Ralgo Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 This may be a no no but I don't know. I have a canal just behind my house that runs though a nature preserve (Old golf course that was decommissioned due to ospreys found nesting in the trees). I am in the process of upgrading from a 10g established tank that experienced a die off (one damsel survived) due to a malfunctioning heater to a 29 gallon Biocube. The water level dropped in the canal recently an i saw some really awesome looking rock work on the bank that became exposed. What i wanted to know is, If I were to gather some pieces would I be able to clean the rock enough to add to my live rock that I am moving over from my 10g? What would be the best way to clean rock that was found lying around? I will be gathering the rock today and keeping it in a bucket of water, doing frequent water changes until I get an answer. Would bleach help with the cleaning if I rinse it thoroughly afterwords? Thanks for any assistance offered Link to comment
danthenewreefman Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 This may be a no no but I don't know. I have a canal just behind my house that runs though a nature preserve (Old golf course that was decommissioned due to ospreys found nesting in the trees). I am in the process of upgrading from a 10g established tank that experienced a die off (one damsel survived) due to a malfunctioning heater to a 29 gallon Biocube. The water level dropped in the canal recently an i saw some really awesome looking rock work on the bank that became exposed. What i wanted to know is, If I were to gather some pieces would I be able to clean the rock enough to add to my live rock that I am moving over from my 10g? What would be the best way to clean rock that was found lying around? I will be gathering the rock today and keeping it in a bucket of water, doing frequent water changes until I get an answer. Would bleach help with the cleaning if I rinse it thoroughly afterwords? ----- bleach and vinegar are good choices for cleaning solutions -- just make sure with bleach you let it sit a few days and do water changes in bucket until bleach smell is gone gone. but you don't want it to contain any metals....that would be my biggest concern. limestone (texas holey rock, etc.) are great substitutes for LR or BR except for the fact that it isn't very porous at all -- but in my experience limestone grows coraline algae much much faster than BaseRock Link to comment
Natural71 Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Is it coral rock? I'd be worried about chemical contamination like pesticides and herbicides used in and around fresh water canals. I imagine that would be hard to clean out of the rock and I would be afraid of it leeching out over time. Link to comment
Ralgo Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 I took some pics of one piece. I rinsed it off but it still has a little "green" on it. Link to comment
brandolando4 Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 thats some awesome rock, how far do u live from the ocean? Link to comment
Ralgo Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 I live in South Florida... nothing is far from the ocean lol. I picked up about 50 lb of the stuff and each piece looks just about the same in terms of texture. I really wish i can use them. It'd save me some money and i think it looks really cool. I want to do this right however and if its not a good idea I'll accept that. Link to comment
gulfsurfer101 Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I thought collecting rock was a big no no in florida. I've heard you can collect mushrooms and soft coral but not the rock for some reason. If I were going to use that rock I would cook it first then reseed it with a few small peices of lr in a bucket with a powerhead. Link to comment
markandstaci Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 That rock looks awesome, but I would be worried about herbicides/pesticides like Natural71 said. Also, it looks extremely "alive" ... might result in an extended (and stinky) cycle. Really cool texture on it though! Link to comment
Ralgo Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 @Gulfsurfer101, Collecting Live Rock from the ocean is illegal in Florida but these are from the canal in the back of my house. the water level lowered and they became exposed. You got a good point there markandstaci. I'll bleach the heck out of them for a few days then let them completely wash out with soaking, water changes and testing and such. If worse comes to worse, I'll have to fully recycle the new tank after moving the stuff from my old tank. my only livestock is a single damsel. Link to comment
CoralReefDoc Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I thought collecting rock was a big no no in florida. I've heard you can collect mushrooms and soft coral but not the rock for some reason. If I were going to use that rock I would cook it first then reseed it with a few small peices of lr in a bucket with a powerhead. Seems that rock is most likely from one of numerous canals found in S. Florida, not the ocean reefs ... They banned the collection of LR off Florida's coast a few years ago but you can still get it from select LR distributers as they collected mass amounts of it during dredging projects and before the ban became established. As far as the rock is concerned it is possible to use , however, it is not suggested as there are many nooks/pores within that rock where the numerous chemicals found in those canals have accumulated. Its originally location was more than likely actually from the ocean thousands of years ago when the ocean covered more FL real estate. For example, Lake Okeechobee was once part of the ocean and there have been finds of ancient shells of nautilus, etc. there. If you do decide to use it I would make sure to provide an extensive bleach/curing process followed by using a "classic" S. Florida powerwasher on its surfaces. I used to live in S. FL Link to comment
Ralgo Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 I'll give it a go. I'm in no hurry to get the rock in the tank. I'd rather take my time than poison the tank ecosystem. Can anyone recommend and link a detailed bleaching/curing tutorial? Thanks for all the great comments... Really love the site!!! Link to comment
Ralgo Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 OK so I bleached the heck out of the rock I found (24 hour soak) and then ran them through multiple freshwater baths. I now have it soaking with a power-head in saltwater. Here's what they look like now Now I have another problem... I was reading up on "found" rock and found info in a forum regarding certain types of rock raising the PH of the water. The poster stated that if vinegar bubbles in contact with the rock it means the PH content is very high. I tested one piece with vinegar and it did fizz a little. Here's my question... Is there a way to lower the PH of the rock or should i just scrap it and not take the chance. The rock does look awesome and i really want to use it. Opinions? Suggestions?...Help!!! Link to comment
