Last attempt at saving my tank

[Anonymous]

Is cooking the LR another Fad of the month like the DSB and now bare bottom and Atkins or South Beach.

yep.

You are wrong Bob. The idea of getting ickies out of LR is as old as everything. Its just like initial curing of LR. Since the 80's we have been recommending that people blast their rock with a baster or power-head periodically to remove the detritus build up. If you allow fertilizer to collect, something is going to grow on it.

As with most of the other methods recommended and used its primary goal is to reduce the unwanted algae growth.

No. The primary goal is to reduce the amount of rotting matter in your tank.

And even laura used a refugium as part of the numerous things to conquer that unwanted algae growth.

Fuges are fine, but they are not the panacea you make them out to be.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree that plants are not the only answer or the main answer. I agree that the tank is out of balance but I don't know how it got out of balance.

Do people cook their LR every 3 years to clean it? I don't think so.

I do not see people blasting their LR every day either.

Maybe I need more powerheads.

Anyone live near Rockalnd County NY that wants to make some money looking at my tank and telling me where I am wrong with my tank?
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[Anonymous]

I have been watching Robs posts for a long time. I have the same problems. I do WC weekly. I blast the rock weekly. And every week its the same thing muddy stuff all over the place. Could you explain or give links to "cooking" the rock? I think its the only thing I have not tried.
Teddy

 

[Anonymous]

Is cooking the LR another Fad of the month like the DSB and now bare bottom and Atkins or South Beach.

yep.

As with most of the other methods recommended and used its primary goal is to reduce the unwanted algae growth. And even laura used a refugium as part of the numerous things to conquer that unwanted algae growth.

give it a rest man!

 

[Anonymous]

I agree that plants are not the only answer or the main answer. I agree that the tank is out of balance but I don't know how it got out of balance.

Do people cook their LR every 3 years to clean it? I don't think so.

I do not see people blasting their LR every day either.

Maybe I need more powerheads.

Anyone live near Rockalnd County NY that wants to make some money looking at my tank and telling me where I am wrong with my tank?

turkey baster is daily here.

i think that if you have detritus laying stagnant you neeedmore flow... if it is blowing around on the bottom, then not so much.

 

[Anonymous]

Lots of people blast their rock monthly.

I would say your tank is in a tail spin and you need to do something to pull it out. It could have gotten out of balance any number of ways - die of in the rock caused by who knows what, algae dying but not being exported, over feeding...

Whatever is going on it seems to be a nutrient issue, so somehow you have to rob the algae of those nutrients and export those nutrients out of the system. Since your water and feeding seems so good, I think you gots rock issues.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't blast my rocks everyday, but I do every three or four days. Trukey basters are a very good tool but power heads are faster for that purpose.

Seems that the crap that builds up on my rock, is from the stuff living in my rock. I've got a nice chuck that always has a pile under it. Then one day I got to see something poop or clean it's hole and it landed on the little pile. Answered that question.

I also cooked about 30 lbs of rock in a rubbermaid container. No lights, no skimmer and no water changes for almost 4 months. No unwanted algeas, coraline was still there somewhat and more freaking pods and micro stars than a person knows what to do with.

 

[Anonymous]

Can the corals/fish survice for 4 months with no LR while I cook them?

In the cooking rubbermaids I do not have a skimmer for than unless I buy another skimmer.
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[Anonymous]

Or how is this idea? I remove all the LR for cooking and add a few new pieces of cured LR to the tank. Will those pieces become infested while the other LR cooks?
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[ChrisRD]

In the cooking rubbermaids I do not have a skimmer for than unless I buy another skimmer.

You don't need a skimmer on those containers.

Or how is this idea? I remove all the LR for cooking and add a few new pieces of cured LR to the tank. Will those pieces become infested while the other LR cooks?

They shouldn't, unless they are also loaded with nutrients.

 

[Anonymous]

Kind of off topic, but would cooking rock rid aiptasia, since there would be no light, and no food?

 

[fishfanatic2]

One thing to look for when blasting rocks-if any previous inverts ever lived in the rock and carved holes, you need to get in there. I was shocked when I used a little dispenser (mini-turkey baster if you will) in the holes in the LR and saw what came out. If you have lots of these holes that guarantees lots of detritus.

Possibly you might try putting all yer corals and fish in a holding tank and cook the LR, maybe even letting the tank run with just sand (or BB) for a while. Then I would put everything back in. You could also put the rocks in a dark place for a while to kill everything off. Then I would add the rocks back to the tank and recycle.

 

[Anonymous]

Kind of off topic, but would cooking rock rid aiptasia, since there would be no light, and no food?

given enough time, yes.

 

[Anonymous]

Do you have to add a heater when cooking or just the power head?

 

[Anonymous]

Time to get out the chisel and break the corals off of the rock I guess. I think I wil lget a few small pieces of LR to put in the tank for the fish to hide around. Maybe build some kind of eggcrate for the corals to rest on to keep them high enough to the light. I will cook the rock for 2 months of so. How do I know when the LR is done? Just add a heater and powerhead to the rubbermaid? Weekly WC's in there? or longer?
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[Anonymous]

Rob

your tank your system.

What I find amazing is this. You are seriously considering tearing apart a thriving system with fish and even sps corals because of hair algae.

With your corraline expanding the hair might just go away on its own.

I don't recommend you tear your system apart to cook the rocks or for any other reason. A small amount of hair algae in a thriving system should not be that big of a concern.

But then that's just me.

 

[Anonymous]

The algae has spread to all of the LR again.

The corals are not thriving. I actually lost a porites frag 2 weeks ago.

The coraline will not grow on the LR. It is white and falling off on the back glass and some pink on the starboard.

Next I will need a calcium reactor instead of a Kalk reactor.

This is really getting rediculous.
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[Anonymous]

i don't think i would cook 'em either.
most established systems will go through nuisance phases every so often.. at least that is my experience.

i would work at getting the nutrients in motion.. however you choose to do that. cooking the rock will be time consuming and really throw things off balance.
i would first get a baster and blast the rock in every nook you can find.
put it right up to a hole and blast it... if lots of crap comes pouring out you will have good indicator of a problem.
i don't think the only way to solve it is to cook the rock, i think vigorous flow could help get things in motion while leaving the tank intact.

you don't need a calcium reactor.

 

[Anonymous]

Oh I'm sorry. How are the other corals doing? Any growth or extension?

yes it is ridiculous.

Obviously you can't tear down you tank every 3-4 months or so.

 

[Anonymous]

the polyps open but no growth.

SHould I add another 1000 GPH of flow? A stream?

On top of the mag 9 on the return, 2 maxijet 1200's, Panworld hd40 on a closed loop to a Oceansmotions Squid? ~2200 total?
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