Bleaching live rock....an important question

[cwschoon]

I have some very large pieces of live rock in a pred tank that are beyond gross and ugly and have made the decision to bleach it white and rehab the tank. After bleaching, if I soak/change water/soak a few times, when can I put it back in? Should I let it dry completely to let all bleach evaporate? I seem to remember that large doses of prime/aquasafe can neutralize the bleach rather quickly.
Thanks, Craig.

[sjm817]

Let it dry completely.

[james37128]

This sounds like a good idea, but what do you think about scrubbing the rocks with a strong bristle brush, to keep SOME of the color on the rock. Seems that bleaching them is going to kill everything, then you will have nuisance algae take over the pretty white rock. I do agree, if you bleach just make sure you let it dry COMPLETELY and rinse afterwards you should be good to go.

[fish tanked]

after you bleach it you can soak it in water and add some sodium thiosulfate that will neutralize any leftover bleach. If it were me I would just scrub it in some dechlorinated fresh water with a wire brush to get the stuff off and not kill all the beneficial stuff on the rocks.

[cwschoon]

Thanks for the info. There is no color to save. I will bleach and add some new rock to repopulate c. algae.

[bertoni]

That sounds fine to me. Something like Prime would be a good idea, in my opinion. I might try curing the rock separately, though, as well, since it might contain a lot of organic debris after bleaching.

[cwschoon]

Prime is my choice.I want to get the rock back in asap. Any opinions on how long to let it sit outside? If it sits outdoors-in cooler weather-for 24 hrs, will intense rinsing in bathtub, followed by soaking in heavy dose of prime do it?

[sjm817]

Hey cwschoon, I just saw the Leesburg location. I'm in Ashburn. Yes, its chilly out. If you are in a hurry, use the dechlorinator. I would think drying for a day or two would be ok.

[siropa]

i've always done the bleach and then soaked in FW with amquel with good results. done it many, many times over the years.

[cwschoon]

Thanks for the advise. Plan on bleaching 'til white and leaving outside for 24 hrs, then soaking in bath and changing water a few times. Does anyone know if heavy prime soaking after will neutralize bleach and how long I should soak it in prime?

[bertoni]

Prime should handle chlorine, I think, and I'd just let it sit for 5-10 minutes with some circulation.