How to kill live rock?

[jroescher]

Whats the best way to kill live rock?

I need to redo my 14g since aptasia has completely taken over it. It's all over the rock and sand. There's nothing else alive in the tank except huge amounts of cyano.

[LoneStar]

Just put a contract out on it......

[jroescher]

I did. I hired several peppermint shrimp. And they lost! So now I have to just do it myself.

[ACE]

put it in freshwater, or let it sit dry? what about some berghia nudiebranches? they will kill your aptasia for sure. then you don't have to kill it?

[RICKY81]

try the Aptasia control drops.. u can get them at aquarium design for about $10.. just turn off all your pumps, drop 1cc into the center of the aptasia, it will then close up and take the medication with it inside. let it stand for a good 20 minutes. and then u can turn your pumps back up... you should see the aptasia completely gone almost within an hour or so. just make sure you get ur peppermint shrimps that way they can eat the spores that are released by the aptasia.. this treatment really worked for me.... medication is very strong just make sure that it doesn't land on any zoas or palys cause it will make some damage.

[jroescher]

It's not large ones, just hundreds of very small ones. I tried the lemon juice thing in the beginning but the results weren't very good. Now I have very tiny ones growing everywhere. They are all through the sand also. It looks like maybe one or more went through the powerhead and were shredded and have spread everywhere.

I quit everything about 6 monts ago except top offs to keep the pumps from running dry and everthing has died off except the aptasia. It seems to be thriving.

[glennr1978]

boil it?

[ACE]

It's not large ones, just hundreds of very small ones. I tried the lemon juice thing in the beginning but the results weren't very good. Now I have very tiny ones growing everywhere. They are all through the sand also. It looks like maybe one or more went through the powerhead and were shredded and have spread everywhere.

I quit everything about 6 monts ago except top offs to keep the pumps from running dry and everthing has died off except the aptasia. It seems to be thriving.

I had alot of Aptasia in my 75, after adding the nudie branches a few weeks ago it's all gone.

[rpc]

Whats the best way to kill live rock?


I actually plan to take all of my algae covered, aiptasia infested rock out of my 90g bowfront and sit it outside in fresh water. Then set up my new 100g rimless and let the rock cycle in the new tank (with the help of Prodibio) before moving the inhabitants over.

It'll take a short time for the bacteria colonies to reinhabit the rock, then a few more months for the coralline to return but I don't see another way to clean off the rocks and start over.

Richard

[brewercm]

I had to kill mine before and just threw it all in a trash can with a single swimming pool chlorine tablet. Let it sit that way for about a month (overkill) then did several rinses before letting the rock dry and using as base rock next time around. Came out sparkling white but quickly took on algae again next time I used it.

[Submariner]

How about putting it in a 35 gal trash can with a powerhead, covering it, and letting it sit for a couple of weeks. Shouldn't the lack of light kill off the aiptasia, but leave at least some of the beneficial bacteria?

[coraline79]

I don't think aptasia need lights out, and the dye off would only increase their numbers. I use RedSea product, and it works pretty well, but 2 out of 3 come back. You need to keep your water in parameter, and that will reduce their spread until you get them to a managable number. I had some serious bryopsis problems, and I took out the most seriously infected pieces, reduced lighting and my tank seems to be getting well. I know bryopsis and aptasia are teh same thing , but they feed off the same stuff, and both require light lighting.

[LoneStar]

You can 'cook' the rock for about 2 months and it will kill them off. BUT you have to do the weekly water changes and scrubbing/swishing to make it worthwhile. I've done it in the past and it works great. The bacteria still thrive and you end up with nice, clean rock.

If your in a hurry, just dry it out and then boil it. That will kill off everything. You will just have to re-cure it....

[jroescher]

What about freezing rock? Since it's winter and the temp gets below freezing at night I think I will put it outside to dry and freeze the next time a front comes. From what I've read, it's a tropical anemone.

I have plenty of rock from my big tank to use. So losing this rock is no big deal, just absolutely do not want the aptasia to return.

[Joshua]

You can 'cook' the rock for about 2 months and it will kill them off. BUT you have to do the weekly water changes and scrubbing/swishing to make it worthwhile. I've done it in the past and it works great. The bacteria still thrive and you end up with nice, clean rock.

If your in a hurry, just dry it out and then boil it. That will kill off everything. You will just have to re-cure it....

^this would be the preferable method.

Another that will definitely work, get some peppermint shrimp from the gulf coast down on the jetties just about anywhere, those are very aggressive and free so you can drop like 20 of them in there. First night nuke a couple aptasia with Joe's Juice or kalk or whatever, the scent of the dieing aptasia seems to draw their attention, then they learn they are food and will rip up the rest of them.

[CoryDude]

Starving Aptasia of light will not work in my experience. I left lights off on a tank for over 3 months and still had them afterwards.

Be ready for a sore back and a lean wallet if your going to "cook" your rock. It took me tons of salt to complete the process on a 75 gallon a few years ago.

[LoneStar]

I did the whole process with enough rock to fill a 156g with only one bucket of salt. You have to be dedicated to the process to make it worthwhile. Starving and scrubbing the aptasia worked for me......along with killing off green star polyps and unwanted algea.

[Kristy]

Sounds like an awful lot of work for 14g worth of rock. Have you tried the old candle clicker method? As long as you don't have something else on the rock that's delicate or desirable, just pull it out and hold flame to it (directly) for 30 seconds or so. 100% effective and oddly satisfying! Try that before you go through all that cooking the rock, scrubbing the rock, etc. There will be some die off either way...

[Richard]

The peppermint shrimp that ORA breeds have been really good about feeding on aiptasia for me. Ask one of the local shops to get a few in for you. Should do the trick, has worked for me on several tanks.

[Noober]

I put a about a half gallon of bleach in really hot bath water and put all the rock in it, then just rinse it with regular tap water several times, I let it soak, it makes it nice and white. then put a bath full of treated water, using some kind of decholorinator in it, let it soak in that as well, then go ahead and cure it in some salt or fresh water and let dry before putting it in your tank. Check ammonia levels until they drop to zero before adding it though.

[chark]

...just pull it out and hold flame to it (directly) for 30 seconds or so. 100% effective and oddly satisfying!
Kristy that is my favorite suggestion. I would also get satisfaction from torching aptasia.

[Kristy]

Kristy that is my favorite suggestion. I would also get satisfaction from torching aptasia.

Hey Cecil!
Gotta give credit, wasn't my idea.... I wanna say that I first heard about that from Erik / ScorpiNO. Easy fix for aptasia on rocks that are reachable. Don't get to do it much, since we have a 210g reef, we stock up on the peppermint shrimps!

[mattymalcolm]

I have had a lot of success with peppermint shrimp and aptasia control by blue vet($11.99 at aquadome). You can kill the live rock by just letting it dry out but you will also loose all the other beneficial things in the rock.