quick newbiee question...

[INNEED]

ok so am setting up my dauthers tank i just bought some live rock but i dont wanna risk introducing pest into the system what can i do? i was thinking about dipping the rocks in coral rx for 10 mins...would that work.... am preety sure it will but once the rocks come out of the dip will they still be live or consider dead????since everything is gonna die off.....

 

[knugenx]

like you said...it might work...but will it get rid of "potential eggs" of unwanted pests?...may want to consider getting macro rocks...also the source of the live rocks you currently have...from a good tank or bad tank...etc.

 

[INNEED]

i didnt get to see the tank up and running so i wouldnt be able tell u......i was also thinking about letting the rock dry for about a week and then recycling them ??????i dont wanna risk the slightest chance of introduceing anything in to her tank.......

 

[CancerverO]

i didnt get to see the tank up and running so i wouldnt be able tell u......i was also thinking about letting the rock dry for about a week and then recycling them ??????i dont wanna risk the slightest chance of introduceing anything in to her tank.......

yeah if you really want to star with no pets or anything like that.. I will let them just dry out ..I hear some people cooking them to kill everything.. I think you have to put in a container with no light and high temp .. dont remember.. but once I had a rock with bubble algae and other type of algae and wanted to use that rock so I left it outside for a week under the sun and it dried out and no algae..

 

[basiab]

I think you miss half the fun by making your rock dead. yes there is a possibility of a pest but usually are manageable to get rid of. By having live rock you get all kinds of surprises that are really neat to watch. It is rare that you get something so full of pests that you have to destroy it all.

 

[knugenx]

there is also a possibilty of chemical contamination in addition to pests from unknown source of live rock...bad stuff can leech back out from the rocks, too. Maybe you should reconsider the rocks, since you don't to go through with future trouble with the tank. This hobby is full of surprises and wonders.

 

[INNEED]

ooooo so true....

 

[noelskii]

cook it!

 

[INNEED]

ok so how does the cookin work

 

[knugenx]

the same way how u would boil a lobster or pasta in a pot.

 

[INNEED]

lol i know that but once it comes out do i cycle the rock or does it go straight into my tank?????

 

[knugenx]

Dead rock needs to be cycled again if you are starting from scratch. You can add dead rock into an existing tank though, but little at a time.

BTW, cooked rock could potentially leech...cooking just kills what's on the rock and not in it.

 

[INNEED]

am preety sure the rock is pest free but i just wanna be 100% sure. ill cook it cycle it and it should be good from there.