Live rock now dead

[krystalstarr]

So I purched a 180 tank used that came with 180 pound of rock that used to be live. That guy said the tank was used for less than a year but has been stored in a garage for years ever since with the rock just dryed out in a box.
My question is can I just rinse off the rock and put it in the tank since there are no fish in yet and let everything come out on it’s own while the tank cycles? I am not set up to do the whole curing thing and seems to complicated.

can I just let it cycle for a long time and let it do it’s thing? Will it eventually be okay and turn live again?

 

[ryanjohn1]

Use new live sand and a “starter”. And maybe buy a peice of new live rock from a shop to help seed

 

[gbroadbridge]

So I purched a 180 tank used that came with 180 pound of rock that used to be live. That guy said the tank was used for less than a year but has been stored in a garage for years ever since with the rock just dryed out in a box.
My question is can I just rinse off the rock and put it in the tank since there are no fish in yet and let everything come out on it’s own while the tank cycles? I am not set up to do the whole curing thing and seems to complicated.

can I just let it cycle for a long time and let it do it’s thing? Will it eventually be okay and turn live again?

Yes, It will cycle on its own without adding anything other than a couple of flakes of food.

 

[LordofCinder]

personally, after sitting in a garage for a year collecting bugs and dust, I would stick the rocks into a bleach water bucket for a few days with a powerhead, then rinse super well before I put them in the tank.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I'd clean them with bleach also as well...i wouldn't advise putting dusty (probably very dirty) rock into a new tank. Just make sure you take the proper precautions when cleaning rock with bleach so you don't introduce high levels of chlorine into the tank. As long as the rock is soaked in RODI water after soaking in a diluted bleach solution and allowed to fully dry in the sun the chlorine should be evaporated and safe for use. I'm probably a little excessively careful when dealing with bleach and other strong chemicals but better safe than sorry imo!

 

[Dburr1014]

My thought is just put them in a brute can with salt water and a power head. Let them cook until your ready. The "dust" will come off and probably inert anyway. One less needless step of bleaching. There will most likely be a lot more coming off the rock either way you go.
When your ready, the rock will be clean, discard the water they cooked in.
To be sure they are good rock, check phosphate when they cook. If it's high, you can use Muratic acid or Lanthium chloride to clean them. Research before you do that and wear your PPE.

One more thing, live sand is more a gimmick that anything. Your new "cooked" rock is all you need. Just buy the dry and and save some money.