Live rocks dead

[royalstar]

Disclaimer: Spent the last 45min searching, so here i go

I bought some live rock from the lfs shop a few weeks back and put it in my tank. When i put it in i noticed it didnt smell that good. (But being very new to this i thought nothing of it)

Not long after the amonia levels shot up and most of my fish died, i couldnt work out what did it until i pulled out this piece of live rock and it smelled terrible! (almost made me sick) After i took it out, the ammonia levels dropped back down within a day or so. . .

I got mildly angry at this fact, and decided to see if the rock would thrive after i threw it out the window. 2 weeks on and now (with live rock prices being what they are) i wouldnt mind putting it back in the tank

My question is, what should i do before it goes in, it doesnt smell as bad as it did, but is still quite bad.

 

[Len]

The bad smell was decaying matter, most likely sponges. You should never add significant amounts of new live rock to a tank with existing inhabitants without first curing it in another tank/tub.

The "dead" rock" can be used, but I'd sterilize it first. Hydrogen peroxide is cheap and harmless, and soaking the rock in it for a day then letting it dry a few weeks should make it safe. Make sure to remove any dead/decaying life from it that you can before you proceed.

To be honest, if it still smells, I'd ditch the rock. LR is the foundation your reef is based on, and even though it will cost you more money, I'd get new live rock to be safe. My opinion is there is no point in risking future deaths and headaches to save a few bucks.

 

[royalstar]

Thanks len, where can i get this peroxide

 

[Anonymous]

Hydrogen peroxide can be found in the "health and beauty" section of any pharmacy, grocery store, or "dollar store". It is normaly used to clean cuts, stitches, and cd's (at least at my house). :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

:lol:

 

[Anonymous]

If this were a computer question I have to confess I would have responded RTFM. There is a lot of really great information collated by a lot of highly informed people in the library section of reefs.org. If you were to buy one book to read on the topic, I would suggest Fenner's Consciensious Marine Aquairast (my spelling ain't so hot prior to my first cuppa coffee).

Curing live rock is extremely unpleasant to be around. If you can buy a big plastic tub from Target (a store that also sells H2O2, aka hydrogen peroxide) for about $10 and cure it, in synthetic, ocean-strength saltwater that is swiftly circulated, for about 4 weeks or more. Once cured, it is a good idea not to expose it to air when you transfer it to an aquarium.

 

[Anonymous]

Just curious, why are we trying to sterilize the rock? Sitting it outside for a couple of weeks should have killed off any marine life; I think I'd just subject it to shooting it hard with a garden hose and swishing it around in a tub of water.

 

[royalstar]

tried that dan. For about 3 days i went outside twice a day and sprayed it and scrubbed it . I just couldnt even get a quarter or that crap on there off.

I've two more questions from this:

1) When curing, will i need a powerhead in the tub? or just an airstone?

2) I noticed before i took it out that there were grey patches on the rock. It looked like a tightly woven spiders web, or a sponge, but would break apart when touched. Its popping up all over oneof my rocks! Any ideas?
(I tried to get a pic, but can focus on it)

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, a ph is nessesity, but you'd be better off with a skimmer. You'll need to do frequent water changes without the skimmer.

Why do people always worry about the stuff growing on their rocks? Most of the time it's just something benign and kinda fun to watch. If it were crawling around the tank, then you may have something to worry about, but if it's "on" the rock, just let it be <unless it's some form of calurpa> and enjoy the show. 8)

 

[royalstar]

knowse, normally i wouldnt mind. But this grey crap seems to grow over the live sections of the rock, and when i blow it off with the powerhead anything under it is now dead...

 

[Anonymous]

Bacteria are constantly cleaning out LR. That's what that gray stuff is. It is mulm, bacterial floc, and likely some fish waste. That is why it is always recommended to turkey baste or powerhead off your rock often. It is just curing right now, have no worries. Your rock is just fine.