Cleaning years old live rock.

carnicomh · Mar 24, 2023

Hey, my guys! Got some live rock that's been sitting in my garage for about 6 years now that I'm going to use in a new tank. I've already got existing live rock to use, so not worried about cycling. Moreso worried about crap that's been sitting in the rock. Garage gets over 90 in the summer, so definitely concerned.

I've been told that I just need to let it sit in saltwater for a few days with a powerhead blasting water around. Not a huge fan of bleach or acid if it can be avoided due to personal health issues. Any thoughts? Thanks!

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Mar 24, 2023

carnicomh said:
Hey, my guys! Got some live rock that's been sitting in my garage for about 6 years now that I'm going to use in a new tank. I've already got existing live rock to use, so not worried about cycling. Moreso worried about crap that's been sitting in the rock. Garage gets over 90 in the summer, so definitely concerned.

I've been told that I just need to let it sit in saltwater for a few days with a powerhead blasting water around. Not a huge fan of bleach or acid if it can be avoided due to personal health issues. Any thoughts? Thanks!

If your tank is already running with livestock, you should cure the old rock in a separate container before adding. If your tank is still cycling with no livestock, you can add it right to the tank and cure it there, but it will be a longer time before you can add any critters.

Tired · Mar 24, 2023

What you have there is dry rock, not live rock. Leave it in a barrel of water with a powerhead for awhile, test the ammonia now and then to see if there's any significant decay, and you should be fine, assuming it's not been exposed to any poisons. If it might have had poisons/cleaning solutions/etc sprayed around it, you might not want to use it.

carnicomh · Mar 24, 2023

Tired said:
What you have there is dry rock, not live rock. Leave it in a barrel of water with a powerhead for awhile, test the ammonia now and then to see if there's any significant decay, and you should be fine, assuming it's not been exposed to any poisons. If it might have had poisons/cleaning solutions/etc sprayed around it, you might not want to use it.

Awesome, thank you for your quick reply

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Mar 24, 2023

Troylee · Mar 24, 2023

Put it in a trash can with a gallon of muratic acid and tap water for 30 min.. rinse well and let it air dry in the sun for a couple days and you’re good to go!

carnicomh · Mar 24, 2023

Wow, that's crazy. Google told me about the MA. Just gotta figure out where to find some haha. Thanks!

carnicomh · Mar 24, 2023

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal said:
If your tank is already running with livestock, you should cure the old rock in a separate container before adding. If your tank is still cycling with no livestock, you can add it right to the tank and cure it there, but it will be a longer time before you can add any critters.

Thanks for the help!

Troylee · Mar 24, 2023

carnicomh said:
Wow, that's crazy. Google told me about the MA. Just gotta figure out where to find some haha. Thanks!

Pool supply stores, hardware stores etc.. make sure you do your research on it! I put the rock in the trash can and filled it up half way with my hose and dumped a full gallon in there and let it go for about 40 minutes till it stopped bubbling.. poured it out and washed it good with the hose and dried it out for like 3 days in the sun and in my tank it went with zero issues!