Dead rock

[tks 13]

Hi all,need some precious advice frm Bros and Sis here.

1)will be getting some half dead life rock frm fellow reefer,my tank will be in only july.As of nw must i totally expose my rock to sun light to let it totally die off?must i wash with tap water before putting under sun?if no direct sun ok?can i just air it cos im afraid no direct sun?can it still be alive?

2)i intent to put life rock in my sump,can i put the dead rock there?will it be alive again?

3)i hv some remaining sand frm my old tank(abt 6mth no used)can i wash with tap water and air it then use in my main tank?

[Goondoo]

Hi all,need some precious advice frm Bros and Sis here.

1)will be getting some half dead life rock frm fellow reefer,my tank will be in only july.As of nw must i totally expose my rock to sun light to let it totally die off?must i wash with tap water before putting under sun?if no direct sun ok?can i just air it cos im afraid no direct sun?can it still be alive?

2)i intent to put life rock in my sump,can i put the dead rock there?will it be alive again?

3)i hv some remaining sand frm my old tank(abt 6mth no used)can i wash with tap water and air it then use in my main tank?

[Goondoo]

Depending on your intention of getting the "live rocks".

Some get live rocks for the establish colonies of bacterias, some for Coraline algae etc.

Its OK to add "dead rocks" to your tank if these are not your objectives. But you would probably need to do a complete ANN cycle during the start up.

Your live rocks cannot stay alive too long without "food" either. Wash them if you like the rocks. I usually use vinegar + water combination to soak it for a day, brush them, then soak in soda + water combination for another few to get rid of the vinegar smell.

[albinosage]

Hi bro, if the rocks are "half dead" and are not going to be used till July, I think it is best to just bake it in the sun and kill off everything for good. While the beneficial bacteria and organisms will be killed, you will also have very clean rocks without hitch hikers like crabs and bobbit worms lol. When you cycle your new tank, you can add some cured live rocks to seed the system or dose bacteria.

As for your sand, yup, you can wash them then leave to dry too. Basically your new tank will have to be cycled from the beginning.

If you want to keep the rocks alive, you can keep them in a tub circulating with water till your new tank arrives.

[tks 13]

Depending on your intention of getting the "live rocks".

Some get live rocks for the establish colonies of bacterias, some for Coraline algae etc.

Its OK to add "dead rocks" to your tank if these are not your objectives. But you would probably need to do a complete ANN cycle during the start up.

Your live rocks cannot stay alive too long without "food" either. Wash them if you like the rocks. I usually use vinegar + water combination to soak it for a day, brush them, then soak in soda + water combination for another few to get rid of the vinegar smell.

Thank you for your precious advice,i hope to establish colonies of bacterias and hv Coraline algae.

can i just wash rock and sand with tap water and air them for at least 1wk???

[tks 13]

Hi bro, if the rocks are "half dead" and are not going to be used till July, I think it is best to just bake it in the sun and kill off everything for good. While the beneficial bacteria and organisms will be killed, you will also have very clean rocks without hitch hikers like crabs and bobbit worms lol. When you cycle your new tank, you can add some cured live rocks to seed the system or dose bacteria.

As for your sand, yup, you can wash them then leave to dry too. Basically your new tank will have to be cycled from the beginning.

If you want to keep the rocks alive, you can keep them in a tub circulating with water till your new tank arrives.

Thank you for your reply,hw abt putting tis dead rock in the sump?will it be back to live and hv bacteria and corline algea?

[albinosage]

Bro, any dead rocks can be colonised by bacteria and coralline algae again. You can even use it in the main tank. As long as you cycle your tank properly, bacteria population will be back and as long as you maintain Ca, Mg and alkalinity, provide adequate light, coralline algae will grow.

Regarding your reply to Goondoo, if you wash and air dry the rocks for a week, it will be dead but no worries cos it will be populated by bacteria in no time once you cycle the tank.

[Goondoo]

Bro, any dead rocks can be colonised by bacteria and coralline algae again. You can even use it in the main tank. As long as you cycle your tank properly, bacteria population will be back and as long as you maintain Ca, Mg and alkalinity, provide adequate light, coralline algae will grow.

Regarding your reply to Goondoo, if you wash and air dry the rocks for a week, it will be dead but no worries cos it will be populated by bacteria in no time once you cycle the tank.

As mention by bro binosage, do not worry about the bacteria and coraline algaes, they will colonised as your tank mature (ideal parameters, of course). If you are new to this hobby without prior experience, please let your tank go through the full ANN cycle like LemonLemon had always preached .

Take the waiting time to plan and read up what you want and have in mind. Scaping dead rocks does have its advantages, you can take your time stacking them outside your tank, epoxy them before placing them in your tank. Live rocks users seldom have that kind of luxury.

Just be patience or be very rich