Insight needed

fernalfer · 02/15/2019, 08:27 AM

So I'm being OCD about my Rock before it goes in the tank.

1. I soaked my rock in Bleack for 2 weeks, then rinsed, then left out in the sun for 5 days.

2. I then did a Muriatic Acid wash at a 20:1 ratio for about 30 minutes

Now to my question: I want to soak my rock in RODI water to see if it leaches any Phosphates. If so I was going to use LC. If I do, once I dose LC do I have to do a water change after?

Or do I keep the rock in the same water to let more leach out and dose LC again repeating that process until it stops leaching phosphates?

Also should I be worried about the precipitate from the LC sticking to my rocks like I here it does to pumps? Don't feel like having to scrub 90lbs. Of porous rock before it goes to the display

JP Reef · 02/15/2019, 08:31 AM

You could always put a submersible pump and recirc it through a 5 micron filter sock. Then dose the LC into the filter sock. All the precipitate would be captured in the sock.

mcgyvr · 02/15/2019, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fernalfer

So I'm being OCD about my Rock before it goes in the tank.

Yes... yes you certainly are..

Not worth the time IMO.. I just buy clean/dry rock and avoid crap where I need to do extensive work like that just to use it.. Seems absolutely silly to me.. Clean/phosphate free dry rock is easy to acquire/cheap..

fernalfer · 02/15/2019, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Yes... yes you certainly are..

Not worth the time IMO.. I just buy clean/dry rock and avoid crap where I need to do extensive work like that just to use it.. Seems absolutely silly to me.. Clean/phosphate free dry rock is easy to acquire/cheap..

unfortunately i tried your method my last build with marco Dryrock and it leached phosphates badly. Don't want to start off like that again with constant algae issues

mcgyvr · 02/15/2019, 12:59 PM

Yep... Marco rocks is not a source I would suggest personally..

But to get back to answering your question.. The LC does not suck phosphates out of the rock.. It simply binds with phosphate in the water column and as such the overall removal rate is based on how fast the phosphate leaches out of the rock to be bound..
Its not a pour/bind and be done in one shot deal.. Its a multi-stage rinse/repeat process..

fernalfer · 02/15/2019, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Yep... Marco rocks is not a source I would suggest personally..

But to get back to answering your question.. The LC does not suck phosphates out of the rock.. It simply binds with phosphate in the water column and as such the overall removal rate is based on how fast the phosphate leaches out of the rock to be bound..
Its not a pour/bind and be done in one shot deal.. Its a multi-stage rinse/repeat process..

With that being said. My main concern after doing this process until the leaching stops is if the precipitate will be stuck to my rock. If so, what other methods can i use to rid the phosphates as much as possible before putting them in my tank

Jason05 · 02/17/2019, 04:28 PM

Ro water and gfo reactor would work.. I would be more concerned with the bleach than the phosphates especially since you will get phosphates in your tank other ways that will bind to your rock and leach out later anyways even if you somehow remove all organic and inorganic phosphates from the rock

dkeller_nc · 02/17/2019, 07:23 PM

My first advice would be "don't fix what ain't broke". So the first step would be to put at some of the rock into a 5 gallon bucket with seawater, a heater and a powerhead. Test the water when you put it in as a baseline, then let it go at 80 degrees for 2 or 3 days. Re-test for phosphates. If you're below 200 ppb, I'd say go ahead and use it.

While lanthanum phosphate is very nearly completely insoluble in water, you're right that some of the precipitate will remain in the rock unless you actually circulate the water through a reactor or through a filter sock and drip the LaCl2 into the filter sock.

Others have gotten away with it, but I wouldn't personally drip LaCL2 directly into a tub of rock.

02/15/2019, 08:27 AM	#1
fernalfer Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 553	Insight needed So I'm being OCD about my Rock before it goes in the tank. 1. I soaked my rock in Bleack for 2 weeks, then rinsed, then left out in the sun for 5 days. 2. I then did a Muriatic Acid wash at a 20:1 ratio for about 30 minutes Now to my question: I want to soak my rock in RODI water to see if it leaches any Phosphates. If so I was going to use LC. If I do, once I dose LC do I have to do a water change after? Or do I keep the rock in the same water to let more leach out and dose LC again repeating that process until it stops leaching phosphates? Also should I be worried about the precipitate from the LC sticking to my rocks like I here it does to pumps? Don't feel like having to scrub 90lbs. Of porous rock before it goes to the display

02/15/2019, 12:59 PM	#5
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	Yep... Marco rocks is not a source I would suggest personally.. But to get back to answering your question.. The LC does not suck phosphates out of the rock.. It simply binds with phosphate in the water column and as such the overall removal rate is based on how fast the phosphate leaches out of the rock to be bound.. Its not a pour/bind and be done in one shot deal.. Its a multi-stage rinse/repeat process.. __________________ Who me? Last edited by mcgyvr; 02/15/2019 at 01:08 PM.

02/15/2019, 08:31 AM	#2
JP Reef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Greensburg, PA Posts: 207	You could always put a submersible pump and recirc it through a 5 micron filter sock. Then dose the LC into the filter sock. All the precipitate would be captured in the sock.

02/17/2019, 04:28 PM	#7
Jason05 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Posts: 25	Ro water and gfo reactor would work.. I would be more concerned with the bleach than the phosphates especially since you will get phosphates in your tank other ways that will bind to your rock and leach out later anyways even if you somehow remove all organic and inorganic phosphates from the rock

02/17/2019, 07:23 PM	#8
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	My first advice would be "don't fix what ain't broke". So the first step would be to put at some of the rock into a 5 gallon bucket with seawater, a heater and a powerhead. Test the water when you put it in as a baseline, then let it go at 80 degrees for 2 or 3 days. Re-test for phosphates. If you're below 200 ppb, I'd say go ahead and use it. While lanthanum phosphate is very nearly completely insoluble in water, you're right that some of the precipitate will remain in the rock unless you actually circulate the water through a reactor or through a filter sock and drip the LaCl2 into the filter sock. Others have gotten away with it, but I wouldn't personally drip LaCL2 directly into a tub of rock.