Is it necessary to bleach cure used rock?

[EchoPear]

Used rock! Do I have to bleach cure it? What will happen if I don’t? There are a couple of old organics here and old tubifex worm skeletons. I already epoxied the rocks together and put them in the tank to cycle. Just found out this was a thing. Thoughts? Don’t mind the cloudy water. Just from the sand which is used also but rinsed good. This is a tank upgrade for my pico, I will also move the rock and sand from that into this tank once it’s ready.

Can I just let the rock cycle for an extra long time? Or let it be FOWLR for like a few months before moving over my corals/rock from pico tank? What’s the biggest issue with cycling and getting started is it just extra phosphates and nitrates dissolving into the water? I have to overfeed my low tech pico and still can’t barely keep nutrients up so maybe that’s not all so bad lol

 

[Fish Fan]

Can I just let the rock cycle for an extra long time?

Just to be clear, the rock was once used, and then dried out, and then you used it in your tank?

If so, then short answer, yes. Given enough time, the organics on your rocks will decay and be processed, and your tank will be fine in the end. If you go this route, keep your lights off as you'll likely be seeing high nitrates and phosphates, which, in combination with light, will fuel unwanted algae growth at this time. Feel free to flip the lights on/off when you want to observe the tank, just don't leave the lights running all day until you have corals or photosynthetic livestock that need the lights.

Longer answer is that bleach curing is just a way to clean the old rocks free of the dead organics much more quickly than just letting it cycle (like 1 day vs many weeks or months). I say, if you're in no rush, and you're not noticing any unwanted odor coming from the tank, you should just let it ride.

If you're in a big hurry, then you could consider removing the rock, doing the bleach cure, and restarting the tank. I'm a fan of the bleach cure method for used rock, but I'm not sure I'd break down the tank just to do the bleach cure at this point if I was you.

Also, and probably should have led with this, but just take some water tests and see what's going on. If you're seeing ammonia or very high nitrates or phosphates, then you clearly have a problem. I'd let it ride and see what happens from here. A bottle of bacteria like Fritz Turbo Start, MicroBacter7, or Dr. Tim's One and Only certain wouldn't hurt at this point. Other reefers may have more solid advice for you.

Good luck with your tank!

 

[Spare time]

Since it is in the tank, here is what I would do,


1. Run a bag of quality activated carbon + gfo
2. Turn up the heat to the low 80's
3. Do a big water change at the end.

Keep the lights off during this period.

 

[EchoPear]

Just to be clear, the rock was once used, and then dried out, and then you used it in your tank?

Yep, bought them from a tank breakdown where they sat in buckets dry for many months. Thanks for the advice. I haven’t even turned on the heater and gotten the cycle started yet, or tested anything, but I may just let it ride as you said. I agree it would be a hassle to remove everything.

Was planning to lower the salinity to 20ppt and crank the heater up to 80 or so to help the cycle run faster.

Side question - if I already have some Seachem stability lying around can I just dose that one time similar to the other bottled bac products? Was hoping to let the tank ride while I’m out of the house for some Reno taking place

 

[EchoPear]

Since it is in the tank, here is what I would do,


1. Run a bag of quality activated carbon + gfo
2. Turn up the heat to the low 80's
3. Do a big water change at the end.

Keep the lights off during this period.

Thanks for the advice.

Honest question, if I do a 80-100% (big) water change at the end what is the point of running media?

 

[Fish Fan]

Yep, bought them from a tank breakdown where they sat in buckets dry for many months. Thanks for the advice. I haven’t even turned on the heater and gotten the cycle started yet, or tested anything, but I may just let it ride as you said. I agree it would be a hassle to remove everything.

Was planning to lower the salinity to 20ppt and crank the heater up to 80 or so to help the cycle run faster.

Side question - if I already have some Seachem stability lying around can I just dose that one time similar to the other bottled bac products? Was hoping to let the tank ride while I’m out of the house for some Reno taking place

The lower salinity may allow your bacteria to populate a little faster. I don't remember the ideal salinity level at the moment, but this talk from Dr. Tim Hovanec from Dr. Tim's, the makers of Dr. Tim's One and Only, which is like SeaChem's Stability, is a great watch, and he addresses everything you need to tweak/hasten your cycle. And upping the temp is good too ;-)


The Stability doesn't seem to get a lot of positive reviews here at Reef2Reef, but if you already have it, toss it in, it certainly won't hurt. Some of the more trusted products I read about would be the Dr. Tim's One and Only, Brightwell's MicroBacter7, or Fritz TurboStart. There are others. Some here will tell you they are useless, "snake oil". I disagree, I think they are a useful product. But you'd be fine either way, I think you should just let it ride at this point.... Unless it starts to stink lol! But hopefully not

 

[Spare time]

Thanks for the advice.

