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View Full Version : BRS "Pukani" dry rock


dixiedog
03/28/2013, 06:32 PM
Who has it? How do you like it? Is it actual coral skeleton?

I hear it leeches P04, and needs to be cured. Yes? No?

Would boiling it in RO do the trick? I'm only needing a relatively small amount, and I happen to own a huge army-size stew pot. :)

sirreal63
03/28/2013, 06:54 PM
Boiling will do nothing good. You can soak it in water and Lanthanum Chloride or give a nice acid bath.

MattinIdaho
03/28/2013, 06:57 PM
I have it and I think it's the Bee's Knee's!!:smokin: I would use it again in a second if I were starting over. I did not cure mine. It did leach Po4 for awhile. I just rode it out.

kissman
03/28/2013, 07:01 PM
I love it! Once you get it you need to soak it and see if it leaches PO4 some does some doesn't. Mine did have some leaching but I am using GFO to pull it out during my curing. BRS has a great video about what to do

keithhays
03/28/2013, 07:15 PM
I have it, my tanks are full of it. It is coral skeletons. I don't think I had any phosphate issues with it, but I have been runny GFO since day one so it would be hard to tell since I am always zero ppm. I didn't do anything with the rock except put it in my tanks and start cycling. I have notice it has a low tolerance for lower PH. I was running my tanks closer to 8.00 (it has been fish only for several months) and I noticed that what I think is dissolving areas. I have since pulled it up to 8.2 and it stopped. It is awesome rock, very light. You can actually see the entire original coral structure, its almost as if the coral bleached out in the tank...and has been sitting for a few years.

If you are starting a new tank, I wouldn't do anything except put it in. If you are adding it an existing tank, I would soak it for a while because there is enough dead matter on it to possible cause an issue.

...I would get the largest pieces you can fit in the tank. I have some that are 20" + and you avoid the rock rubble look.

DLANDINO
03/28/2013, 07:39 PM
I have it and love it. It is very light and easily stacked. I bathed mine three times in vinegar and water over night. This essentially etches off the top layer of the rock where most of the dead material, which would transfer po4 to your water, off the rock. After the third bath I then soaked it in ro/di with powe rheads for a day. After this process was over I drilled the rock with masonry bits and stacked the rock with sched 40 pvc potable pipe bought at home depot. I tried not to cement the rocks so that they can singly be removed if necessary in the future to sell off encrusting coral or deal with algae issues that may creep up. Mine has been up an running in my new tank set up for about 4 months now with no issues. I will tell you that if you go the water/vinegar bath that for about 3 weeks you will see a slight brown film on the rocks. This disappeared pretty quickly in my tank AFTER adding a substantial clean up crew.

In short, I recommend it for ease of use, coverage area -vs- weight in comparison to the fiji or economy rock out there.

xtlosx
03/28/2013, 08:53 PM
I have it and I think it's the Bee's Knee's!!:smokin: I would use it again in a second if I were starting over. I did not cure mine. It did leach Po4 for awhile. I just rode it out.

I'm having this issue right now, tank is 3.5 months old and rock is leeching phosphates creating a whole bunch of cyano on the rock only as it cures. How long did you wait it out? I'm running GFO to help with exporting...

DLANDINO
03/28/2013, 09:30 PM
I'm having this issue right now, tank is 3.5 months old and rock is leeching phosphates creating a whole bunch of cyano on the rock only as it cures. How long did you wait it out? I'm running GFO to help with exporting...

Po4 doesn't cause cyano, which is a bacteria. You should look toward inadequate flow, higher than normal range temps and your nutrient export issues. In your case don't blame the rock ;)

Crusinjimbo
03/29/2013, 05:32 AM
Unquestionably the best rock I have ever used. Light and extremely easy to aqua scape.

kissman
03/29/2013, 05:51 AM
from what BRS says in there video its not the rock that leaches PO4 its whats on the rock that does

downbeach
03/29/2013, 05:51 AM
Very good rock, but it does need a little work before you use it. I've added it on three different occasions, and after the first time, I found that you need to clean it, before you cure it. I soaked it overnight in some plain water to help rehydrate the dried organic matter that's on it. I then hosed it off with a high pressure stream of water, and placed it in a container filled with 50/50 vinegar/water for a day with a PH. This etching cleaned the remaining organic matter, and much of the PO4 contained in the outer layers of the rock. I hosed it off again, and placed it in a tank of water from my DT(removed during a WC). I left it there for two weeks, and continued to do WC's using the water from my DT's WC, checking for PO4, before I added it to my DT.

