Boiling my Rocks....

prthd

Reefing newb
OK, so i got some help from Biff and am starting to boil my rock. I got pics for everyone also. i noticed what looked like a tiny starfish about the size of maybe a penny as i was pulling one of the rocks out, i put the rock glose to the glass so i could watch him. kinda weird.
 
You boiled your rock?? Any life in the rock should be dead. Also I hope you used a GLASS pot as the metal can leach in to your live rock. That will spell out the words tank hell down the road.
 
You boiled your rock?? Any life in the rock should be dead. Also I hope you used a GLASS pot as the metal can leach in to your live rock. That will spell out the words tank hell down the road.

When you have a terrible pest infestation, such as majanos or colonial hydroids, often times the only way to save the rock is to kill everything on it, unfortunately. This should be used only as a last resort, IMO. It will not longer by live rock when you are through, but at least you can use it again in your tank and re-seed it using other live rock pieces.
 
I wouldn't think that would be a good idea. I can see the water inside the rock expanding and shattering the rock. Do it fast enough it may explode.
 
I wouldn't think that would be a good idea. I can see the water inside the rock expanding and shattering the rock. Do it fast enough it may explode.

Yeah, I see bad news doing that. Also, the smell is terrible. I don't know if your oven would ever be usable again!
 
I don't see how the star would live through a boil every thing would be dead the star to me would just be a decaying hunk of boiled starfish stew. At least thats how I read it that the star when through the boil.
 
I personally wouldn't use a metal pot to boil rocks. I would use glass. I would think there could be a possibility to leach metals into the rock with a metal pot.

Keep in mind a wet heat and a dry heat are two different things. Normally a wet heat cooks slower than a dry, therefore giving the rock more time to expand and release the steam in the pockets.
 
Well I would think it would depend on the temperature. If I am remembering correctly at 160 degrees it takes 30 minutes to kill all bacteria. I'm thinking of pasteurization....in this case I would think anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. But Biff can correct me on this one.
 
I don't see how the star would live through a boil every thing would be dead the star to me would just be a decaying hunk of boiled starfish stew. At least thats how I read it that the star when through the boil.

It wouldn't. I think he is going to try to pick it off before he boils the rock.
 
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