Rock cooking question

[Viv]

The rock is cooking-nitrates are reading 0, but nitrates @ 10- there's no garbage on the bottom of the pail and the water is clear. Changed the water anyway and added a skimmer. Why is there still algae on the rock. Its a bright emerald green that even a hard brushing will not remove. Just keep cooking or has this rock had it? I cooked this rock a while ago, maybe about eight months ago-but never had this green (algae?).

[Wiskey]

If I were you I would keep cooking it for a while longer, have you been doing the dunk and swish? How much deatris are you getting off when you do that?

I would think you would want the nitrates to drop to 0 in the cooking bucket before it goes in the tank, you want the rock reducing nitrates not adding to them once it goes in your tank.

Are you saying the algae is growing? Or just not going away yet?

Whiskey

[Viv]

Just not going away. Its not growing, definately decreasing, but its not on the surface either...its like as if the rock itself were a green color. The nitrates, will drop to zero? I don't think I've ever attained that, ever. I thought the nitrates could only be skimmed off. ?Maybe the skimmer isn't doing the job? Although, I just added it this morning to the pail. All the other parameters are fine, just the nitrates and the green, spotty appearance of the rock.

[Wiskey]

Rock is supposed to cook for a month or two, so give it some time and the nitrates will drop. There is plenty of anarobic bacteria contained within live rock that will denitrify, and drive the nitrates to zero once the rock sheads off all it's deatris.

Once you get the rock back in the tank, and start feeding again, that is when you see if your skimmer is doing it's job. If not you will see your nitrates go back up.

Whiskey

[Boat Racer]

Why are you skimming the rock cooking water?

I used an airstone and changed the water every week when I dunk and swished.If your rock was covered in green it should take about two to three months.You havent said how long you have been cooking them.I never tested the cooking water once.Here is what my water looked like after every dunk and swish

[Viv]

My rock has is only on week 3, but I had only (within the last 6mo.) restarted the system (with a fine sand bottom) after cooking the rock for a few months. Now, after a few months with the sand bottom I began to notice the same problems I had with other bottom substrates I have tried, so....I began to buy inverts to take care of the substrate. Same ol' thing, over and over, never getting past the tremendous amount of inverts needed. Nothing against inverts or substrate bottoms but I personally have gotten to the point that I want super clean water, clean walls, clean rock, clean substrate...and for me, well , I've grown to like the BB look, and the tanks which house BB. The rock really isn't that bad, because it had just been cooked and the algae was just beginning. (My lighting was not enough either-which is currently being upgraded) So I only have a slightly elevated nitrate level,( The other parameters are nil) There isn't a lot of detrius coming off the rock, just cooking to get rid of the green algae coloration that is sorta imbeded into the rock. It is getting better, but is very slow to disappear. The skimmer is to get rid of some of the nitrate elevation, and help circulate the top of the garbage can. Got a pump in the bottom to circulate the water also. Besides, wasn't using them as the tank is being overhauled-so why not? My change water remains pretty clear after the swishes, and I use a bristle brush during the swishing process,but nothing is really coming off the rock 'cause there is nothing on it. Just waiting for the green color to go!
Sorry for the long story, but that's where I'm at...long winded in old age.

[Boat Racer]

I asume you are cooking in a dark tub that allows no light intrusion right?Also it helps to keep the temp in the low 70's.I guess just keep cooking.It appears that the algee takes much longer to get consumed and decay in the cooking.More light will most certainly excell any future alge growth.Photo period is another factor.For example I run my actinics from 9-6 and my M/H from 11:30 - 4:00.It is plenty for the coral growth yet doesnt promote green on the L/R.

Good Luck

[Wiskey]

I would keep the temp in the buckets around 80, not in the low 70's. The higher the temp the higher the bacteria's metablism and they will work faster. Like a lizzard, squirt it with cold water and it slows down, but on a hot day they are FAST.

Whiskey

[Viv]

Thanks, will place a heater in there!

[Boat Racer]

Yes the bac might thrive better in a water above 70-75 but thats not why the green isnt gone yet.Light and warmth are favorable conditions for algee.The algee are usaly the last to go before the po4 when cooking the rocks.Get ridd of the algee then worry about the bacteria thriving on the po4.I kept my temps low and my cooking worked great,no algee at all.

Just my opinion I guess

[Wiskey]

Micro algae is a leaky vessle, it needs to keep taking up phospate, because it keeps leaking it, this goes for the other nutreants as well. Without the po4 the algae will simply not be there.

I say solve the problem, not the symptom.

Whiskey

[Boat Racer]

Originally Posted by Wiskey

Micro algae is a leaky vessle, it needs to keep taking up phospate, because it keeps leaking it, this goes for the other nutreants as well. Without the po4 the algae will simply not be there.

I say solve the problem, not the symptom.

Whiskey

Without sounding like an arguement I dont think you got what I ment.I know po4 is food for algee.What I am saying is that the algee doesnt get consumed rite away by the bacteria.It needs to have the conditions in wich it grows starved from it wich is LIGHT and WARMTH and PO4.The po4 will be there untill the end of the cooking proccess.Keeping the water on the warm side will be like giving the algee one of its three prefered sorces of energy so to speak.

For example.I clean and remodel pools for a living here in Florida.In the summer the algee on the walls can grow very fast when the water is at it warmest but during the winter months the algee never grows at all.This is due to the only change that has taken place and thats the water temperature.I kept my cook tubs on the cooler side and the little bit of algee I had went away after the fifth week.I dont think his will be gone untill then either.It takes a little more time to kill it.

Remember if bacteria ate the algee then it wouldnt have a chance to even grow in the tank to begin with so tto make the bacteria more active as you put it by warmer water doesnt real have anything to do with the algee die off during cooking.It will eat it after it dies.

[Wiskey]

Without light the algae will starve regardless of temprature, on a second front we have bacteria removing it's food (po4), we will give the algae a nice warm bath to die in, just to be nice, but it will die .

I cooked my rock in 82 deg water, and all my algae died.

Whiskey

[Boat Racer]