tufa rock...advice needed

nemo79 · 07-08-2006, 11:39 AM

Hey Everyone, I Have Quite A Bit Of Tufa Rock I Used In My Freshwater Tank. I Want To Use It In My Sw. It's Been Bagged And Dried Now But I Want To Know If There Is Anything Else I Should Do Prior To Adding Into My Sw Tank. Should I Boil It, Bleach It, Wash It? I Just Don't Want Anything From My Old Tank In My New. I'm Pretty Sure Being Out Of The Water Anything Would Be Dead. I'm Just Worried Cause Of Parasites Or Previous Meds That Might Have Been Used. Mind You It Would All Be Dead Now. Please Help With Suggestions. Thanks

EPIC LOKI · 07-08-2006, 11:54 AM

IMO..DONT BLEACH IT...i would just run water over it and if there is still any dead matter on it i would scrub it with a new sterile brush until its clean. but never use cleaning products on anything that goes near your tank. you could boil it but IMO that may be overkill...hope this helps you out

gkw · 07-08-2006, 12:13 PM

Amcarrig had a formula on how to clean the rocks.

Quote:

To clean the rock, make a 50/50 solution of bleach and water and soak the rock for about 3 days. Then drain the containers, fill then back up with plain tap water and let that soak for 3 days. Drain the containers again, fill them with water again and throw in a couple of 2 pound boxes of baking soda. Let that soak for another 3 days then let the rock air dry in the sun for about a week before you put it back into the tank.

HTH!

jonathan · 07-08-2006, 12:15 PM

i would just "cook" the rock...

place the rock that you want to use into a container large enough to hold all of it. pre-mix your saltwater to the correct salinity and place into the container covering the rock completely. make sure you have a powerhead and a heater in the container...keeping up with circulation and temperature requirements. place the container into a dark closet, room, etc. away from light (this allows for little bacterial growth). commit to periodical water changes and constantly test for chemicals or medications you may have used in your freshwater tank...i.e. copper, etc. i can't say how long it will take but if you can save the rock, it may be worth it...hth.