Honest question, if I do a 80-100% (big) water change at the end what is the point of running media?

The carbon will help with the smell and the gfo with phosphates from decaying organics so that they don't just get bound up in the rocks/sand.

 

[UMALUM]

I wouldn't start the process unless I was 100% sure that rock was phosphate free. You can accomplish this with 100% water changes or by simply stripping it out with gfo or phosguard followed by one 100% change after completing the job. Phosphate enriched rock is asking for trouble.

 

[Tamberav]

I have done it several times. Nothing bad happened. In fact, I perhaps avoided Dino because the rocks were already bound with phosphate. Who knows. Just get a good clean up crew.

If you start with fresh clean dry bought new, it binds phosphate and some people have to dose it to avoid zeros. So it’s not like starting new doesn’t have it’s potential issues.

Either way the tank generally gets uglies.

 

[EchoPear]

The lower salinity may allow your bacteria to populate a little faster. I don't remember the ideal salinity level at the moment, but this talk from Dr. Tim Hovanec from Dr. Tim's, the makers of Dr. Tim's One and Only, which is like SeaChem's Stability, is a great watch, and he addresses everything you need to tweak/hasten your cycle. And upping the temp is good too ;-)


The Stability doesn't seem to get a lot of positive reviews here at Reef2Reef, but if you already have it, toss it in, it certainly won't hurt. Some of the more trusted products I read about would be the Dr. Tim's One and Only, Brightwell's MicroBacter7, or Fritz TurboStart. There are others. Some here will tell you they are useless, "snake oil". I disagree, I think they are a useful product. But you'd be fine either way, I think you should just let it ride at this point.... Unless it starts to stink lol! But hopefully not

I just came across that talk and watched it this evening! Great stuff.

I did the “new tank dose” of the stability so we will see. If by the time I get moved back in we aren’t cycled yet I’ll try again with Dr Tim’s. I’ve had success with that before. I tested for ammonia first like he suggested and had 0.25ppm on the API kit, but since that could be zero (it seems) I threw some flakes and frozen food in the tank to get it started.

I have noticed it smells a little, but so did my other tank when it first started and sometimes it still smells a little. What is that indicative of?

Thanks for the great suggestions

 

[EchoPear]

The carbon will help with the smell and the gfo with phosphates from decaying organics so that they don't just get bound up in the rocks/sand.

It do be smellin

Thanks!

 

[EchoPear]

I have done it several times. Nothing bad happened. In fact, I perhaps avoided Dino because the rocks were already bound with phosphate. Who knows. Just get a good clean up crew.

If you start with fresh clean dry bought new, it binds phosphate and some people have to dose it to avoid zeros. So it’s not like starting new doesn’t have it’s potential issues.

Either way the tank generally gets uglies.

Yeah I have struggled keeping nutrients not zero in my pico so actually thinking it could be a good thing

 

[Fish Fan]

I have noticed it smells a little, but so did my other tank when it first started and sometimes it still smells a little. What is that indicative of?

It do be smellin

Thanks!

Oh no lol!

A little odor, like a nice beach on a sunny day, or maybe a fresh nori seaweed salad (for people, not for Tangs!), is fine. But not a smell that you or your significant other finds down right offensive, lol!

If you've got a particularly nasty stink to your tank, it's sign that the old organics on your rocks are rotting.... and stinking lol!

This is one of those things: if you and your family or housemates have a high-bar for stink, and the tank is in your basement, for example, maybe let it ride. In time (weeks to months), the smell will go away, and your tank will stabilize. As other R2R members have suggested already, running Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) can help reduce foul odors and pigments that make your water yellow. And Granular Ferric Oxide (GFO) will pull phosphates out of your system, which will limit algae growth at this point.

On the other hand, if you or your family/housemates are getting run out of the house by the smell, and the tank is in your living room, maybe it would be a good idea to break down the tank, do a bleach cure on the rock, and give it another go.

Hopefully that helps! Best of luck with your stinky cycle lol!

 

[jabberwock]

No matter how cheap it was, I would not use it, bleached or not. Too many unknowns.

 

[EchoPear]

Well it appears the leaching is in full swing.

After letting the tank cure for a couple weeks I have had to do two 50% water changes to keep the nitrites from stalling my cycle, the other day my phosphate tested at 1ppm on a salifert test kit and nitrates before the change today were at 80ppm on the API kit. Yikes. I threw in some macro algae (chaeto, and pom Pom), and added a bag of Phosguard. Also added some cycled matrix from my other tank.