matt frizz Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I wouldn't take a chance at all with it. Is it from the sea? Link to comment
Ralgo Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 Yes and no... Everything where i live (South Florida) is from the sea at one point or another but this rock just became exposed on the bank after the water level of the canal behind my house lowered so it was under water up to a few weeks ago. Link to comment
Deep Stops Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 It's hard to tell from the picture, but it's most likely carbonate bedrock. The exact type could be determined under examination of the rock and some information about the locality in which it was found, The fizzing you are seeing is effervescence. When placed in a weak acid, the CO2 is precipitated while the Ca is dissolved. This is pretty much the tell-tale sign that you are dealing with a carbonate rock. In undergraduate classes, we always use 10% HCl -- equivalent to vinegar -- to determine if there is carbonate material in the rock. I would worry about chemicals -- fertilizers, pesticides, or even heavy metals-- within the rock. Most, if not all, of the canals in South Florida are fed by a river system connected to Lake O, which drains billions of gallons of polluted water into the estuaries. Everything from car oil to miracle grow ends up in your canal. Definitely a good looking rock nonetheless. Alex PS - Out of curiosity, when you examine the rock under sunlight, does it shimmer? Link to comment
Ralgo Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 I noticed no shimmering in the rock under sunlight. Thanks for the great info... would bleaching remove those chemicals you described or is there anything else I could use to combat the possibility of high PH or chemicals. I've read that soaking in vinegar can help with PH issues as well. Link to comment
Deep Stops Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I noticed no shimmering in the rock under sunlight. Thanks for the great info... would bleaching remove those chemicals you described or is there anything else I could use to combat the possibility of high PH or chemicals. I've read that soaking in vinegar can help with PH issues as well. Not even now that it's cleaned? The only aquarium safe thing I can think of is to "cure" it in RO water. In theory, the chemicals will eventually be dissolved. I'm not sure how long this would take or if it would even work. I would do this and make a test tank. There must be a way, though, because base rock you buy from various sources usually comes from carbonate bedrock, which is subject to the same pollutants. Sorry I can't be more help. Geochemistry isn't my thing. Alex Link to comment
Ralgo Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 No worries Alex... it aint my thing either lol. What I'm doing now is just soaking it in fresh water with vinegar. I've read that the vinegar lowers ph and will help to draw out whatever is in the rock that would raise the PH. I will be getting my test kit soon and so I wont put the rock in the tank until I am sure the PH wont fluctuate drastically. I only have my bad @$$ yellowtail damsel(he's survived everything that happened with my last tank) in the tank now. Here's my plan. 1. a few more days of soaking and water changes and testing for PH 2. Completely drying the rock for 24 hours 3. placing the rocks in one by one and monitoring the PH level though out We'll see if it works out. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Link to comment
sirbiggstixx Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I would straight cook it. FOr a few days. Then let it sit in rodi water for a week changing the water eveyday and then maybe cook it again. The rocks looks cool tho Bleach and fish tanks don't go together wih me very well. And if ur using tap water ur risking the rock soak up more phosphates and nitrates Link to comment
ednangel Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 i'm so jealous , having a attack and about to faint. great score!!! Link to comment
sean151 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I noticed no shimmering in the rock under sunlight. Thanks for the great info... would bleaching remove those chemicals you described or is there anything else I could use to combat the possibility of high PH or chemicals. I've read that soaking in vinegar can help with PH issues as well. There is no problem from it releasing calcium precipitate into the water column and raising your PH, which it shouldn't even be able to do in water with the PH ranges we deal in. Your current live rock does the same with in low PH water and so does every other calcium based rock. Link to comment
Ralgo Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 I would straight cook it. FOr a few days. Then let it sit in rodi water for a week changing the water eveyday and then maybe cook it again. The rocks looks cool tho Bleach and fish tanks don't go together wih me very well. And if ur using tap water ur risking the rock soak up more phosphates and nitrates Good point there... didn't think of that. When you say "cook" it, do you mean literally, with a big pot on the stove or is that a code word for some other process that I haven't learned yet (that's happening alot as I go though the forums... some times it too much good info) Link to comment
rdahlke1105 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 They mean literally cook it. As in, in a pot with water on the stove. Link to comment
Ralgo Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 There is no problem from it releasing calcium precipitate into the water column and raising your PH, which it shouldn't even be able to do in water with the PH ranges we deal in. Your current live rock does the same with in low PH water and so does every other calcium based rock. Oh OK... thanks for the info. I'm really psyched that I may be able to use these beauties after all. I took a few more pics of another more solid piece. What do you all think? Link to comment
Funktastic Wint Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Oh OK... thanks for the info. I'm really psyched that I may be able to use these beauties after all. I took a few more pics of another more solid piece. What do you all think? yeah i agree. if u boil it on the stove u should be good. rinse in ro water for a while. bam. Link to comment
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