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#2
08-31-2014, 08:21 PM
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#3
08-31-2014, 08:46 PM
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Even nitrate color tests can be misleading if you don't do it right. Need to really follow instructions with shaking the solutions and waiting the required times, or can also get false readings. If you truly had zero nitrates and phosphates, you wouldn't have an algae problem. I still remember my algae almost falling off the rocks with slight tooth brushing after I hit zero on those parameters. I found that hair algae in particular will thrive with less than 0.10 ppm P04. Just recently, I let both nitrates and P04 get out of control a bit, and the hair algae came back with a vengeance. So I know very well how quickly and easily that happens. Also should mention to have good flow across your rocks, and if necessary occasionally turkey baste them to be sure no detritus collects. Hair algae loves to attach where it can collect particles. And hopefully you have some tangs. They (Kole is the best) also do a great job of keeping algae off rocks before it has a chance to form.
__________________
Reef Pilot's Undersea Oasis: http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...d.php?t=102101 Frags FS: http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...d.php?t=115022 Solutions are easy. The real difficulty lies in discovering the problem.
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#4
09-01-2014, 08:32 PM
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I had great success just using RODI and the sun. If you have the time, this is the best way to avoid chemicals and still leach phosphates/metals from the rock, and has the advantage of not losing any mass (like you would with an acid bath).
To start, I placed the rock in a large rubbermaid of RODI for about 3 days. Lots of circulation. After 3 days it was pretty ripe, rinsed/scrubbed the rock in buckets of RODI and left in the sun to dry. Repeated this about 3 times and the water was clear by the third time, so I just started doing water changes every three days. No smell and no measurable phosphates two weeks later, nice clean rock!
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#5
09-01-2014, 10:25 PM
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Oh man did I mess up? After pouring a gallon of bleach in a garbage bin full of rock I notice that the bleach was lemon scented. Is this bad or can I just flush it with water tomorrow and it be fine after a acid bath? Not too worried about acid bath making my rocks lose mass. It won't lose much.
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#6
09-02-2014, 01:54 AM
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The acid *should* get any residual organics, which *might* include the scent chemicals. You may have to go multiple cycles of RO/DI water, perhaps even with carbon, before you can be sure.
Charles
__________________
Where did my rum go?! Success in this hobby does not count how you spend your money, it counts how you spend your time.
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#7
09-02-2014, 04:59 AM
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#8
09-02-2014, 05:10 AM
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Whatever the lemon scent is, it won't be organic. Chlorine bleach disintegrates organics, that's how it works. And if you're doing the acid bath to get rid of phosphates, then you'll actually need to lose a significant amount of mass to be successful. It works by removing a layer of rock that has adsorbed phosphates, if you don't remove enough then you're not removing phosphates. Depending on the porosity of the rock, I've heard of acid baths removing 25% of the dry mass of the rock.
Carbon will probably help with removing whatever the lemon scent chemical is. Also soaking in RODI will pull it into the water for removal
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