I’m wondering what is the bigger offender, the used substrate I got or the used rock? Sucks not being able to put anything in the tank because nutrients are so high

 

[EchoPear]

Well it appears the leaching is in full swing.

After letting the tank cure for a couple weeks I have had to do two 50% water changes to keep the nitrites from stalling my cycle, the other day my phosphate tested at 1ppm on a salifert test kit and nitrates before the change today were at 80ppm on the API kit. Yikes. I threw in some macro algae (chaeto, and pom Pom), and added a bag of Phosguard. Also added some cycled matrix from my other tank.

I’m wondering what is the bigger offender, the used substrate I got or the used rock? Sucks not being able to put anything in the tank because nutrients are so high

I thought about taking the substrate out and replacing with new ocean direct. Also didn’t know if a protein skimmer would help? Or no because it’s already dissolved into the water?

 

[Fish Fan]

I’m wondering what is the bigger offender, the used substrate I got or the used rock? Sucks not being able to put anything in the tank because nutrients are so high

Sorry about your trouble! This has been seen before with used rock and sand, but try not to worry, it's recoverable

I'm not going to claim to be an expert here, see what others suggest, but I'd advise not doing anything drastic with the sand just yet. Disturbing a sandbed can lead to an even greater spike in ammonia, and set you back further, in my opinion.

My question is, does the tank stink, lol?? I mean, be honest ;-)

If the smell isn't bothering you, your family, or neighbors, I'd say just let it ride. Use some water changes, and by the time we all get to discussing this fully, your tank will balance out naturally, and by that I mean a few weeks to a month or so.

But, if it's starting to smell very bad, like not a fresh beach smell but more like a washed up whale carcass, it may be time to take drastic measures, take a step back, bleach cure the rock, and restart the tank. If there's a lot of organics on your rocks and sand, this may be quicker than just letting the tank ride, at this point.

But again, I'm no expert, and I'm getting ahead of myself....

 

[EchoPear]

Sorry about your trouble! This has been seen before with used rock and sand, but try not to worry, it's recoverable

I'm not going to claim to be an expert here, see what others suggest, but I'd advise not doing anything drastic with the sand just yet. Disturbing a sandbed can lead to an even greater spike in ammonia, and set you back further, in my opinion.

My question is, does the tank stink, lol?? I mean, be honest ;-)

If the smell isn't bothering you, your family, or neighbors, I'd say just let it ride. Use some water changes, and by the time we all get to discussing this fully, your tank will balance out naturally, and by that I mean a few weeks to a month or so.

But, if it's starting to smell very bad, like not a fresh beach smell but more like a washed up whale carcass, it may be time to take drastic measures, take a step back, bleach cure the rock, and restart the tank. If there's a lot of organics on your rocks and sand, this may be quicker than just letting the tank ride, at this point.

But again, I'm no expert, and I'm getting ahead of myself....

Tank does not stink anymore, no. At least to me! Lol

Thanks for your input on this rollercoaster

 

[EchoPear]

I'm not going to claim to be an expert here, see what others suggest, but I'd advise not doing anything drastic with the sand just yet. Disturbing a sandbed can lead to an even greater spike in ammonia, and set you back further, in my opinion.

Supposedly, this stuff is from the ocean floor. From an old divers aquarium. However it’s actually pretty coarse, like small gravel you would find in a freshwater tank. Wife and I aren’t digging the aesthetics and may change it out anyways

 

[Fish Fan]

Tank does not stink anymore, no. At least to me! Lol

Thanks for your input on this rollercoaster

"Anymore", lol! Well I'm glad to hear that

If that's true, I'd personally just let it ride. As long as the smell isn't blowing you or your significant others out the house, in time your tank will balance.

You mentioned nitrite. That's not as important in saltwater aquaria as traditionally thought. Are you still getting measurable ammonia? If you are, you have a ways to go in your cycle.

Supposedly, this stuff is from the ocean floor. From an old divers aquarium. However it’s actually pretty coarse, like small gravel you would find in a freshwater tank. Wife and I aren’t digging the aesthetics and may change it out anyways

If you're not digging your sand, and you're tank's not going well, maybe this is in fact a good time for a reboot??

Again, don't do anything drastic based on my advice. Wait a while and see what others say.

And just a thought, but if you started with old rocks and sand, I think you'll be dealing with these nutrient issues way longer than you want, especially if this is your first or only tank. It takes a pretty seasoned aquarist to stare at a festering, dark, empty tank for three or four months and think, "yeah, this is going EXACTLY as planned". And it takes an almost unheard of spouse that OK's that tank ;-)

Are you still measuring ammonia in your tank?