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Algae

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Wait are you all using saltwater to cook your LR? What is the purpose of using saltwater to cook the LRs?

 

You need to use saltwater for the part of live rock that makes it live. (Creatures, algae, etc.)

 

Note: DIY rock can be done a bit differently using freshwater as it doesn't have anything live to start and the primary purpose at the beginning is to leach the alkalinity out of the rocks. I switched from freshwater to saltwater early in the process though as the saltwater was free and I couldn't find any reason that it would not work just as well.

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Cooking LR will help get rid of all the nasties in it. It allows the bacteria to go to work deep inside the rock and expel anything thats built up in there over the years. It will also use up NO3 and PO4 so you don't have to deal with leeching, and it will get rid of algae that may be growing in/on the rock.

 

You should have seen the amount of detrius and other build up that comes out of the rock when you cook it.

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If you don't use salt you will kill all that life and even more problems will occur inside and out of the rock. You don't need a LOT of water changes, but you do need them. What exactly is the problem with the rock now? How old is it/in your system? Current water perims?

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I've got three large pieces of Walt Smith Florida rock that I got out of guys tank that is OLD. I am pretty sure of phosphate leaching.

I've been seeing where a couple of people look at cooking as part of a long term maintainance regime. In other words cooking rock every 3-4 years to give bacteria a chance to get back into action and getting rid of phoshates.

What I've seen people doing is changing water every three days with two or three rinsing/swishing buckets inbetween the holding buckets. All this going on for 3 months or so. This can be quite a bit of water if this routine is used?

What exactly is the problem with the rock now? How old is it/in your system?
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