What to do with live rock?

You should talk with a LFS and try and get them to buy it for around 6.00 per/lb. that would allow them to make a profit when selling it and it would get you some money for Starbuck. I'm in Hillsboro, OR and basic live rock goes for anywhere between $9.00 and 11.00 per/lbs.

By the way GO DAWGS! I hate being here in Oregon on collage football sundays with the ducks!!! My son is at UW for his Masters.

 

is it loaded with phosphates kacy?
I would say to go with bleaching it, drying and selling...

Honestly its going to be verry expensive to replace the whole tank with brand new live rock and in a sense it will be like restarting

 

The bleach will remove organics, so, it will remove phosphate associated with decay. I think that is what you mean. To clarify though, any phosphate bound to the rock will require a strong acid to remove.

 

Live rock is $10/lb...well where I buy it from. It's definitely the best around here!

I'm going to have a LFS that does maintenance come and do a good cleaning and remove all the rock. Maybe they will take it? Or know what to do with it.

GO DAWGS!!! You poor, poor person living in Oregon!!!

Yep, that's the point Starting over.

I'm really concerned that the rocks are leaching phosphates...so phosphate bound, I guess? That's why I'm totally getting rid of them. That's why I'm not sure about selling them....

It's the base rock (now live) that I want gone. There's about 10 pounds of rock I bought as cured live rock when I started up the tank that I might save. It's in pretty good shape.

 

If you're just going to start over, why not take m2434's advice on cleaning the rock and reuse it? Where did it come from in the beginning? How do you know you won't be buying the same problem with new dry rock? At least if you clean what you have, you will know you're starting with clean rock.

Just a thought.

 

Well, I think I'd have to acid bathe it like he said because of phosphates. But I wouldn't be buying dry base rock, and especially not this rock again. I'll be buying cured live rock from my very good LFS.

I'll research this acid bath. Seems like so much work for this rock I hate. I'd rather just buy new stuff.

 

It sounds like you're mostly concerned with the phosphate possibly leaching into you're system. But if you are also concerned about the algae or apstasia, I have had quite a few apstasia hitchhike in on cured live rock (I'm sure everyone one has.) Just a thought... Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

your sandbed is a phosphate sink also... more so than your rocks are

 

+1 And KC, yes, if the phosphate is truly "bound" then you need a strong acid to do it quickly. You can get rid of the phosphate with lots of GFO though, changed often. The surface of the rocks and sand are constantly dissolving and recrystallizing. Certain compounds such as phosphate can become incorporated in this crystalline structure. However, since there is always dissolution as the phosphate leaches, it can be captured by GFO and then as the levels are lower, when it reforms, there will be less phosphate to bind. So, this does work, but takes time and patience. Soaking in acid will dissolve the outer layer instantly.

 

Well...as soon as I put the base rock into my tank it started growing GHA. All over it. It was incredible how fast it grew. This was while my tank was cycling.

But the GHA never grew on my live rock, walls, equipment, etc. Only on that rock. Then it progressed to other types of algae, then bubble algae...

That's why I think it was the rock. It has just been weird.