Bad to use live rock after dried out?

[DreamReefer]

I recently bought my 72 gallon bowfront tank, and it came with alot of equipment but also about 70-80lbs of live rock (or what used to be). Is it a terrible idea to use this rock in the tank and "seed" it with a few pounds of live rock? it is all in a rubbermaid bin at the moment.

 

[jt628]

There is a Thread on this...

http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?113070-cycling-rock-for-a-new-tank

 

[pallobi]

it will need to be properly cured first to remove most, if not all of the dead matter currently on it from the last go around... then your good to use it as you see fit...

 

[sumant19]

I dont think its terrible idea.. but as a word of caution I would say dust the dried rock and rinse it in RODI saltwater thoroughly. Also scrub away any dead matter that is visible to eyes before putting those rocks in your aquarium.

 

[stingythingy45]

How long was the rock out of water?
You can reuse the rock.Just need to clean off any large dead organics and then use it to cycle a new tank.
The dead organisms will help get an ammonia cycle going.
Sand is a different story.There's lots of nasties inside the sand if it's an old sand bed.
Most would recommend a new sand bed.

 

[DreamReefer]

i have new sand bed for it but wanted some opinions on the live rock as the guy at the lfs said that he would not recommend using the rock i had. I will use the rock i have after scrubbing it since i am going to be cycling the tank anyways.

How about seeding it with a bit of live rock. Should i put the good rock in after or before cycling?

thanks for all the responses

 

[pallobi]

i have new sand bed for it but wanted some opinions on the live rock as the guy at the lfs said that he would not recommend using the rock i had.

of course, cuz he wants to sell you his rock... jus cure yours, dont listen to him... take the sound, unbiased advice of your fellow reefers...

 

[stingythingy45]

^^
+1

I'd put the LR in after the cycle.Just incase you get some good critters on the LR,they wont have to endure a high ammonia spike.

 

[KSC]

I'd soak that rock in bleach for a week or 2, changing the water and bleach frequently. The cleaner you can get that rock, the less problems with unwanted algea you will have later. If you can, cover the "cooking" container well so the bleach doesn't evaporate.

 

[afboundguy]

I'd put the LR in after the cycle.Just incase you get some good critters on the LR,they wont have to endure a high ammonia spike.

The only problem I could forsee with this is that you might get another mini cycle if the "live rock" isn't fully cycled. The "live rock" I got from my LFS when I first started out still had to go through a 2 month cycle. And most of the critters on the "live rock" should live through a cycle IMO/IME...

I'd soak that rock in bleach for a week or 2, changing the water and bleach frequently. The cleaner you can get that rock, the less problems with unwanted algea you will have later. If you can, cover the "cooking" container well so the bleach doesn't evaporate.

You can do that but that adds another few weeks. I'd just wash the heck out of the rock you have in RO/DI, stick a combo of live sand and regular sand in, throw in a few pieces of "live rock" and seed the tank with a few fellow reefers sand from their sand bed and test weekly until the cycle is over... Like I said the bleach thing isn't a bad idea but IMO that two weeks spent bleaching and rinsing the rock could be 2 weeks of cycling the rock and you'd still get a cycle from the bleached rock might not be as long...

 

[JohnK]

IMO bleaching is good because it will dissolve out all of that organic crap that would otherwise have to sit and cook/cure for a month or two.

If the rock is just scrubbed clean externally, it will likely still have a good amount of dead organic crap attached, and that crap will have to rot out and will end up as phosphate and nitrate that will be building up in the water.

I would definately either bleach it, or cycle it in a trash can until it's clean. IME cycling in a trash can without bleaching can easily take 2 plus months.

 

[pallobi]

agreed with Johnk, proper cycling/curing in a can, can take a very long time...

 

[salthobby]

I bleached live rock that I had from an old tank with a bad algea problem and after bleaching the rock was totaly clean and I have not had an algea outbreak since.

 

[stingythingy45]

The only problem I could forsee with this is that you might get another mini cycle if the "live rock" isn't fully cycled. The "live rock" I got from my LFS when I first started out still had to go through a 2 month cycle. And most of the critters on the "live rock" should live through a cycle IMO/IME...

Dave,I believe the OP is talking about seeding the rock he already has.This would only take a small amount of "true/cured"LR to do it.

 

[DreamReefer]

Dave,I believe the OP is talking about seeding the rock he already has.This would only take a small amount of "true/cured"LR to do it.

exactly, only a good piece from the LFS would be used. I guess it sounds like i should bleach that rock i have right now, though it might take a little longer i would love to avoid any algae problems later on. would love to hear more input on the bleaching idea

 

[Aquaman_68]

Bleach it,soak it in ro/di, (after rinsing it with tap water) & then let it air dry in the sun for a few good days!

 

[JohnK]

Bleach kills everything AND dissolves anything organic it can get to. It will leave you with clean dead rock (no dead crap to "cook" out of the rock, no nitrate / phosphate being released by the dead decomposing organic matter).

If rock is just dried, then all sorts of organic crap will be stuck to and in it. This organic crap will then need to by cycled/cooked until it decays, and this decay will release a ton of phosphate, nitrate and who knows what else into the water. That decay process is what can take months.

The only thing that bleach won't help with is if the rock has been in a high phosphate environment for a long time and signficant phosphate has become bound to the surfaces of the rock. (different from the tons of phosphate that can be bound up in dead organic matter stuck to and in the rock). If this is the case, then the only thing to do about it is to soak the rock in acid long enough to dissolve that outer surface off (and the phosphate with it).

 

[DreamReefer]

any particular formula for the bleaching of the rock or should i just dump bleach in there with some water? does it have to be ro water while its soaking in the bleach

 

[Aquaman_68]

50/50 if u want to nuke it.... 3 to 1 if you want to b on the more mild side or 4 to1...the less concentarted...the longer the soak...

 

[DreamReefer]

nuke it for a week then?