Is this normal for my rocks?

[Knee-u-bee]

When i first put my decoration rocks they where nice and white and clean. Well my filter sucks and i been busy with my sons birthday party coming up this weekend i didn't notice all the brown...algae i guess thats what it is.... building up on my rocks. Well i want them nice and white again so i went out and bought a nylon brush and tried to brush it white, but it's like stained... is there something i can do to make them white again? or should i just buy a wheel wire brush and take a drill to it and clean it that way?

Are those rocks normally that color or are they white?

>>~>> this is what they looked like before. Now they are all brown. http://houstonfishbox.com/modules.ph...741&highlight=

[fishlady]

Re: Is this normal for my rocks?

you can take them out and bleach them.....but you really have to wash them good and rinse them very good before using them again.....but you should just get some algea eaters after them....i think that's the best solution.....the holy rock has a tendancy to grow this on them.....the fish feed on it too.....it doesn't hurt them to have it on em....but if you just have to have them white then you have these 2 suggestions....

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Is this normal for my rocks?

Diatoms.

New tanks get it
Too long of a light cycle causes it
Too much nutrients in the water cause it too.

Or all of the above.

Cut back if its one of the above and it should go away or increase it to turn it green.

[Knee-u-bee]

Re: Is this normal for my rocks?

you can take them out and bleach them.....but you really have to wash them good and rinse them very good before using them again.....but you should just get some algea eaters after them....i think that's the best solution.....the holy rock has a tendancy to grow this on them.....the fish feed on it too.....it doesn't hurt them to have it on em....but if you just have to have them white then you have these 2 suggestions....

Bleach? as in wash my cloth with bleach, type bleach? I have two algae eaters, but it's to much for them to keep clean. Im going to do a water change tomorrow and clean up the rocks and get things going. I will post pictures of the set up again, this time with a background.

[fishlady]

Re: Is this normal for my rocks?

yes.....wash your clothes type bleach......like i said you just have to make sure you rinse them very very well....this process can take 2-4 days just to be sure you have them washed right......you can also pressure wash them at the car wash too.....

[Zulaab]

Re: Is this normal for my rocks?

FL is correct.. Bleach like the kind you wash your clothes in.  The best thing to do is let them sit in a diluted bleach bath for about 24 hours.. (make sure that you have checked the weather website out and make sure the day after is sunny and clear.  After 24 hours remove the rocks from the bath.  They should be sparking clean now.  Empty tub with solution or have a second tub to dip everything into for about 1 hour.
Remove the rock and put them in DIRECT sunlight for another 6 hours.. this will absolutely dry out the rock.  Once completely dry then they are good to go.  Insert them back into your tank.

The whole process takes that morning remove from tank into tub, next morning put them in second tub of clean water and remove after and hour.  By the afternoon of the second day you are putting the rock back into the tank.

[Knee-u-bee]

Re: Is this normal for my rocks?

WOW. Wicked. Guess that will be my last resort.

[Mzungu]

Re: Is this normal for my rocks?

Just to add, it helps if you put a large dose of dechlorinator in the rinse water.

[Hanson77]

Re: Is this normal for my rocks?

Just get a few bristlenose plecos...  They will have them sparkling in no time.  I had one 2" albino in my 75 gallon full of holey rock and he kept everything spotless.  I have found that the normal plecos that you get really don't do that good of a job a cleaning to the extent the little bristlenoses do.

The bleach solution washing works like a charm too but it's time consuming compared to spending a few dollars and getting some cool new fish in the process.

[Zulaab]

Re: Is this normal for my rocks?

I am with Hanson...   now I am going to pick up some at the HAS auction I hope and then we are going to learn if Hanson is telling the truth..  :) :) :) :)