Reviving Old Wet Live Rock ?

[427HISS]

I need your thoughts and advise.

We have two established tanks, one with ocean live rock and the dead white rock. I had a heart attack last year and have had two surgery's on my neck after I was driving in a low speed zone and she hit me at 60 mph. So I'm pretty beat up.

Anyway, my tanks rock has suffered, but the fish are fine. I'm trying to continue building a in-wall reef with a ''fish room'' backing it. We have what was supposed to be, temporary.....55g tank but that was before my health problems. In the fish room I have two new 55g tanks, an extra 35g Brute garbage can, The 55 that's been running has a lot of old real live rock, a Brute 30g can that has rock about half full, some in a 14g BioCube with the white rock with some old reef rock in my wife's 29g BioCube that's been running for two years.

We are trying,...to finish the in-wall 125g reef that has the ''fish room'' backing it. I will be tearing down the three tanks, 14g, 29g. and the 15g. In the fish room we'll have the new 125g, a 29g BioCube Q/T for fish, another 29g BioCube Q/T for corals and a 14g BioCube as a hospital tank and I have two more 29g BioCubes downstairs. I got great deals on the Cubes and I like using them since their all in one, so I don't need sumps.

We have a new and drilled 93g rimless for a Clown fish harem. I don't know if I can handle it though. I want it really bad,....and set it up in the living room to watch out of ah..., ain't those guys and gal so cute and pure amazement of the symbiotic relationship with their host anemone !!!

But, maybe I should sell it and step down to one of our 29g BioCube's with a small harem or just a married pair with a few other fish ???

I really almost sold everything I have in this hobby and even,...our 427 Shelby Cobra we built, but I'm hoping to get my ''spirit of life'' back where it use to be before my problems. In short, I have a brain injury from a accident as a two year old, so I have a headache, to migraine and the worst, ''electrical zap's'' (like the blue light electrical backyard bug killer) 24/7. Never goes away. When I'm feeling just bad enough, meaning I want to do something, but knowing I can't or shouldn't, is when my emotions suffers looking at the dirty glass etc. Like when my wife say's, ''When Kevin feel's well, he think's,...he can do anything and usually over does it''. lol...

Thankfully, God gave me a high spirit to fight the pain for 54 years now and a big sense of humor about it.

Anyway, how and what would you advise ?
Thanks,
Kev

 

[DLHDesign]

I'm sorry for your challenges; sometimes life just has a way of coming at us. Sounds like you've got the right attitude about it, for sure - fight on and laugh.

Not really sure what your question was, sorry? In terms of "reviving rock", so long as it's not totally dried out, then there is almost certainly still bacteria (and other stuff, most likely) on/in it. If the bacteria hasn't had a food source (ammonia/nitrate, generally), then it's likely gone dormant, but that's easy to fix by giving it some food. A raw piece of shrimp dropped into the water - some heat and water movement - and as the shrimp decays, it'll produce the required nutrients for the bacteria to recover in time.
If the rock has totally dried, then you'll likely need to re-seed it. There are numerous different "bacteria in a bottle" products out there to help with this - most of them work equally well. Set up things as above (saltwater, heat, movement, shrimp) and pour in the bottle. Give it a month or so and you should be able to ensure that it's cycled with some tests. Note that you can use the bottle bacteria in the "rock is wet" scenario as well - can only help.

In terms of the tank options; my advice is the same as I always give - build a tank that is slightly below what you think you can handle. The aquariums we build house live animals - creatures that we are deciding to care for in an unnatural environment for our own pleasure (and yes; education). As a life-long ocean advocate, it is my opinion that we should care for tank members as well as - better than, in fact - we care for the oceans of our planet. Not trying to get on a soap box here; sorry... My point is that from a practical perspective; reef tanks end up being more work than we ever expect them to be up front. Even if you build a tank that you think should be less effort than you are willing to give, odds are good that it'll still take more of your time and effort than you have available.
Of course, that has to be balanced by the desire to actually enjoy the tank. If you always resent the smaller, lesser tank, then you won't be so inclined to keep up it's maintenance and care - which gets no one anywhere good... It's a balance each of us must find.

Stay strong and if you need anything; we're here to help.