Reusing Old "Live" Rock

[Ryan98720]

So... Still in the process of setting up my new tank.... I found a guy selling some rock from his old tank. Says that his tank crashed in 2017 and he has just had the rock sitting in his garage since then... Is there anything that I need to do before using it in my new tank?

 

[OutLawX77]

Yes there is IMHO
I did this because I did not know what might be in or on the rocks I got a few nice pieces just that way myself.
You should cook (sterilize) the rock in a bucket with a top.
I socked my rock in pool Chlorine for about 2 weeks (20 gal brute 2 gals chlorine) (watch out for splashing when adding in the chlorine) ( just watch out for the fumes )****** add chlorine to water then add rocks*****
ezer then and safer than an ACID Bath.
killed a cheapy Power Head, but I knew it would.
Then fresh water baths changing every other day (all tap at this point) for 1 wk.
Then did an ro flush with a dechlorinator two flushes 48 hrs apart.
let dry a few days.
Then put the rock back in RIDO, let it sit for a day, then water tested for chlorine with a cheapy pool test strip.
no chlorine good to go.
but that was just me. I didn't want any BS so I striped and sterilized the rock.

 

[Billdogg]

I have a pile of old rocks from my systems in a corner of the garden. When I want to change things up, I go out, grab whatever one s look good, rinse them in the utility sink and give them a scrubbing with a toothbrush to remove whatever will come off. Rinse them again and put them in the tank.

Can you bleach (will turn rocks whiter and kill whatever is on them)? Yes. Can you acid wash them (outside, with eye protection, gloves and clothes you don't like anymore? (will remove the top layer of rock if the acid is strong enough) Yes. You can also "cure" them in a tub for a few days/weeks. It all sort of depends on just how much work you want to put into it.

 

[Cell]

If they look dirty or has old organics on it, then I'd drop it in a bleach bath for a week before use.

 

[Ryan98720]

I just went and picked up the rocks... I haven't had a chance to get them all out of the box yet, but they honestly look super clean... There's a lot of salt and sand on them, and maybe a little debris, but they honestly look very clean... Do you still think it is important to bleach them? I really don't want to get rid of all the color from them... I kind of enjoy the character that it gives the rock... I feel like pure white looks really unnatural... Its a new tank, so I will have to let it cycle anyway... I currently have a bag of ocean direct live sand and a bottle of Dr. Tims... What do you guys think? I'll

 

[Garf]

I would run em in a tub with saltwater and check everything including copper. Any idea what caused his crash?

 

[Ryan98720]

He said that he was a college student finishing up his last year of engineering degree. Said that he got busy with classes and just didnt have time to properly take care of it... He had a yellow tang from the looks of the pics and said that everything just died one day and so he just took the tank down