Dr Colliebreath
03/29/2013, 07:31 AM
Like the others, I really like the rock. I suggest you bleach it and then acid wash it wih muriatic acid so you dont risk problems later. It will be easy with a small amount of rock. Just rinse really well when you are done.

NTP66
03/29/2013, 07:39 AM
+1 on most of what has already been said. The rock is gorgeous, and stacks incredibly easily. I cured mine in a 32g Brute for about a month and a half, using SeaKlear (LC, basically), and have no PO4 issues from the rock. I used Pukani as the base of my structure, and BRS Reef Saver on top, and while the Reef Saver looks great, I almost wish I used all Pukani.

dixiedog
03/29/2013, 06:16 PM
Okay, well, those are some pretty glowing recommendations! I've placed an order for 30 pounds, to do my new 40B. Hopefully it should be enough, especially since I'm going somewhat minimalist. I've used pretty much all of the other commercially available dry rock out there, so this will be something new and exciting.

If anyone has pics of their Pukani rock, I'd love to see them! I'll post pics of mine when it arrives, and again when I've built my scape.

Thanks, and Happy Easter!

kissman
03/29/2013, 06:45 PM
I doubt you will use half

dixiedog
03/29/2013, 07:11 PM
I doubt you will use half

Nice!!! I was hoping there would be some extra. I can use it!

I'm getting pretty stoked about this new tank. VERY excited to be starting with some first rate rock for a change. Here's a pic of my stand, and its "display fuge". Gonna house a large peacock mantis in there - or so my wife says, and it is "her" tank. ;)

http://i48.*******.com/1j0039.jpg

aandfsoccr04
03/29/2013, 07:36 PM
that's really really cool. I love that idea. Nicely done!

maynardjames
03/29/2013, 09:09 PM
its awesome rock looks great, very light would use to start next tank

KeithB
03/29/2013, 09:37 PM
Good information here everyone. I was wondering if acid soaking it woul fix te phosphate issues that have been reported.

keithhays
03/30/2013, 05:12 AM
This is what the larger pieces look like when you first get them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQrMIucKt88

Whiterabbitrage
03/30/2013, 02:23 PM
I just bought some Pukani for the first time and was surprised when it started leaching PO4. Previously I had purchased Reef Saver dry rock. That did not leach anything and it looks great! I heard Pukani weighed less so purchased some. Seemed to weigh about as much as the Reef Saver IMO. And it came from the sea alright. What a mess! This stuff has brown stuff dried inside. I soaked it in the bath tub for a week hoping to get rid of it. Now I'm using vinegar.what a rotting nasty mess. It's nice stuff, great looking, but I'd go with Reef Saver. It's a lot less work for the same thing.

keithhays
03/30/2013, 03:33 PM
I think at this point its a good idea to point out that rock doesn't leach phosphate...at least not the kind we would put in our tanks. The phosphate is coming from the fact that this "rock" used to be alive and during the life time of the animal that produced it, it took up phosphate. Mostly this will be in the tissues left behind i.e. the dead material. Pukani was actually a living creature very recently.

Reef saver rock hasn't had any living tissue in the last several hundred million years so it is unlikely that you would see any phosphate. The reef saver rock, which could more be classified as rock, has had fresh water running through it for most of those millions of years which would have washed anything that was ever biological away.

The trade off is that in the mining of the reef saver rock, it has a tendency to look less natural in the aquarium than the pukani and it is heavier since all that water passing through it added minerals in addition to taking some away.

I personally don't like the look of stacked rubble which is largely what I have seen with almost every other type of rock, so for me this was the driving force in choosing pukani.

kissman
04/01/2013, 02:18 PM
I think at this point its a good idea to point out that rock doesn't leach phosphate...at least not the kind we would put in our tanks. The phosphate is coming from the fact that this "rock" used to be alive and during the life time of the animal that produced it, it took up phosphate. Mostly this will be in the tissues left behind i.e. the dead material. Pukani was actually a living creature very recently.

