cooking Marco rock

[Fat Tony]

well i received my Marco rock yesterday and i mixed up about 15 gallons of saltwater in a 30 gallon tub and placed the 25lbs of rock in it (i also put a powerhead in there for circulation). i checked it when i got home and the water really stinks! anything i can do about that?

[toniell]

Not really, well I guess you could change the water but you are cooking and not curing right? if cooking then A water change is fine.

[Fat Tony]

i was dry base rock, so i really am cooking it... i guess i will have to drag it out onto the back deck and let it sit out there for a few weeks with the pump running

[mg]

I have used quite a bit of his rock as he is local to me, awsome stuff. It can really stink though!!! I have had good luck with starting with just RO/DI in a container with a powerhead. No need to waste a lot of salt as you clean the rock up. I did 100% water changes every couple days. Once the water was clear (took about 3-4 changes) I switched to saltwater with a powerhead and heater and did small water changes wevry few days and kept it in the dark.

I have had both extremes with his rock, some that I could barely stand the smell while it was curing and others that I could put right in a tank and it was fine.

[Fat Tony]

thanks alot.. that really helps.. i was wondering if starting it with fresh only would be a problem...i guess it won't. i will move it outside tomorrow and start water changes..the smell is really intense, and so i keep the lid to the container closed..LOL

[mg]

Originally Posted by Fat Tony

thanks alot.. that really helps.. i was wondering if starting it with fresh only would be a problem...i guess it won't. i will move it outside tomorrow and start water changes..the smell is really intense, and so i keep the lid to the container closed..LOL

I was also amazed at how yellow the water was for the first few water changes. Does take some work but I have yet to see better rock.

[Fat Tony]

yeah the water is all yellow... well green LOL cause it's in a blue tub..LOL

[pastina]

so thats why my 220 tank stunk when i put in marco rocks
my basement stank for about 5 days, then finally it went away
my tank is still cycling with it, im stuck at 1 ppm ammonia

your adding 25#'s to your 55g?

i just ordered 25 lbs also for my 55g but im not sure if it will be enough?
how did your 25# order look? decent sizes?

i'll be adding it to an allready established tank so i guess i should do some sort of curing.
if it can be done in fresh RO water yeah then that will save me on some salt

how long are you gonna cook your rocks for? will you be adding them to an allready established tank?

[Geoff]

sounds like that rock is old LR that was never bought. sounds like it needs to be cooked before putting it in a system.

G~

[mg]

Originally Posted by pastina

if it can be done in fresh RO water yeah then that will save me on some salt

You still need to cure it in saltwater, but the initial cleaning (first few large water changes) can be done with RO/DI

Originally Posted by Geoff

sounds like that rock is old LR that was never bought. sounds like it needs to be cooked before putting it in a system.

G~

No clue where it comes from but he has a warehouse full of rock.

[pastina]

the rocks are live rocks that washed up on shore and have been baking in the hot dry sun on land for a pretty long time

usually they end up being ground up and used as something...(lime? landscape?)
thats the part i forgot lol...sorry my info is so sketchy, but it gives you an idea

edit*
okee i pulled up a more accurate response to what is marco rocks
"even though this stuff looks likes its freshly dried right out of the ocean, these rocks are not taken from the ocean for the purpose of sales. Marco Rocks has these rocks shipped in from an area in the south pacific where they have been sitting wasting away on land for years"

[Fat Tony]

the rocks are pretty good size.. nothing really under 8-10" see the link in my sig for a pic in a 30 gal tub. Geoff, i plan on cooking it for at least three weeks before i add it to the tank. i need to change the water tonight, although some of the smell has went away, THANKFULLY!

[pastina]

Originally Posted by Fat Tony

the rocks are pretty good size.. nothing really under 8-10" see the link in my sig for a pic in a 30 gal tub. Geoff, i plan on cooking it for at least three weeks before i add it to the tank. i need to change the water tonight, although some of the smell has went away, THANKFULLY!

oh cool they look great

why are rocks so exciting? lol

[Fat Tony]

LOL i dunno but i was jumping for joy when i opened the box..LOL

[pastina]

hehe