Gabe Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 What is the best way to kill nuisance algae on rocks? (bubble algae, calcifying tufts, etc.) I know you can dry it, but I need it quick. What about boiling or baking? Anybody have any experience with this? Thanks Gabe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I soaked my aiptasia and hair algae covered rock in pure vinegar over night then rinsed it with boiling water. Over kill I know, but it worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael7979 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 A torch might work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trautman Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 fresh water! or vinager that should do the trick. The PH and salinity should make them die real quick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted February 24, 2011 Author Share Posted February 24, 2011 Thanks for the ideas. I am going to do a major re-aquascape. Never have aquascaped since I set up the 120 in September, just been a big pile of rocks. My plan is to kill any infested rock that doesn't have a coral stuck to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef165 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Brad's prob got a gun that would kill your rock. But yes, fresh water and some vinegar will do the trick for getting that stuff off. How much are you doing? if doing allot (20% or more) realize that there will be a cycle, the more you do the bigger the cycle will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCG CWO Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Careful of stirring up the sandbed. You might get a nitrate spike depending on how deep your sand is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted February 24, 2011 Author Share Posted February 24, 2011 Thanks, I have a bunch of rock that has been in the sump for a while. With that I will be killing maybe 20% or less. Shane addressed another concern I have. I want to remove about an inch of sand bed also. I was thinking of sucking it out running a siphon through 100micron filter sock to catch the sand. Any advice on that. Maybe doing a litttle at a time. Letting everything settle for a few days before taking out more. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaunMonahan Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 What is the best way to kill nuisance algae on rocks? (bubble algae, calcifying tufts, etc.) I know you can dry it, but I need it quick. What about boiling or baking? Anybody have any experience with this? Thanks Gabe Gabe - One of my favorite stories here: I had a customer that had an infestation of aptasia and valonia with a sprinkling of hair algae. This person put their LR through the dishwasher (on hot) to kill off everything- which it did very well. The coraline algae came back with 6 weeks, and the tank looked great there after. To be perfectly clear, I DO NOT RECOMMEND this course of action on your LR.... Just sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugenereef Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Other option is to cook it. No! I don't mean really cook it but it's a process in which you place the rock in saltwater with a powerhead and cover it completely. It container should be completely dark! Change water every two to three days and In two to three weeks you will have live rock rich in bacteria but everything else will be dead. I have done it in past with a lot of success. Here is the link for a RC thread. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=437342 Look it up on google and you will find several links describing this process of regenerating your old rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cml800 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I picked up a few pieces from someone on this site last year. When I got it home I found it had a bunch of mojanos on it. The outside temperature during the next 24 hours was down into the 20's, so I decided to experiment with it - I pulled it out of the water, wrapped it in a plastic bag, and let it sit on my porch for a day. The next day, I took the frozen rock out of the bag and placed it directly back into my tank. Since this was a new setup, I wasn't worried about the water temp dropping. The next time I saw those mojanos, they were shriveled up, fell off the rock, and more or less disappeared. Never seen another one since. I was hoping that the beneficial bacteria could survive the deep freeze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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