Killing all LIVE ROCK life

[mujtba]

Okay so I had a problem with Aiptasia Anemones... it was all over my rocks..

so i took most of my rocks out 2 weeks ago and put it in a bucket and covered it with no lights or water..

i opened the bucket yesterday and the rocks were still damp.. BUT do you think the Aiptasia Anemones are dead?

OR if I put it back in my tank, will they come back to life??

I even saw a shroom that was shriveled, but damp. i wonder if it would come back to life..

what do you guys think?

Maybe if some parts of inside rocks are moist, things are still alive??

i want ALL life on those rocks dead..

[shabreeson]

if it was me I would have just gotten 5 peppermints shrimps and let them have at them

but if want "all life on those rocks dead then you could have just cooled them in the freezer then drop them into a boiling pot of fresh water... I cant really imagine much bacteria living after that (I really wouldn't put it past them though, they're smarter than you or I) let alone aptasia.

or you could take it one step further and poor reef salt on the rocks, let them dry for a few days, put them in the freezer, and then throw them into a pot of boiling water.

[mujtba]

haha.. r u serious?? i have like 100lbs of LR.. i need some pratical way..

[Musho3210]

sell it to a new marine person, 5.50 a pound, muahahahahahahha

jk

[Fishfreak218]

I asked the same question a few weeks ago.. here is the thread:
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1239555

[shabreeson]

you never mentioned it was a 100lbs...and if you wanted to kill "all live" that would be the best way

[kydsexy]

pour bleach in your tank. that'll do the trick.

[shabreeson]

I would take the rocks out first, or else you'll have all that bio siht to clean up in your tank.

then put the bleach in your tank system without the LR and chemical filters, cause Aiptasia could be in tubing somewhere and start spreading all over again.

By the way, why would you want to kill all life on your rock by chemical means if the only prob your having is Aiptasia?I mean cant you just let your rocks sit in some fw for a few hours or days, wouldn't it do the same?

[LockeOak]

If you absolutely want to kill everything on and in the rock, I think your options are limited to boiling or baking. Between the two I would choose boiling, with one of those big pots they use for chili cookoffs and such on a propane burner. You could probably fit 30lbs in a pot at a time. Baking would involve lots of ungodly smells. Personally I think either one is overkill.

[amoreira]

Get some peppermint shrimp and a heniocus butterfly. They'll make short work of the aptasia. Nothing like natural solutions to deal with natural problems.

[mujtba]

maybe i was not clear.. i have the rock OUT in a bucket.. it has been OUT for 2 weeks already.. so my question was, are there still LIFE on the rocks after 2 weeks of NO LIGHT AND WATER?

[shabreeson]

"LIFE" as you say is a very general term including vertebrates, invertebrates, protists(algae), plants, fungi, and bacteria.please be clearer as to what you want to be specifically killed. if what you are asking is if there is any "LIFE" in general on those rocks after "2 weeks of NO LIGHT AND WATER" the answer is yes, absolutely there is life on those rocks. the most common way of sterilizing is by using an autoclave pressure cooker, which means using super-heated steam at high pressure for five minutes to destroy any cells.

you see the problem with that question? other than that the only way that you will know that you have killed what you want to be killed is by trying it out. nobody else can see your live rock, nobody else knows what is on it, nobody else knows exactly what condition your live rock is in and finally nobody else knows exactly what you want to be killed because the term "LIFE" isn't precise enough.

[sruiz]

kydsexy, don't be giving away your petco tricks here man. Someone might actually try the bleach.
mujtba,
some things work for some people and don't for others. I actually had 100lbs(or more) of live rock in a 55 gallon. I used Jos juice on the big ones, and added 2(thats right 2) pepperint shrimp. Within a month they were all gone until a freakin fish store sold me a coral rock with some more. Get some peppermint shrimp 100 lbs is not that much. And if you really have soooo much get some jos juice that usually works good on the big ones.

[sruiz]

or maybe some one is willing to trade you base rock for it. I just don't see the point in killing all the goods. I would torch it with a lighter before I would let it sit out for weeks or even bleach them white.

[kathainbowen]

I have to agree with shabereeson on this one. "Life" is a relatively vague term when inquiring about the condition of your rock.

If we are speaking in regards to aiptasia (as in, is there still aiptasia life and tissue), then the answer lies somewhere in the territory of possibly. As I have commented in other threads, aiptasia is remarkably adaptable, somehow making due to scrap by with minimal light and food, or under seemingly awful conditions to flourish. So, while it's not likely, it is still possible for the aiptasia to live on. I'm sorry if this isn't the answer you want.

In the broader scope, as per the word "life" and taking in account all the various facets of life, yes, there could still be life on the rock.

