dry rock introduction process

[jesse]

i bought 20+ dry rock from a guy on craigslist for like 10 bucks. he had taken down his 60 gal and let the rocks sit in the tank for like 3 months with out water so they turned to dry rocks. the rocks still had sand on them and other stuff since they were still in the tank when i picked them up.\


1 how do i put them in my tank?
2. i have them soaking in water right now so i can scrub them off and take out the excess stuff. so is that a good idea?
3 when can i put them in the tank

 

[jesse]

sorry if its the wrong place to post it i didnt know where rocks fit in to the forums

 

[Civicdemon]

I would figure since its dry rock, it really would not matter.

Personaly i would srub them down with warm water, Then i would sit them in some water over night just to loosen anything up. scrub and rinse again in the morning and you should be fine Since its just dry rock.

 

[jesse]

well that the thing tho....its only dry rock because it hasnt been in water for about 3-4 months but it used to be in this guys tank so im pretty sure it was live at some point. so idk if it will spike things up. i thought he was selling dry rock as in it wasnt in anything but once i saw it was used for his tank i was like idk....either way for 10 buck i got 20+lbs i still couldnt say no.

 

[Civicdemon]

You could cure it then if you like. But i think if its ben that long you would be fine just cleaning it of with a brosh and maybe a pipe cleaner for any holes. Then let it sit in water. If you cure it then put it in water at the PH and temp of your tank and then just let it sit for about 1 week to be safe. But i think being that its ben dry for so long it should be ok.

 

[jesse]

in all honesty i really just want to put it in the tank soon. ive had it soaking in a smaller tank for about 7 hrs so far and im going to brush it when i wake up...

i think i will let my gf decide if we should wait that extra week or not since she was so excited to just drop it in and mess around with the new options of setting it up. hope everything goes out good and nothing spikes too bad if any.

 

[Civicdemon]

is your tank already set up ???? Has it already cycled ???? If it hasnt cycled and you dont have any livestock in the tank then you can just drop it in, it could help the cycle go faster.

 

[jesse]

no my tank is already cycled, its got fish,coral, and a cuc as well. just wanted to add more rocks in to give the fish more play caves and room for the coral to catch on.

 

[Civicdemon]

yeah if thats the case then i would just cure it to be safe, But its really up to you.

 

[Civicdemon]

One thing i have learned in my short time in this hobby is you need to take your time and be patient. LOL

 

[jesse]

tell me about it.... i learned that the hard way lol, but after so many problems and lost fish i finally learned my lesson......that is to keep my mom out of my room hahahahaha

 

[jesse]

ill see whats gonna happen tomorrow. depends on how i feel about it. i did the stupid mistake of puting the tank with the water and rock in the middle of my room so its gonna be a biatch to move it or always go around it......guess i didnt learn that much

 

[kevdogg]

I would cure the rock because it sounds like the guy drained the tank and just let things dry out, leaving everything to die. All the dead bacteria and other crap may start a cycle in your tank. I would rather play it safe.

 

[Civicdemon]

LOL Well what ever you decide i wish you the best, trust me i lost atleast a couple hundreed dollars in fish my first time around.

 

[jesse]

LOL Well what ever you decide i wish you the best, trust me i lost atleast a couple hundreed dollars in fish my first time around.

im close to that due to an anemone nuking my tank

 

[jesse]

I would cure the rock because it sounds like the guy drained the tank and just let things dry out, leaving everything to die. All the dead bacteria and other crap may start a cycle in your tank. I would rather play it safe.

i think thats what happened, the rock is really sandy still and lots of pieces keep falling off of it by trying to brush it. im sure i just turned a 12 inch long rock to a 7 inch long rock with all the pieces comming off. it all looked like the same rock too.

 

[Bifferwine]

I would blast it off using some pressure from a garden hose. Try to get as much of whatever gunk is on it loose.

Is it smelly? If it doesn't stink, then I don't think there's too much risk of any die off.

 

[cvcdrk]

Just soak it in vinegar and water overnight.

If you're really worried about it, you can use some bleach and water overnight. Then just like Biff said, spray them off with a hose until you can no longer smell the vinegar or bleach.

It really depends on how pourous the rock is I think but this should eliminate most things and if it's been months it's unlikely there's any pests to worry about.

 

[Bifferwine]

If you are going to bleach it overnight, I would use some tap water dechlorinator before you put them back in the tank.

 

[jesse]

No none of the rock smells that bad. The most I can get is a wet sand smell. I used a power head to shoot into the holes of the rocks to get stuff out and scrubbed like crazy. I don't think its gonna be that bad. If it does cause damage what would I look for? Ammonia, nitrite,nitrates?