How to cook live rock?

[kevinlo]

I'm planning to go to an sps tank and would like to clean my rock to get rid of excess nutrients that have accumulated over the last 10 years.

Can someone point me to some information about how to cook the rock?

Thanks, Kevin

[chucksta1]

wait till after midnight and then the search will work...\\

there's a lot of "ways " to do it, but basically, it takes a few months and a lot of salt water changes. You are putting the rocks into an environment where nothing will live ( no nutrients ).

There are a lot of more complete threads here, but it goes like this...

Put rocks in salt water with a heater and a bubbler and a skimmer ( optional)

Take the water from your next water change and use it to swish the rocks around in. swish them all in the water and then make some new salt water. swish them again. Make some new salt water, leave the rocks in there with the heater, the bubbler and no light for a few weeks.. keep repeating intil nothing comes off when you "swish"

Figure three to six months. When you're done, you'll have pristine rock with no detrius or contaminates.

[dkh0331]

Originally posted by SeanT
Here are the "Rock Cooking" instructions:

The purpose of "cooking" your rocks is to have the bacteria consume all (or as much) organic material and PO4 stored on, and in, the rock as possible.

The new environment you are creating for your rock is to take it from an algal driven to a bacterial driven system.
In order to do this, the rock needs to be in total darkness to retard and eventually kill the algae's on the rock and to give the bacteria time to do the job.

So basically you need tubs to hold the rock.

Equipment needed.
1. Dedication.
2. Tubs to cook rock in. And an equal amount of tubs to hold the rock during waterchanges.
3. A few powerheads.
4. Plenty of buckets.
5. A smug feeling of superiority that you are taking it to "the next level."
6. Saltwater, enough made up to follow the instructions below and to replenish your tank after removing rocks.
Here are the steps:

1. Get into your head and accept the fact you will be making lots of salt water if you aren't lucky enough to have access to filtered NSW.
2. Explain to significant other what is going on so they don't flip out. This process can take up to 2 months. Prepare them in advance so he/she can mark it on the calendar and that they won't nag about it until that date arrives.
3. Setup a tub(s) where the rock is to be cooked. Garages are great for this.
4. Make up enough water to fill tub(s) about halfway and around 5-7 buckets about 60% full.
5. Remove all the rock you want to cook at this stage. (The rock can be removed piece by piece until you are done.) I suggest shutting off the circulation beforehand to minimize dust storms.
6. Take the first piece of rock and dunk it, swish it, very, very well in the first bucket. Then do it again in the 2nd bucket, then the third.
7. Place rock in the tub.
8. Repeat steps 6 & 7 to every piece of rock you want to cook at this time. The reason I suggested 5-7 buckets of water will be evident quickly...as the water quickly turns brown.
9. Place powerhead(s) in the tub and plug in. Position at least one powerhead so that it agitates the surface of the water pretty well. This is to keep the water oxygenated. You can use an air pump for additional oxygenation if you wish. Only one powerhead per tub is needed. Remember the powerheads main responsibility is the oxygenation of the water.
10. Cover the tub. Remember, we want TOTAL darkness.
11. Empty out buckets, restart circulation on main tank.
12. Wait.
13. During the first couple of weeks it is recommended to do a swishing and dunking of the rocks twice a week.
What this entails is to make up enough water to fill up those buckets and the tub the rock is in.
First, lay out your empty tub(s) and fill buckets the same as before.
Then, uncover tub with the rock in it. Take a rock and swish it in the tub it's in to knock any easy to get off junk.
Then, swish it thru the 3 buckets again, and place in the empty tub..
Repeat for all your rocks.
Then empty the tub that all the rocks were cooking in, take it outside and rinse it out with a hose.
Place tub back where it was, fill with new saltwater, add rocks and powerheads, and cover.
Wait again until the next water change.
You will be utterly amazed at how much sand, silt, detritus is at the bottom of the tub and every bucket. It is amazing.
At times the stench was so strong I gagged.

How it works:

Some FAQ's.
When re-introducing the rock to my tank, a month or two from now, should I do that in parts to help minimize any cycling effect(s)...if there are any?
I never have. Really after a very short while, the ammonium cycle has been established. That's not what you're worry about though, it's the stored phosphates and that you have to wait it out.
When they are producing very little detritus - you'll know - then I would use them all at once.

Would running Carbon filtration and/or a PO4 reducing media help/hurry/hinder the process?
I wouldn't fool with it. You don't want the detritus to sit there long enough to rot, release water soluble P again. You want to take it out while it's still locked up in that bacterial detritus.

And a few last minute tidbits I remembered.
Your coralline will die back, recede etc.
My thoughts on this are GREAT!
Now my rock is more porous for additional pods, mysids, worms etc.
Coralline will grow back.
Throughout this process the sponges, and pods on my rock have not died off.
Every time I do a water change they are there and plentiful.

[kevinlo]

Thanks so much for the info!

I've got this:

A smug feeling of superiority that you are taking it to "the next level."

So that's a good start.

I'm sure this will stink so I'll do it in the garage. Hopefully two months will be enough time.

I used to be able to search more often on this site. Someday I'll have to pony up the money and become a premium member.

Thanks!

[dkh0331]

I cooked mine a couple years ago and there really wasn't any bad smell.

[Hop]

Mine didn't smell much either. In fact I think it was just that first water change after week one that had any real odor at all.

[SeanT]

Bet you two are loving those clean rocks.

[crvz]

As long as you circulate the water and break the water surface, you shouldnt have a bunch of stink. Now stick a bunch or rock in a bucket of water and close the lid, stand back!

2 months may be a good start, but I think you'd be better off waiting twice that time if you can. Good luck!

[looneyreefer]

Do you need to do this all if the rock you want to ad has been dry for a few years?

[swcc]

Originally Posted by looneyreefer

Do you need to do this all if the rock you want to ad has been dry for a few years?

Yes...you should even do it even if using dry rock...the primary reason is to rid the rock of unwanted phosphate that the rock has in it from the die off.