: 309	rock is in around 75 gallons of water. I had to move it all when I took down my 125. I am now geting ready to set up my 300 gallon, and don't wat to add it if I will have problems down the road. It will be hard enough to reach to the bottom for cleaning. Once the rock goes in, I don;t want to take it out for a while.

12/27/2006, 01:40 AM	#8
marcrunner Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Folsom Posts: 309	I have two fish, a map puffer and a gragon wrasse. I could leave this rock in a tank fishless, and try to revive it. I cannot have anything except hermit crabs because of the puffer. Is this valuable to anyone else if I wanted to sell it?

12/27/2006, 02:20 AM	#10
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	okay better qestions. the tank size rock is in? 2 stock of fisk 3- filtration? 4-parameters...salinity ph ammonia etc... 5_water change schedule 6-dosing? 7-anything i left out.lol __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol