BrianB Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 So I have never had phosphate issues, however after adding some dry base rock I now have hair algae and phosphate issues. So I want to try some GFO in my reactor. I'm sure the rock is the source. Anyone ever have sillier experience? And if so what's an estimate of how long rock can leech phosphate into your tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriz2fer Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Honestly I would take it out and soak it in acid for a while and then put It back in your tank. Depending on where you bought the rock from it could take a while to finish leaching out all the po4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peligro Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Acid? What acid? HTC EVO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriz2fer Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 muriatic acid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peligro Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 And that does what? HTC EVO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derbird Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 It chemically destroys the organics in the rock. No organics no PO4 - theoretically (crazy) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peligro Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Ahh.... Where can I find it. Using that would mean none live rock right. So starting with fresh rock? And having life create itself HTC EVO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peligro Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Oh I'm sorry for some what jacking the thread. Kinda had some big problems this week with my tank HTC EVO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriz2fer Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 I don't know if I would advise you to take all your rock out and cook it but in his case with just a few added pieces of base rock wouldn't be an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derbird Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Oh I'm sorry for some what jacking the thread. Kinda had some big problems this week with my tank HTC EVO Don't be too worried about it, we are a pretty relaxed group on here After "Cooking" the rock you would want to cycle it and seed it with a piece of live rock. +1 with kriz2fer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peligro Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 The reason I ask is because my wife last week threw bombs off in my house (Monday) And Tuesday of last week went and used some flea any killer for our trim. She didn't know about covering my tank and shutting off my air pump. So I had my RBTA die Thursday clown die 5 hours later. And pep shrimp die the next morning. I test water everything was good, did water changes every day, and things just started getting worse. So instead of losing all my coral I took them out and gave them to a buddy. So I'm wondering if the rock is bad now? Don't really want to by 30 lbs of all new rock. And want to.put new sand in my tank, cause if I move the rock, I'm pretty sure it'll cause my tank to cycle again HTC EVO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianB Posted September 14, 2012 Author Share Posted September 14, 2012 Wouldn't bleach have the same effect as muriac acid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev311 Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Muriatic acid is commonly used to clean masonry, you could find it at a Mason supply store if you want to go that route. Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 I don't keep any sps so if you do what I'm about to say may not apply to you. Anyways what I was going to say is that I have crazy high phosphates and no hair algae. Now I'm not saying phosphates are good but if your concern is due to the hair algae you may just want to get a sea hare. I see a lot of nuisance algae problems get blamed on water quality and yet I have none and terrible water by most standards. The trick IMHO is to never introduce the algae in the first place and then to back that up by enlisting a large and varied group of herbivores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 The dry base rock you added, was this like a dry rock you get from BRS? Or was this LR that was left to dry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianB Posted September 15, 2012 Author Share Posted September 15, 2012 10 lbs rubble from BRS, and about 10 to 15 lbs from seahorse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 I've read about this happening before and I'm wondering where the organics come from on the dry rock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramy Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 I am not sure but I have heard the same thing so I put a tripple dose of GFO in with my cycling dry rock to make sure I got it all =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 i just put in a question to BRS for the official answer, curious to see what they say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Phosphates can come from anywhere. At one point, the dry base rock was once live rock under the water. Now it is probably been lifted out of the ocean and part of some hill or mountain somewhere... Either way, there used to be life associated with the rock. Once the life died off, the organic component still remained, and can be a source of phosphate. "Cooking" with muriatic acid is not a good solution. It does nothing for the phosphate, and it does dissolve the carbonate in the rock. But if you do want to try it, you can get muriatic acid at a place like Home Depot. I saw it in the garden area, but ask one of the workers to help you find it. It came in a box of two bottles, each a gallon (looks like the two gallons of milk that you can get in a box at Costco). BE CAREFUL with muriatic acid. It is nasty, can cause severe burns, will make you blind if it gets in your eyes, and if you breathe in the vapor will cause respiratory problems (burns your lungs). It will also "acid wash" your clothing. That style went out in the 80's... Bleach would kill off any life, but would not affect the phosphates that are soaked into a rock (probably in the form of inorganic calcium phosphate). Overall, I think it would be a bad idea to bleach a rock to remove phosphate. Soaking in fresh water and changing the water frequently would be the best way to remove phosphates from a rock. "The solution to pollution is dilution." Dosing with sugar/vinegar/vodka/bio-pellets would be a second way to do it (make sure to use a good skimmer to remove the organic from the water). Using GFO (but not a massive dose, just use a small/normal amount and change it frequently... every couple of days) would also be a good way to go about removing the phosphates. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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