base rock

Question. Currently have a 55g freshwater tank going but want to move to saltwater. The tank currently has a lot of rocks in it. If I wash them could they be used as base rock for my saltwater tank? I will be buying live rock but would probably buy less if I can reuse my existing rocks.

Another unrelated question. Should I start the skimmer during the cycling process?

 

You can do what is called "nuking" the rock, where you soak it in fresh RO/DI (really good freshwater) water and various bleach solutions to completely kill whatever good or bad is in it, thus making it base rock.

A good ratio for live rock to base rock is around 50/50 or even 40/60. People will tell you all kinds of ratios, but we got away with starting at 40/60 with our 46, then adding more LR a few months in. But all the rock is now almost "live" anyways. Some people don't even use LR to start a tank. BR only, except it takes it almost a year to be fully up and running.

Do not use the skimmer during the cycling process. You need the waste going to cycle the tank, and the skimmer takes the waste out. No waste, no cycling. We put in a skimmer about a month or so after cycling.

 

Wouldnt the bleach be harmfull for the fish after? Would it be better to freeze outside?

 

test

 

What kind of rock as not all rock forms are acceptable for saltwater aquariums.
You can use bleach as long as you thoroughly rinse the rock after bleaching!
You may be better off just buying base rock at your local pet shop.

 

+1 If it's not a calcium carbonate rock I would leave it out. Diatoms feed of silica and other rocks that are common to freshwater are silica-rich rock.

 

I would also point out that shiny rocks are not the type you want for a reef tank. You want super coarse rock with lots of holes. Lava rock is a well known base rock with Reef Tanks. Larger chunks are hard to come by, but you can always go to Lowes or Home Depot. and pick up a 50lb sack of lava rock for about $30.00 and drill or glue them together to make what you want... Then get some LR from the LFS to seed the lava rock.

Good Luck!

-fritts

 

IMO I would just get all new rock to be safe. I converted my fw to sw and another thing I would recomend is was the heck out of your sand too. rinse rinse and rinse some more. It will help in the longrun.

 

I always thought lava rock was NOT acceptable for a marine tank due to the large amounts of heavy metals it leaches back into the system?

 

I should be more specific, sorry about that I truly was not thinking.
DO NOT PICK UP THE STUFF FOR BBQ Grills. THIS STUFF HAS DYE AND OTHER CHEMICALS IN IT. YOU WANT LAVA ROCK FOR LANDSCAPING.

The RED type of Lava Rock you see is actually a byproduct from metal smelting and is inert.. Which is 100% safe to use.

Lace Rock, another well used base rock, is wind swept Volcanic Rock which is also safe.



You also see auctions like:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-LBS-LIVE-LAVA...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

We pick up a 50lb sack at Lowes (in the garden section, not the BBQ section) and drill it and put wooden pegs in and use it to create a base structure. We have been doing it for a while now, no issues at all.



-fritts