How to "cook" your rock.

[salt creepette]

i havent cooked rock before, but my thought on flyguys last comment is, you dont want all the detritus that is shedding to be flying around the container, best to let it settle onto the bottom, right? so that when you remove the rock, all the crap has already floated down and settled onto the bottom. as long as the water is aerated properly enough for the bacteria to live thats all you'd need. (proper surface agitation)? just my thoughts.

a question I had: can the cooking process rid rock of aptasia/majano anemones without the need for physical removal/injecting with kalk?

[Fly Guy]

Now that i am nearly done my thoughts are this...... It doesnt matter. I ended up using just a couple of small powerheads...but only because my mag croaked. The gunk isnt there long enough to do any harm because you are rinsing it every week or more.....besides....if you dont have enough current it just sits on the rocks below, which would be worse than flying around i would think.........IF it mattered.

Any one with a real answer to that please pipe in..................

thats just what i THINK

ps- opne thing to think about too salt creepette.......is that i ended up with 250 lbs after i took some to add to the batch out of my display......a mag 9.5 isnt as much current as you think when were talking about a 75 gallon barrel full.

[salt creepette]

"besides....if you dont have enough current it just sits on the rocks below..."

yeah I did think of that too. I guess whichever way you go (low vs. high flow) as long as youre rinsing/swishing, it all comes out anyways.

the most powerful pump I have ever dealt with is a maxijet 1200 so I am quite the lightweight in terms of flow

well thats if you dont count the little giants that used to run my 120 sump returns, but I never really handled those like I do powerheads.

[Gmoney]

I am having to use my 120g sump and 180 gal tank to cook my rock.. oh well...it is cycling through and I have a ton of flow in my tank that helps keep everything off the bottom, so all should be well in the long run once the rock stop shedding...as for the rock in the sump, much easier to clean up

[webdr]

Heres a question, Im changing from a 29 w/ a HOB skimmer to a 39 and a 20 long sump.
I want to cook the rock that will go in the 39.
Should the water that is currently in my 29 be transfered into the 39, cooked rock added, and topped with fresh saltwater? Or should I make all new water for the 39? I heard the all new water approach will require a cycling all over again.....


Also, Im at a loss for how I should make the tank switch and rock cooking....
Matt

[miniwhinny]

Originally Posted by Graham

Which I guess leads me to my "problem" with cooking rocks and how it ties into the "properly set-up BB" as described. If we have enough flow in our tanks because we can, as Sean says, why the need to siphon? Then, why the need to cook in a separate tub at all? I can't think of a better way to make sure your tank has the proper flow patterns than to set the tank up with your rocks and "cook" them right in the tank. I realize this might not be possible in all cases where the tank is not new, but rather transitioning.... But if you managed to find a home for your livestock for the time it takes you to cook the rocks in a tub, you could easily do it in your tank. And see how your setup really works before you subject your animals to it. It is still more than possible to remove the rocks and dunk in the early stages (if needed), but you don't need all the extra accomodations and equipment required to set up a remote site. And you don't have to move your rock from place to place.

After that initial 4-6 weeks of heavy shedding, I would aquascape. Then you can tweak your flow, add more, etc while optimizing the removal of shed detritus before you've restocked the tank with your corals and modification becomes more cumbersome. If the tank is truly set up as needed to eliminate detritus, there should be no negative effects, since you are experiencing how the system will actually function. There is no light, thus there should be no algae. The amount of detritus being shed will give you the best insight into how your tank will process it until flow patterns become altered and/or restricted by coral growth.

Since your rocks are going to continue to accumulate detritus after the tank is stocked and running, it's better IMO to make sure your periodic basting/blowing off the rock goes where it needs to go. And I feel this is easier and more effectively/efficiently done by doing it where it will be done long term - in the tank.

One more place where my opinion differs is that of lighting. When you have determined that you are "done" with the cooking cycle. Give the tank light. Give it light for at least 2 or 3 weeks before you restock. This was a serious faux pas I made when I cooked mine. I lost about 1/3 of my corals (some favorites) due to a severe diatom bloom 2 weeks after I restocked and re-lit the tank. This was IMO a result of not lighting the tank until the corals were in it. Don't make the mistake I did. Light the tank before you restock it and watch for algae cycles. Diatoms are one thing that is not at a disadvantage due to "clean" rocks. Adding light creates a whole 'nother cycle that wasn't active when the tank was in the dark. JMO...and experience.

Glad you brought that up as I've been planning on doing that all along. I have a 29 gallon nano ...all spankin' new and empty. I plan on cooking the rock I purchase in the tank itself.

[ScruffyRubicon]

On the subject of cooking rock:

I read all the posts here and still have a few questions. I may have just missed the answers I need.

My tank is currently stocked (fish and corals) and I have no place to go with it. For this reason I would probably cook half at a time.

As one batch gets done, can I just pull the remaining rock and place the cooked rock in the tank and go on with life?

Will the cooked rock cause a cycle? This is a concern since I am stocked.

[gman0526]

If anybody wants to know pretty much how it all began I found this gem in my old bookmarks

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...5&pagenumber=1

[R3]

I have a question to ask here that might sound pretty dumb but I recently moved to a new house that has well water. I havent hooked up my RODI yet and was wondering if it was cool to cook my rock without RODI water. Is that kinda defeating the purpose though if the water might have some uneccesaries in it. I guess I can run into Home Depot and get the fitting if I have to but I was just wondering. Thanks

[bklynmet]

Do you need a heater in the tub for cooking rock? Temp in the tub without a heater is 70 deg, so I am wondering if that hurts the process at all or not.

[PowerManJ316]

I am by no means an expert at doing this, but I am currently cooking rock as well. I tried to do my without a heater as well and after three weeks it didn't seem to be doing anything. I added a heater and accidentally put it at like 95 and the next day my entire room smelled really bad.

I think that bacteria will be more active re-produce much faster at higher temps. I believe it is recommended to be around 80-85 F. That is what I keep mine at now and I can see considerably better results after only a week.