I see no reason to after 1-2 freshwater rinses. I did not dry it in the sun at any point when I cycled my Pukani (which is notoriously "dirty" with dead sponges, corals, occasional crab, etc.).
Curing dry rock - process review
- Thread starter BlueDevil
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Mark75
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@BlueDevil, where did you find the acid? I am wondering around Home Depot aimlessly. [emoji12]
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BlueDevil
Valuable Member
Its in the pool cleaning section out in the garden area. If you're in the West Knox home depot, when you walk in through the lawn & garden doors, it in the far back right corner of the outdoor section. It is not mixed in with the rest of the pool cleaning supplies since it needs to be kept separate to avoid any reactions.
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BlueDevil
Valuable Member
You won't see it labeled since it is in a sealed box, two gallons to each box. If you're in the pool cleaning section, with all the pool supplies to your right, walk down that aisle to the end and then do a 180 to your left and you will see all the boxes on the end cap.
Brian Mountain
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So is curing the rock a step you have to take with a new tank set up?
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BlueDevil
Valuable Member
I don't think it applies to a new or old setup per se. You need to do it if you have rock that you feel might not be safe to put into your system. Either due to dead matter on the rocks (if they're dry) or if you want to get rid of pests, phosphates etc from dry or live rock that you want to add to the tank.
Mark75
Well-Known Member
All dry/dead rock contains, to some degree, nutrients such as phosphates as a result of the organisms decaying that once lived on/in the rock. Some types are worse than others. There are just as many successful tanks that didn't "clean" their dry rock as did,...but it is good preventive measures.
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BlueDevil
Valuable Member
Just thought I'd post a final update on this thread in case anyone comes along to read it down the road. The curing process went really well. The acid and LC bath did what they were supposed to do. However, I did run to an issue when I started cycling the rocks in a Brute container. I found that some Brute containers (not all since some others have not had this issue) leach phosphates. In one day, the PO4 in my cycling water jumped up to 0.05ppm and up to 0.09ppm in one week. After getting some opinions, I decided to run a test to narrow down the cause of this PO4 issue. Here is the summary:
Test Subject 1: All but one piece of rock in a Brute with SW:
I started this one night with confirmed 0 PO4 SW and added a cap full of PO4 remover. I had a PH running in it. PO4 the next day: 0.07
Test Subject 2: No rock, just straight SW in Brute:
I started the same night as well. Filled Brute with a few gallons of the same SW, no PH. PO4 the next day: 0.06
Test Subject 3: One piece of the same rock in a glass sump with SW:
I also started this the same night as well. I put one piece of the rock from the same batch in my new glass sump. Filled it with the same SW and had a PH running in it. PO4 the next day: 0
I even double checked the same batch of SW the next day and it tested at 0 PO4 as well.
So it appears that the Brute containers are the culprit in this whole PO4 issue! I find this very interesting and a little disturbing too with as many people as there are that use Brute containers to mix/store SW in. However, there have been some folks that have had no issues with Brute leaching phosphates so it might not be all containers.
In the end, I put all 50lbs of rock in a glass aquarium and let them sit there in SW for a week with 2 powerheads running. At the end of the week, the PO4 read 0.01 so I was quite confident that the rock had been completely cured. I moved them to my display tank where I started the cycling process.
Hope these findings help someone if they end up being as stumped as I was when I was using the Brute cans.
Test Subject 1: All but one piece of rock in a Brute with SW:
I started this one night with confirmed 0 PO4 SW and added a cap full of PO4 remover. I had a PH running in it. PO4 the next day: 0.07
Test Subject 2: No rock, just straight SW in Brute:
I started the same night as well. Filled Brute with a few gallons of the same SW, no PH. PO4 the next day: 0.06
Test Subject 3: One piece of the same rock in a glass sump with SW:
I also started this the same night as well. I put one piece of the rock from the same batch in my new glass sump. Filled it with the same SW and had a PH running in it. PO4 the next day: 0
I even double checked the same batch of SW the next day and it tested at 0 PO4 as well.
So it appears that the Brute containers are the culprit in this whole PO4 issue! I find this very interesting and a little disturbing too with as many people as there are that use Brute containers to mix/store SW in. However, there have been some folks that have had no issues with Brute leaching phosphates so it might not be all containers.
In the end, I put all 50lbs of rock in a glass aquarium and let them sit there in SW for a week with 2 powerheads running. At the end of the week, the PO4 read 0.01 so I was quite confident that the rock had been completely cured. I moved them to my display tank where I started the cycling process.
Hope these findings help someone if they end up being as stumped as I was when I was using the Brute cans.
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BlueDevil
Valuable Member
Mine were the grey ones too. I even had two different cans. One brand new (washed thoroughly) and one much older. Both leached PO4.
they are all I use
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BlueDevil
Valuable Member
Hanna ULR Checker. And I know it wasn't a test kit issue cos I exhausted all avenues. Tested straight SW as well as RODI and they both tested at 0 as expected.
Don't jump the gun on this though. Only look into this as a potential cause if you're having PO4 issues when you should not be. I know of a few people who store their water in Brute containers and don't have PO4 issues so it might not be all the containers. Maybe certain batches possibly?
cody hendrix
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So I know this thread is old but I have a question. I had a ex room mate that I kick out of my house put spray pant in my tank. I have since taken the tank down. I would like to save the rock. Would this process with the acid make the rock safe? Its over 300 pounds of rock so would like to not have to buy more if I can save it.
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BlueDevil
Valuable Member
This is a rather tricky problem. I do know that some spray paints (Krylon Fusion for example) are inert when fully cured. However, if the paint was sprayed in the tank with water in it, I am not sure it had a chance to cure. As such, I am not sure if it will pose any issues.
An acid batch will peel away the outer layer of the rock. I am not sure if any paint has been absorbed by the rock or not and if so, if that will also get taken out with the bath.
You may want to post this question in a general forum to get some more opinions on your specific issue.
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