Rock that has been sitting for 10 years -- prep needed?

[kengeroo]

So I have been out of the SW game for over 10 years..
I have a big box of rock, that has been sitting dry during that time.

I'm getting back into the game..
I have read about bleaching/acid rocks etc... to kill nasties on them...

Would there be any benefits of me doing this. Pretty sure that everything on/in the rocks are dead by now...

Would bleaching the rocks give coralline algae a better surface to start growing on ?

thx !

[Kryptic4L]

the bleaching / acid bath is 2 part for a reason, One kills organics in the rock, one strips the rock of unwanted phosphates. Over time detritus and what not will build up in the rock itself.

So while dead the rock still may contain many things that will leach into your water over time.

[kengeroo]

So if I had the luxury of running the tank for a few months until phosphates were all gone there would be no need for bleaching,,, correct ??

The thing I was most curious about is,, does it provide a cleaner slate for good stuff to grow one (coralline algae and stuff)

[albert_dao]

Originally Posted by kengeroo

So if I had the luxury of running the tank for a few months until phosphates were all gone there would be no need for bleaching,,, correct ??

Yes, but you'll hate every moment of it, given that the most common organism that can readily take advantage of nutrients like nitrates and phosphates are the pest algae -- which may or may not go away over time, YMMV.

Originally Posted by kengeroo

The thing I was most curious about is,, does it provide a cleaner slate for good stuff to grow one (coralline algae and stuff)

Coralline grows on anything. You'll find that the longer you're in the game, the more you'll start to view coralline algae as a nuisance. It turns everything purple (which hurts the impact that blue and purple corals have on the aesthetic) and eats up all your major elements. But then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and if all you're keeping is green stuff, then it'll look awesome.

[Myka]

Bleach breaks down organics (critters and algae)and helps flush them off/out of the rock. Acid removes phosphate by dissolving the outer layer of rock. Bleach and acid have to be done separately if you want to do both. Bleach first, acid second.

You could probably skip the bleach process and just scrub or powerwash the rocks seeing as any critters or algae are probably quite damaged from being dry for so long, but the bleach wouldn't hurt. 10:1 freshwater to bleach is plenty. Rinse well then air dry for a few days with a fan on it or use a dechlorinator (you will go through a big bottle so air dry is prob best).

For an acid bath, make sure all bleach is neutralized first or you will end up with dangerous chlorine gas. Rinse the rock thoroughly after the acid, and baking soda will neutralize the remaining acid. Do rinse well first or you will be going through a ton of baking soda. Afterwards, test pH in the tub after it has been circulating for a few hours and pH 7 or 8 (depending what your freshwater is) indicates the acid is neutralized.

If it was me, I would do the whole she-bang. I don't like skipping steps when setting up a new tank because it just creates headaches later. Do it thoroughly now, and save yourself grief later. If you don't want to do all this process, you can toss the rock in the tank, let it circulate for a week, do a 100% waterchange and repeat as many times as you're willing (the goal is to lower nitrate and phosphate by leeching it out of the rock). This process is slower, but less physical.

Have fun!

[Reefer Rob]

Did you have a phosphate problem in your old tank?

I would just set up the new tank with no livestock and no lights until all the nutrients have leached out of the rock. You can carbon dose to speed up the process, it shouldn't take long.