how to kill live rock

[gguertin]

I just purchased 50lbs of live rock for 25 bucks and I want to kill it all. I dont want any hitch hikers or anything im not aware of put into my display tank, I already have quite a bit of rock.

Right now I just have it drying out in the garage in a rubbermaid. I have heard there is something that I can either soak or spray on this stuff to kill whatever else is on there does anyone know of a link to a thread discussing this? I would like to bring this rock completely back to base rock.

Thanks!

[Roy G. Biv]

Lay it out in the sun for a day??

[gguertin]

ok.. that will kill it but how do you remove all the garbage then? I thought I read one time there was some type of chemical that could be used on this stuff?

This was covered with aptasia and I saw a bunch of worms and junk I want all traces dead. Even if the worms werent bad I am not hurting for rock just thought it was a good deal I will just swap a few pieces I like out of the tank and put the rest in the fuge or something...

[NCSUsalt]

take a pressure washer to it, after its dried

[chinoxl3]

I wouldn't be worried about the junk left over. The natural filtration and bacteria will take care of the dead stuff. You shouldn't get an ammonia spike, maybe a small one. I do this all the time and never had any issues with it.

[RicksReefs]

a little bleach in a bucket of water, an overnight soak, and air drying for a couple of days will kill everything and turn the rock into base rock.

[turbonut]

just put the rock in a bucket of fresh waterthat will do the trick and if u want scrub the rock in the bucket of fresh water to clean it off

[Rick55555]

I would let the rock lay out in the sun for a week. Then brush off the debris and let the rock cycle in a container with a powerhead, heater and no light.

Rick

[Cantonesefish]

Sell it and buy dead rock.

[Roy G. Biv]

Put the rock in the driveway and run it over with your car. Just pick out the pieces you want and discard the rest!!

[whitleyjb]

I had some rock with similar issues. I placed it in the sun for a few weeks. Scraped off what I could and then cycled it in a rubbermaid tub for a month. Seemed to work well

[DrBarnes]

you could cook it. that usually kills stuff pretty fast

[klm2500hd]

leave it in the sun 2-3 days. pressure wash. then put in tub with good rock for awhile to re-seed/cycle before putting back in tank.

[Kellie in CA]

Kent Rock Prep is pretty good for scrubbing off dead stuff. I use it whenever I get new rock.

[abulgin]

bring it over to my house when I go on vacation. :)

[dones20]

if you kill the rock you will have to cure it before putting intp DP and if you dont it could cause a potential system crash....

[Aj Flip]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13342961#post13342961 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Cantonesefish
Sell it and buy dead rock.

what u should have done in the first place

[RicksReefs]

chlorine is an oxidizer of organics... ;)

[jrenoe1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13342461#post13342461 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RicksReefs
a little bleach in a bucket of water, an overnight soak, and air drying for a couple of days will kill everything and turn the rock into base rock.

Ummm, yeeeaaah....no

I would never use bleach on anything that is going into a tank.

[808lazyd]

boil it in water then place it in a container and fill it with water doing water changes for about a week. you shouldnt see a spike since like you said you have tons of rock which should be able to keep up with the new addition. i have done this many times and it works for me

[Fishfirst]

bleach is about the safest thing you can use other than freshwater

[Tang Salad]

True. Bleach breaks down fast enough to not be a problem.

I personally think the fear of tank-ending hitchhikers is waaay overblown.

[jacob30]

How about a kalk water bath for a few days? I have never tried it but it woud be reef safe and a pH of 12-13 should kill most anything. Be careful and use gloves!

[Chihuahua6]

There is no way I can answer this same question in detail asked for the third time in several days.
One word: bleach.

[RicksReefs]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13349410#post13349410 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jrenoe1
Ummm, yeeeaaah....no

I would never use bleach on anything that is going into a tank.

the fact that you wouldn't use it doesn't negate the fact that it's been used safely for saltwater/freshwater for decades.
chlorine is a gas and always wants to return to it's natural state and will 'evaporate' off within 24-48 hours.
every fishstore I know of uses it to remove the algae and crud from decorations.
it's used to sterilize natural seawater before use.
it's the best thing to sterilize and prevent cross contamination after a disease outbreak.
etc.
etc.

chlorine can be your friend and if your paranoid that it will 'kill' your tank, there's always a $3 bottle of chlorine remover.