Reef saver rock hasn't had any living tissue in the last several hundred million years so it is unlikely that you would see any phosphate. The reef saver rock, which could more be classified as rock, has had fresh water running through it for most of those millions of years which would have washed anything that was ever biological away.

The trade off is that in the mining of the reef saver rock, it has a tendency to look less natural in the aquarium than the pukani and it is heavier since all that water passing through it added minerals in addition to taking some away.

I personally don't like the look of stacked rubble which is largely what I have seen with almost every other type of rock, so for me this was the driving force in choosing pukani.

well said

Browndawg80
04/01/2013, 08:18 PM
Buy it, you'll be happy with it.

brubakron
04/01/2013, 09:49 PM
I just ordered 200 pounds of Pukani rock, and have started to cure it. The tub is full, and pretty dirty (my wife is not happy about the smell). After about a week I will drain it, and fill it up again. I am also going add a piece of live rock, and use Zeo Bak to make it live while my fish room is being complete. This is 125 pounds of their large rock, and 75 of the smaller rocks. I hope this works, this will be the first time I try to post pics.


http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/brubakron/library/Pukani%20Dry%20Rock

kissman
04/02/2013, 04:54 AM
I played around with different aquascapes while it was dry and knew what i wanted before i put them in water. Actually made one structure before hand

dixiedog
04/03/2013, 04:39 PM
Got my Pukani rock today!

I'm very happy with it. It's everything I hoped it would be, if not more. Definitely lighter than any quarried rock I've seen. I did some quick weight comparisons with some very nice quarried rock I had on hand, and it seems to come in at roughly 1/3 lighter.

It's not nearly as "dirty" as I feared it might be, either. I no longer plan to cure it in a barrel. Instead, I think I'll cure it right in the tank as it cycles, as was suggested earlier in the thread.

Here are the 30 pounds I bought. BTW, I told BRS that it was for a 40B, so "if in doubt, go smaller on the pieces". Glad I didn't say go big. :)

http://i45.*******.com/15r1t91.jpg



http://i48.*******.com/182ov4.jpg



http://i45.*******.com/29zdf06.jpg



http://i45.*******.com/2qu7m7b.jpg



http://i47.*******.com/4vh8uc.jpg

kissman
04/03/2013, 05:00 PM
They do a great job picking the rock to fit the tank. Spend a few days and play with different set-ups.

OregonReefer2
04/03/2013, 05:21 PM
LOL, had you asked for large pieces you'd have gotten two pieces that probably wouldn't fit in a 40b.

Even though it looks pretty clean (much cleaner than the batch I got) it may leach a lot of phosphates. It's pretty easy to test. Just throw a rock in a 5g bucket with some SW, wait a day or two and test for PO4.

It's much easier to deal with the phosphates out of the tank (and before hand) as opposed to in a setup tank/system

snookduff
04/03/2013, 07:07 PM
Just got 130 pound. Thanks for all the replies to the main post. Think I will just run my GFO reactor and see what happens.

coral_lagoon
04/04/2013, 12:04 AM
I never had any problems with P04 with Bulk's Pukani rock or even Marco rocks. When I get the rocks I just wash the dust,debri down with a garden hose. That's it..

dixiedog
04/08/2013, 06:27 AM
Just an update: without any preliminary rinsing (there was obviously very little visible organic material to be rinsed off) I placed the rocks in my empty display tank and filled it with fresh (RODI) water. After a couple days, the water was murky and had a slight low-tide smell, so I dumped it and replaced it with new salt water.

This seems to be all this rock needed as far as curing goes. The rocks and water are clean and clear now. I tossed a piece of live rock in to help start seeding, and in a couple days I'll start the aquascape. :)

sirreal63
04/08/2013, 06:28 AM
Did you happen to check the po4 of the water you tossed out?

dixiedog
04/08/2013, 06:49 AM
No, sorry, I don't have a P04 kit on hand at the moment. Thought I did, until I went to get it and it wasn't there. LOL

sirreal63
04/08/2013, 06:51 AM
It would have been interesting to see what the level is, RO/DI water is very good at pulling things out.

