Jdreeves Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I've been doing a lot of research lately and I've decided to start my first reef tank. I bought a used Red Sea Max 130D and I'm in the process of setting it up right now. It came with rock and sand but I'm going to take it out because it is full of pests that I don't want to deal with. I'll post some pictures as soon as I get it set up. Link to comment
seabass Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Yeah, I'd use new sand, but you could strip the rock clean and still use it as base rock if you really wanted. Then you could seed it with some fresh live rock, to bring in some beneficial life. It kind of depends on how you like the rock itself. Good luck with your new project! Link to comment
Jdreeves Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 Yeah, I'd use new sand, but you could strip the rock clean and still use it as base rock if you really wanted. Then you could seed it with some fresh live rock, to bring in some beneficial life. It kind of depends on how you like the rock itself. Good luck with your new project! Thanks! I might do that. I don't love the rock but it will work for base rock. Link to comment
seabass Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Cool, pick out your favorite pieces to clean. You probably don't need them all as you'll be buying a few pieces of live rock to use instead (although you could clean them all and save the ones you're not going to use). Assuming there are no corals on the rock, I would: Use a vegetable brush to brush off the bulk of the organic material in a five gallon bucket of water. Then rinse with clean tap water. Then soak the rock in straight 3% hydrogen peroxide. After soaking for several minutes, leave it exposed to air for awhile (don't rinse it yet). After the peroxide has had a chance to oxidize the remaining organics, rinse off the rock. Peroxide can bleach fabric so be careful that you don't ruin anything. I would then soak the rock in some water for a few days and test the water for ammonia and phosphate. If there is ammonia, I would cure it separately before exposing it to the new live rock. If there is a high phosphate level, it might be easier to give up and get all new live rock. While it's possible to get rid of the phosphate, it is a long process. Once you have prepped the rock, you are ready to let it cycle with your new live rock. I wouldn't buy the new rock until after the base rock is ready. Link to comment
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