The question now becomes, is it desireable life. Personally, I do not trust rock that's been sitting in a "cure" of sorts for a while. Any of the desireable micro and macro fauna that had previously been flourishing upon the rock could all be dead now, especially if there was no water current in the buckets or warmth, which could throw a tank into another "cycle" with rotting and decaying matter (remember, you've cut these "life" on your liverock off from food, light, and the normal waterflow). Were I in your shoes, I would treat your liverock like new rock. Rinse it off to get a good look at things, pick or scrap off any undesireable nasties, and scrub it down. If you can, I would run the rock in a cycling tank and watch it closely for any sizes of undesireables, including any return of aiptasia (this is especially recommended if there are still fish in the display tank). Let the tank cycle like a relatively normal "fishless cycle" before moving it to a display tank (or, if this is in the display tank, adding fish).

[mujtba]

Originally posted by shabreeson
"LIFE" as you say is a very general term including vertebrates, invertebrates, protists(algae), plants, fungi, and bacteria.please be clearer as to what you want to be specifically killed. if what you are asking is if there is any "LIFE" in general on those rocks after "2 weeks of NO LIGHT AND WATER" the answer is yes, absolutely there is life on those rocks. the most common way of sterilizing is by using an autoclave pressure cooker, which means using super-heated steam at high pressure for five minutes to destroy any cells.

you see the problem with that question? other than that the only way that you will know that you have killed what you want to be killed is by trying it out. nobody else can see your live rock, nobody else knows what is on it, nobody else knows exactly what condition your live rock is in and finally nobody else knows exactly what you want to be killed because the term "LIFE" isn't precise enough.

How is LIFE a general term? I meant ALL LIFE on the rocks.. that includes aiptaisia, corals, or whatever else on them.. whatever can live on the ROCKS, is what i want dead.. hence, ALL LIFE.

I am going to cycle these rocks as NEW. thats why i wanted all life dead. but my hunch tells me 2 weeks may not be enuf. they can still be damp and alive maybe.. i duno, i guess no one can answer this. but u dont really need to see my rocks, basically someone out there besides me may have left LR out for several weeks and can know if it is ample time to kill the LIFE on it.

[shabreeson]

bacteria ARE LIFE,THEY ARE ALIVE, THEY CAN LIVE ON YOUR ROCKS, YOU CAN TOUCH THEM SQUEEZE THEM ALL YOU WANT BUT THEY ARE ALIVE! your asking to sterilize your rocks.I explained exactly why LIFE is a general term. you didn't even read my whole thread, maybe the first line.

I even told you exactly what you needed to do, to do exactly what you are specifying(despite what you are asking doesn't even make A HAIR OF sense).

and i already answered your ORIGINAL question-- "if what you are asking is if there is any "LIFE" in general on those rocks after "2 weeks of NO LIGHT AND WATER" the answer is YES!, absolutely there is life on those rocks"

-WHY IS THEY LIFE ON THOSE ROCKS YOU MAY ASK?????? because bacterial endospores have the ability to be resistant to heat, cold, osmotic pressure, pressure and RADIATION! let alone fungus could be growing on those damp decaying animals on those rocks.

please read and understand the entirety of what people are telling you in their threads before replying in an angry manner.

[Anemone]

If you want everything dead, don't put the rocks in a bucket, put them outside in the sunlight and let them dry out completely. Then you will have to deal with the massive cycle and algae bloom you're going to get with all the organic waste trapped in and on the rock. Waste of good rock, but you seem determined....

Kevin

[spleen93]

Which is why the bleach option actually isn't bad. If we're determined to kill off all lifeforms on the rock (with the possible exception of bacteria, viruses, and spores), then soaking the rocks in a bleach solution for a day or two, then taking them out and letting them dry in the sun for a week or two, followed by thorough rinsing with freshwater will pretty much accomplish what you're looking for. The bleach will dissolve the organic life on the rock and keep the rock from releasing large quantities of decaying/dying organics. The sun drying will neutralize the bleach and make it inert. The freshwater wash will remove anything else that's still dangling and remove the last traces of the bleach.

This process turns live rock into base rock. It will need to cycle again and will need to be seeded from other live rock. Seems like a waste to me as well but if you're determined to do it, it WILL work. I like the autoclave idea as well but not everybody has one of those sitting around. Boiling the rock is too messy (I certainly would never want to use that pot again for cooking)

Spleen

[shabreeson]

I was merely making a point with the autoclave. it sounds to me that all he is really bothered with are invertebrates and there are less drastic measures when dealing with them,and who's to say they won't be reintroduced at another time?? is he going to do this all over again?

[Salamander]

Why not just cook the rock, and not cooking in the oven. Do some searches on cooking LR. Basically you put it in a large tub with water, a heater, powerhead and no light. Periodically rinse the rocks and change the water. You'll get rid of aiptasia and algae but will still have the beneficial bacteria.

[Chopstix]

I am still scratching my head at the thought of taking 100# of LR and destrtoying it!! I dunno, maybe I have really been taken for a ride with all of the rock I have purchased but the stuff ain't cheap!!! Sort of seems similar to boiling up a whole pan full of 10 dollar bills, drying them out and then burning them just to make sure I completely wasted my money!!

[mujtba]

its a long storyyy.....

[LockeOak]

[chefelvis]

I threw some live rock in the garden that had aptasia on it. It turned all white. I think if its all white in color everything is pretty much dead.