How to reuse old caribsea life rock? Newbie trying to learn

[BlueCaves Reefer]

I am very new to this hobby and still learning so please be kind.. lol I desperately need your help!

I have about 100lbs of caribsea life rock that was used for a few months then put in a brute trash can with a lid and no water for the last 6 months.

I am setting up a new tank and I wanted to know if I can use that rock again or is it basically trash now?

I opened the lid and the smell is horrendous! There is mold patches, dried up algae patches, and dried up aptasia all over the rocks. The aptasia was the reason I took these rocks out in the first place.

If I can reuse these rocks, what is the best and quickest way i can get them ready to put in the new tank? I am desperate to not have to buy more rocks but also seriously don’t want an aptasia outbreak in the new tank. Lol is this just asking for too much?

If I can’t reuse this rock, what should i do with it? Just throw away or something else? Please help!

My husband doesn’t want me buying anymore stuff and I am trying to make it work with what i have on hand if possible. Also, I don’t want to use acid.. it freaks me out since im a bit clumsy and I don’t really have a secluded place i could use it properly.

 

[Uncle99]

Lay them in the hot sun for a week to dry them out. Turn daily.

Put them in some water and scrub them down.

Rinse throughly.

Ready.

Rock, sand, saltwater, flow and heat, 2 bottles of bacteria difffernt brands, and wait 5 days.

Cycled.

 

[PotatoPig]

Everything should be well and truly dead by now… to make sure you could maybe fill with tap water and leave for a bit and it’ll probably wipe out any stragglers.

After that drain, Rinse with RODI, and then cure with saltwater until all the die off fully rots and the ammonia gets processed. You could maybe speed up by first scrubbing off any organic material that’s easily removed.

You’ll wind up with something approximating the original dry rock.

 

[crazyfishmom]

I am very new to this hobby and still learning so please be kind.. lol I desperately need your help!

I have about 100lbs of caribsea life rock that was used for a few months then put in a brute trash can with a lid and no water for the last 6 months.

I am setting up a new tank and I wanted to know if I can use that rock again or is it basically trash now?

I opened the lid and the smell is horrendous! There is mold patches, dried up algae patches, and dried up aptasia all over the rocks. The aptasia was the reason I took these rocks out in the first place.

If I can reuse these rocks, what is the best and quickest way i can get them ready to put in the new tank? I am desperate to not have to buy more rocks but also seriously don’t want an aptasia outbreak in the new tank. Lol is this just asking for too much?

If I can’t reuse this rock, what should i do with it? Just throw away or something else? Please help!

My husband doesn’t want me buying anymore stuff and I am trying to make it work with what i have on hand if possible. Also, I don’t want to use acid.. it freaks me out since im a bit clumsy and I don’t really have a secluded place i could use it properly.

If there is mold, I would consider bleaching the rocks and then rinsing and drying.

Mold spores will survive drying out if not bleached.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I would put them all in bleach water with a powerhead for a week, it will melt all the old crud off and leave you with nice white rock.

Rinse the rocks off really well after by putting them into freshwater with a powerhead for a few days, then final rinse in rodi water and good to go.