The Sterile Tank method!
- Thread starter Scooterman
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DonW
R.I.P.
I dont think anyone is doing anything to their current rock its just a discussion. There is merit to cleaning the rock a person already owns but I do agree if rock is needed marco is a great choice and is what I used. Marco does need to be cleaned although dry its far from clean.
Don
Curtswearing
Mantisfreak
No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that different types of CaCO3 are more and less reactive to phosphate depending on circumstances. LR is nothing but old coral skeletons....it's just much older coral skeletons.
If anyone wants to try it, I have 20+ lbs of what used to be live rock in a fabulous office nano - last week the heater failed and cooked the tank, zoas, corals, fishees... oooh, the pain (and the smell!) when I got in to work. Temp was almost boiling, so no chance of salvation or resuscitation. I was going to toss the rock, but hey, if someone wants to try this, you can pick it up in Kenmore.
I'd appreciate a bit of live sand in return to start up the new tank. I'm starting over, but don't want to boil or mess with the old. It's in a bucket outside, ready to go. Any takers?
I'd appreciate a bit of live sand in return to start up the new tank. I'm starting over, but don't want to boil or mess with the old. It's in a bucket outside, ready to go. Any takers?
Don't toss it. I'm sure someone will want it.
Curtswearing
Mantisfreak
Curtswearing
Mantisfreak
i think they are talking about using rock they already have
Yes, I have had a lot of my rock for a long time. I dry it out, clean it, and re-use it.
loohunter
Fish lover
i aquascaped my tank with all dry rock, but i never cleaned it. i let the tank cycle, but once i put the tank on a regular light cycle i got a sea of hairy rocks. i think if i cleaned the rocks real good first i wouldn't of gotten the hairy rocks
chinkie253
Active member
I have an autoclave at work and also own a small one so I just put in there & cook it...everything will die and leaving just the rock itself.
AN
AN
An Autoclave...now that's what I call "sterilized!!!" What do you do to remove the dead material that's still attached?
chinkie253
Active member
I guess you can take a big brush and take it off
That'd work. Just wondering what you, in particular had done...lol.
matts125
Well-known member
time to bring this back to the top!
I am considering this process for my rock out of my cube, I have nothing but time to sterilize it and reseed it and I have a 150 gallon water trouth to do it in. my rock has 30 years of coraline growth on it and has lost its porus surface and it have some hydroids and bryopsis, turf, bubble and other algae's on it as well as possible AEFW's on sps bases.
My dream is for my next tank to be pristine with no funky algae and pests so I think this will work well for me...
Now my rocks are very large (most over 20lbs ea and some over 80) so I cant bake them and they will need to be in the acid in the large tank I believe. they are in 55 gallons of water to cover all the rock how much acid should i use and how long do I leave it brewing for?
any other advice you feel I need please lmk
Matt
I am considering this process for my rock out of my cube, I have nothing but time to sterilize it and reseed it and I have a 150 gallon water trouth to do it in. my rock has 30 years of coraline growth on it and has lost its porus surface and it have some hydroids and bryopsis, turf, bubble and other algae's on it as well as possible AEFW's on sps bases.
My dream is for my next tank to be pristine with no funky algae and pests so I think this will work well for me...
Now my rocks are very large (most over 20lbs ea and some over 80) so I cant bake them and they will need to be in the acid in the large tank I believe. they are in 55 gallons of water to cover all the rock how much acid should i use and how long do I leave it brewing for?
any other advice you feel I need please lmk
Matt
Scooterman
Well-known member
You can get the muriatic acid in the pool supplies of places like HD or Lowe's. I make up a strong batch in my 30g rubber-maid trash can, if you have lots of water a few more cups should be enough but I usually go double strength so I'd use much more than that. After all that I'd go through several cleaning processes as what Boomer suggested in the Bleaching thread, when your done you want completely open pours deep inside the rocks.
Now doing all this is no good If you introduce something that seeds the rocks with new types of alga's because it will invade them more aggressively than ever, you need to be careful of that because it will backfire & make things worse. This is where QT helps & because you have months, now is a good time to get started!
Now doing all this is no good If you introduce something that seeds the rocks with new types of alga's because it will invade them more aggressively than ever, you need to be careful of that because it will backfire & make things worse. This is where QT helps & because you have months, now is a good time to get started!
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
Be sure to protect your eyes and skin when pouring the concentrated hydrochloric acid from the bottle and only do in a VERY well ventilated area, preferably outdoors. The vapors are just as bad DO NOT INHALE! Rubber gloves and goggles don't hurt but there are many ways to skin a rock.
This is also an awesome way of cleaning all your submerged pump casings, etc. Will literally boil away all the precipitates. Rinse well, soak, drain, re-rinse. Can use a pH test kit to check on residual acid, but time is your ally with this.
Its quite a bit of fun once you got the safety under control.
This is also an awesome way of cleaning all your submerged pump casings, etc. Will literally boil away all the precipitates. Rinse well, soak, drain, re-rinse. Can use a pH test kit to check on residual acid, but time is your ally with this.
Its quite a bit of fun once you got the safety under control.
nevermind...lol...I need to go back and study what I learned in Chemistry. Make sure you pour the acid into the water...NOT water into acid.
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