Free Live Rock !!!...Is it too good to be true??

[reeferJ]

A friend of a friend (I've met her once) is getting rid of her 67 gal. reef tank. She's giving away 3 "orange & white" clownfish and all of her live rock. Apparently the tank has been neglected for a while, she mentioned "alot of algae". I figured I'd take a look and if it wasn't covered in cyano or something I'd take it. Anything else I should look for, or do you think I should stay away from it?

Thanks

 

[Emperator]

I say pick up the rock. Free is my favorite four letter word. haha

Even if the rock is over grown with algae, a nice scrubbing or a tang will easily remove most of it in a short time.

Good luck.

 

[SPC]

I would get it and if it has to much algae you could clean it and use it for base rock.
Steve

 

[zt allstar]

Do you have a seperate tank you could put it in? I'd be suspicious of any copper medications used in the past that could possibly leach out.

 

[gagnu]

I would find out if she used Copper, hard to believe she would with LR. I'd be all over it.

 

[hectina]

I'd take it. If it is covered with blue-green or any other type of algae, you could scrape it off, and recure it in the dark for a few weeks to kill off any undesirable algae.

 

[JohnD]

Go for it!

What do you have to lose?

 

[gkrane]

I agree with as expensive as this hobby is, the word free has a nice ring to it. There are many things you can do to clean it up so i would get it. Since this is a friend of yours i would definitely ask her about it being exposed to any copper as well

 

[Neal358]

i hade a few peices of live horck that hade a lot of hair alge on it i just put the rock upside down in the sand for a week and that killed all the bad alge on it

 

[botp2k1]

ReeferJ, like everyone else has stated, see if copper has been used. Do not just ask if copper medication has been added, ask it in a different way. Ask WHAT "additives", medications, has been added to the tank. Also ask how she got the tank and what was kept in it. Was it a fish only tank before? Was it saltwater, freshwater? Was it second hand to her? You have to ask the right questions to get the right answers. Most people tend to answer short and sweet, yes or no. She may have had marine fish only before and did add medication to it or an "additive" which contained copper and she didn't know it.

Of course she can still forget about that time she treated a fish years back or what she calls live rock is not exactly what we reefers consider to be appropriate.

Good luck!

 

[bferris01]

HI there, is she selling any of her equipment I am from Fairfield PA and am looking to setup another tank. I am intersted in everything

[email protected]

 

[reeferJ]

I just found a little more info on the tank & rock. She claims to have never added medication, she's had the tank about 4 years, got it from a newspaper add, don't know what was kept in it previously. If the original owners used copper, I assume that it's still there after 4 years? The rock didn't look too bad.

bferris01: She's trying to sell the whole setup for $200-$250, looks like a 110 gal (60 x 13 x 21) NO lights, small wet/dry sump and a small skimmer. The rock is still available, she's gonna try to sell it complete. e-mail me if you want more info.

 

[botp2k1]

I think it was said that if copper medication was used in the tank, it will always be in the tank. Maybe over time there will be less and less of it but I do not know at what point one is safe.

 

[REEF-ER]

Can have some free rock, lol j/k ~~~~zac