Question about rock bleaching

artnsx · 06/26/2008, 05:31 PM

So i just took out all of the rock from the 29 biocube because it was literally 90% covered in hair algae. I salvaged whatever i could, there is nothing in the tank right now except for one clownfish and sand.

What is the best way to clean the rock? I realize everything in/on the rocks is going to die, but i need to make sure i get all the hair algae.

Would a bleach/water soaking be an acceptable way of clearing the rock of algae? Or should I just let it dry out and then rinse it off? I intend to put the rock back in afterwards, so i am wondering if bleaching would be ok, even if i rinse thoroughly.

What would be the fastest method?

Thanks

sassafrass · 06/26/2008, 05:41 PM

Fast and reef are not going to work! if you want to kill your rock you can boil it (preferably outside) due to the smell .What caused all the hair algae in the first place (usually poor animal husbandry) resulting a nutrient overload.If you bleach your rock it is hard to say how long it will be untill it is safe to put back in the tank. Again nothing good happens quickly in reef keeping!
Best of luck , Lee

artnsx · 06/26/2008, 05:51 PM

thanks, I think the hair algae was the result of a combination of things. I had in the past, eliminated it naturally, and it came back.

It may have been due to bulbs being used for too long, which i replaced about a month ago, but by that time the problem had gotten out of hand.

I was also using store bought RO/DI water which i never tested for phosphates, which i suspect may have played a role in this situation.

A third thing was that I had to other fish that I had to sell because of this whole problem. I believe that having 3 fish in the 29 (especially since I wasn't doing very frequent water changes because I had been busy with school) was too much load for the tank. I plan on keeping only one clownfish from now on.

There are probably 1000 things I could attribute the problems to, but i think the main reason was that i stopped maintaining the tank as I previously had. I have sucessfully kept this tank for about 2 years, this problem arose within the last few months.

HornetMech242 · 06/26/2008, 06:00 PM

I would doa water change on the tank and use that water to scrub as much algea off the rock as you can. You will probably start a mini cycle this way but should not beanything major. Just try not to stir up the sand too bad.

Chris

06/26/2008, 05:31 PM	#1
artnsx Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Linden, NJ Posts: 199	Question about rock bleaching So i just took out all of the rock from the 29 biocube because it was literally 90% covered in hair algae. I salvaged whatever i could, there is nothing in the tank right now except for one clownfish and sand. What is the best way to clean the rock? I realize everything in/on the rocks is going to die, but i need to make sure i get all the hair algae. Would a bleach/water soaking be an acceptable way of clearing the rock of algae? Or should I just let it dry out and then rinse it off? I intend to put the rock back in afterwards, so i am wondering if bleaching would be ok, even if i rinse thoroughly. What would be the fastest method? Thanks __________________ AIM : artnsx Email: artie1112@hotmail.com Current Tank Info: 29 oceanic biocube

06/26/2008, 05:51 PM	#3
artnsx Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Linden, NJ Posts: 199	thanks, I think the hair algae was the result of a combination of things. I had in the past, eliminated it naturally, and it came back. It may have been due to bulbs being used for too long, which i replaced about a month ago, but by that time the problem had gotten out of hand. I was also using store bought RO/DI water which i never tested for phosphates, which i suspect may have played a role in this situation. A third thing was that I had to other fish that I had to sell because of this whole problem. I believe that having 3 fish in the 29 (especially since I wasn't doing very frequent water changes because I had been busy with school) was too much load for the tank. I plan on keeping only one clownfish from now on. There are probably 1000 things I could attribute the problems to, but i think the main reason was that i stopped maintaining the tank as I previously had. I have sucessfully kept this tank for about 2 years, this problem arose within the last few months. __________________ AIM : artnsx Email: artie1112@hotmail.com Current Tank Info: 29 oceanic biocube

06/26/2008, 06:00 PM	#4
HornetMech242 Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 786	I would doa water change on the tank and use that water to scrub as much algea off the rock as you can. You will probably start a mini cycle this way but should not beanything major. Just try not to stir up the sand too bad. Chris __________________ I didin't know, it's my first day... Current Tank Info: 120g AGA, 150 #'s fiji rock, DIY stand & canopy, 2 250 watt MH's 14000k on Ice Cap ballast's in Lumenbright reflectors, Mag 9.5 return pump, Dart pump with Oceans Motions closed loop, octopus DNW200 skimmer, GEO 618 Calcium reactor

06/26/2008, 05:41 PM	#2
sassafrass Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: capitola ca Posts: 1,729	Fast and reef are not going to work! if you want to kill your rock you can boil it (preferably outside) due to the smell .What caused all the hair algae in the first place (usually poor animal husbandry) resulting a nutrient overload.If you bleach your rock it is hard to say how long it will be untill it is safe to put back in the tank. Again nothing good happens quickly in reef keeping! Best of luck , Lee