Idea for a new system

[chezzy]

Hi I'm new to this site and have been keeping reef tanks for over 25 years. I'm getting things together to start a new project and have signed up on this site to lean more about scrubbers .
I want to give a scrubber a go and any information will be welcome.
To start with I've got 250 kg of dead live rock which I steam cleaned and left in the garage to dry for the last three months.
I've cleaned my old 72Lx24Hx24W and my 24Lx24Wx24H which I am using for the sumps and I have ordered 84Lx30Wx24H for the Main tank.
My first question of many to come is. If I arrange my aquascape and sand bed dry using acrylic rods and fill the hole system with RO water will I be able to run a scrubber and or a Po4 remover for a few weeks just to draw out any Po4 in the rock if any . Then add salt, And run for another few weeks maybe use a skimmer till all the reading are correct .
And as soon as I've got a low reading of Po4 and No3 and all other reading are in range then I will add Light to the MT maybe adding a few damsels.
Will I be able to use the scrubber on the change over from fresh water to salted .
Can I keep my light off in the MT till I'm ready to stoke.

[Floyd R Turbo]

A couple things:

1) FW and SW algae are different, so if you start on FW, then you have to kill your scrubber when you go over to SW, basically
2) Your system will be devoid of algae, so you may not get any growth. But, then again, you might, from dormant cells maybe...dunno...

Whatever you do, you're likely going to have to cook the rock or cycle the tank. Starting a large system like that from dead/cleaned rock, you are going to have some huge ammonia production, no matter how well you cleaned the rocks. You might try a 10-20 minute bath in muriatic acid, that will eat away a lot of organics but probably not all.

...but I see what you're getting at - trying to save yourself from having to do a huge PWC on SW.

I would build a temporary and very DIY waterfall scrubber. Just a slot pipe, a couple of CFLs in reflectors, and maybe some basic protection to keep the water where it is supposed to be, then cram all your rock in a small tank and fill with SW and a whole bunch of power heads and your DIY scrubber, and throw in a few chunks of cured rock (preferably with algae or some life diversity on it) and let 'er rip.

For the tank, any tank will do, even a rubbermaid tub or something, even Brute cans.

Then you have minimized your water volume and concentrated your pollutants, you will probably not be able to get away without doing PWCs I'm guessing, but at least it will be minimal. You will essentially end up cooking your rock, so you will have to do a couple of those multi-bucket dunks to get the junk off that forms.

Sounds like a lot of work, but it won't be compared to the more traditional way of rock cooking or tank cycling. Once you are done, you will have rock that is in much better condition.

As far as the aquascaping goes, you can do it dry and then the framework will be ready once you have the rock ready, you just have to remember what goes where. If you think it's going to be permanent, I would consider using the Marco Rocks Mortar which is awesome for this type of work, you mix it, apply it, let it sit out of water for 15-20 minutes (preferably 45 before you put it under "load") and then it cures underwater in 24 hours so much that the rock will break before the mortar (it's hydraulic cement). I used that on one aquascape and it was a godsend. Just throwing that out there! Much easier than drilling holes in live or dead rock!!

[SantaMonica]

Welcome.

dead live rock which I steam cleaned

Unfortunatly, this does not remove any phosphate that is bound up inside the rock; it will only remove dead periphyton, but at least that's something.

will I be able to run a scrubber and or a Po4 remover for a few weeks just to draw out any Po4 in the rock if any

You can run them anytime, but P remover will slow down the scrubber. A scrubber also will not grow much until you start feeding.

Will I be able to use the scrubber on the change over from fresh water to salted

Yes but you'll need to clean it down to bare plastic.

Can I keep my light off in the MT till I'm ready

Sure.

[chezzy]

Thanks for your reply's .Sorry these a couple of things I left out yes I would reseed the clean rock with live rock and bottles of bac's (Blue Bottles) Wanted to keep hitchhikers (Pests) out. fed up with surprises . Thanks for letting me know about FW and SW algae's on the scrubber .
Plans have change then I will set up a 200 litre SW tank fill it with the clean rock. chuck a couple of big pumps in and somehow try seeding without introducing any nasty's .I will start putting this together this weekend so it gives me a few months before I start putting the main system together plus going to look in to this Muriatic acid see what its all about first.
Thanks

[Floyd R Turbo]

Muriatic acid is hydrochloric acid. Not sure how obtainable it is over there, but here you can get it at most big box hardware stores. However, it is a weaker concentration, so I get it from swimming pool supply stores - double the concentration. What you do it fill a container with 10g of water, add the rock, then pour in 1g of the high-strength acid (or water + acid then rock). Never add more water to the mix though...it'll froth up and could overflow.

Do it outside / in well ventilated area, and have baking soda on hand to stop the reaction.

Essentially it dissolves the rock. More porous rock can fall apart if left in too long.

It seems to be effective for most, but not for all. I've read some threads where people just gave up on their rock. But it can't hurt.

Also read that others give the rock a secondary bath in vinegar as well. Then an RODI soak. I can't imagine any other steps you would take past that to get your rock back to nothingness.