NTP66
04/08/2013, 06:55 AM
Personally, I'd still check the PO4 before doing anything. My Pukani looked pretty clean to me (similar to your pics), but my PO4 reading was .63 before curing it.

dixiedog
04/08/2013, 07:00 AM
Oh for sure, and some big WC's. 100% if need be.

Instant Ocean and RODI water are cheap, and I have an automated water change system. :)

brubakron
04/08/2013, 08:57 AM
Did you happen to check the po4 of the water you tossed out?

I am currently in the curing process, and when I first tested with new saltwater it read phosphates at 1.24 (Hanna checker). After a week of using lanthanum chloride, a skimmer, and a 100% water change it registered 0.22. Still not there, but pretty good for a week.

shaginwagon13
11/22/2013, 12:21 AM
Boiling will do nothing good. You can soak it in water and Lanthanum Chloride or give a nice acid bath.

How much Lanthanum Chloride should you use? does it go by water volume or amount of Live Rock?

I will be using a 50-gallon storage bin.

Also, where can you buy Lanthanum Chloride?

dixiedog
11/22/2013, 05:52 AM
FWIW, I'm now seven months in, still no P04 issues whatsoever. Guess it varies from one batch to the next.

Crusinjimbo
11/22/2013, 06:06 AM
LC is available at almost any pool supply store. Can't remember the solution ratio. Search the forum there is plenty of trial and error discussions.

NTP66
11/22/2013, 06:28 AM
I used SeaKlear for curing my Pukani (http://stores.mkmpoolspa.com/-strse-4048/SeaKlear-Phosphate-Remover%2C-Sea/Detail.bok?category=), and it worked out very well. If you do look for this product, look for the commercial version and not the one labeled "CR", which is diluted.

sirreal63
11/22/2013, 07:51 AM
How much Lanthanum Chloride should you use? does it go by water volume or amount of Live Rock?

I will be using a 50-gallon storage bin.



Here is an excellent writeup on one way to use it.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2145395

GaryR1984
12/06/2013, 11:54 PM
FWIW, I'm now seven months in, still no P04 issues whatsoever. Guess it varies from one batch to the next.

Hi Gene, :)

I have no problems with my BRS Rock either.

njdevilsfan
12/07/2013, 01:10 AM
Imo the easiest thing is to is a muriatic acid bath and a bleach bath then sun dry and in the tank it goes

Bugcrusher
01/03/2014, 09:56 AM
Could you bake this rock for a few hours at 450F to carbonize the organics and then rinse/soak for a bit to hasten the process? Looking at a 150 rebuild and would like to use some of this stuff in it.

shaginwagon13
01/03/2014, 10:05 AM
Could you bake this rock for a few hours at 450F to carbonize the organics and then rinse/soak for a bit to hasten the process? Looking at a 150 rebuild and would like to use some of this stuff in it.

I would not. I tried this on the BBQ and when I was done it shattered into 20 little pieces.

Bugcrusher
01/03/2014, 10:09 AM
I would not. I tried this on the BBQ and when I was done it shattered into 20 little pieces.

Yep, I was afraid that might happen...ah well thanks for the info.

shaginwagon13
01/03/2014, 10:23 AM
Yep, I was afraid that might happen...ah well thanks for the info.

I tried it on the largest piece I had too.... I was not impressed :sad2:

tommyz44
01/03/2014, 10:28 AM
Ill add in my .02. I would agree with the LaCl. Seaclear is also what i used, looks good, but i had a good leaching issue with my rocks. I will never set up a tank again without doing at least a small LaCl cleaning. If your just using the clean, the dosing amount isnt a huge issue. If it was in your tank you would need to worry. a 50 gal bin i would use 1 capfull of LaCl let sit with a powerhead for a few days, drain rinse make sure all water you use is RODI. repeat if you feel nessesary. i would let sit in RODI for a few days after the rince just to make sure you got all of the Lanthanum phosphate off of the rock. Then start to cycle the rocks.

As others have said, pool store, or i got mine from amazon. a small bottle will go a really long way.