[jrenoe1]

Well, I believe you...but I still think I will avoid the bleach thing. It just seems so caustic. Anything that can melt my skin seems extreme for use around a reef.

[chucksta1]

Chlorine is an unstable molecule.. That's why cyanuric acid is added to it as a stabilizing agent when it's made into pucks for swimming pools. If you leave chlorinated water open to air, it drops to zero within 48 hours. A bleach bath is safe. If you're still worried, rinse it off and let it sit in tapwater for a couple of days.

Boil it?? for small stuff, I just toss it into the microwave.

[gguertin]

Ok... So if I bleach 50lbs of rock and already have 150 in my 125 how long do I need to wait to put it in my sump... I would imagine my tank will handle any cycling from the new rock?

When I am done bleeching it what is the best way to clean the rock? Just a few water changes? maybe a carbon filter?

[spleen93]

Leave it outside air drying for a few days after the bleach. It'll help blow off the chlorine. I'd rinse it in freshwater after that and then into the tank!

[gguertin]

sweet!

[Bud's Reef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13350459#post13350459 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jrenoe1
Well, I believe you...but I still think I will avoid the bleach thing. It just seems so caustic. Anything that can melt my skin seems extreme for use around a reef.

Since he has his answer hopefully he won't mind going off topic a little. I used to have a house that got it's water from a pond in my front yard. There was a big filter on the intake in the pond to keep critters out and when it came into the house it went to a standard 12" filter and then I added regular household bleach to a container that added it to the water. It then went through a filter that had carbon and two other components that I don't remember. So the point is if we can drink water that had diluted household bleach added to it, it won't be harmful if left to dry for a few days just as others have said.

[gguertin]

Thats a good point actually...

last little question... what type of bleech has anyone used? I have to admit I dont know much about bleech... I cant just use laundry detergent can I? Does it need to be the powder stuff?

[RicksReefs]

no powders no fragrances, nuthin but chlorox regular liquid. the cheap brands will have iron in them.

[hottuna]

if safety is not an issue : 1 qt muriatic acid to about 15 gals water...soak it briefly...then completely flush with fresh water ....

[RicksReefs]

I hesitate recommending muriatic for carbonate rock. the potential for accidents (because safety is an issue) resulting from the unexpected amount of fumes released or the alka selzter like reaction from dipping carbonates in acid, etc. could freak out those not familiar with it's use and cause an even bigger issue.
it's easier and safer to just oxidize the organics off/out of the rock using chlorine. the cycle is minimal because the cause of the cycle has been burned off already.

[gguertin]

alright so I bleeched my rock for a few days and for have rinsed the rock atleast 5 times in a rubbermaid container...

Im concerned because everything still smells like bleech? I used a small bottle of bleech mixed with 15 gallons or so of water in a container... is this not correct?

The smell is getting better but it is still there how will I know when the rock is safe to go back in the tank?

[areze]

I cooked my rock.

literally
boiling water for 15min. followed with a pressure washer.

it was coated in algea before, manual removal before cooking, pressure after, and gave it time in the summer sun after. the rock came out pure white, and its in my new tank with no algea problems (knocks a hole in the desk)

[RicksReefs]

gguertin, all you need to do now is put the rocks in the sun for a day or two. the smell will go away. as a final step (mostly to ease the mind) after the air dry, you can soak them in some ro water and some commercial chlorine remover/water conditioner to remove any trace.

[RicksReefs]

I wouldn't cook rock literally. some of the potential things on the rock could kill/hurt you as it's cooked and aerosolized.

[gguertin]

ok I live in an apartment so just laying it in the sun isnt really an option...

I can let it dry in a bucket I suppose but its been in water for the last few days... Will soaking it in water not work?

I could just let it dry in a rubbermaid for a few days?

[reef2]

just let it dry out. doesnt matter if its outside or not. any bleach left will evaporate once it dries.

[RicksReefs]

sorry, I didn't realize you couldn't get to the sun. sunlight destabilizes chlorine and burns it off cleaner.
you may have used more chlorine than you needed but no biggie. soaking it and changing out the water will work but you should use the chlorine remover to speed it up. I wouldn't recommend air drying in the apartment unless you like the smell of chlorine and some of your metal fixtures turning green... ;)
I also recommend not soaking it in tap water as it could absorb any nasties in it (metals, phosphates, etc).