Drying live rock

trwells · 09/12/2007, 09:13 AM

I recently tore down a small tank. Most of the live rock I returned to the store but some of it I saved and broke into rubble to place in the sump of my new tank. I wanted to dry the rock out before introducing it so that I could be usre not to introduce any unwanted pests (hydroids and asternia stars, which reproduce to fast for my liking). The rock has been drying out now for about a week. I was wondering how long I should leave it dry so that I will not cause an other cycle once it is introduced. Should I do anything else to the rock to remove the dead material? Scrub etc.?

der_wille_zur_macht · 09/12/2007, 09:18 AM

Anything that was alive on the rock is now definitely dead. At this point, you just want to get all that dead gunk off there.

Ironically, the best way to make that easy is to soak the rock and get it nice and wet again. Do this in plain tap water, let it sit for a day or two. Once things have been loosened up a bit, go after it with a scrub brush, and rinse well.

trwells · 09/12/2007, 02:26 PM

Alright, thanks!

09/12/2007, 09:13 AM	#1
trwells Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lubbock, Tx Posts: 248	Drying live rock I recently tore down a small tank. Most of the live rock I returned to the store but some of it I saved and broke into rubble to place in the sump of my new tank. I wanted to dry the rock out before introducing it so that I could be usre not to introduce any unwanted pests (hydroids and asternia stars, which reproduce to fast for my liking). The rock has been drying out now for about a week. I was wondering how long I should leave it dry so that I will not cause an other cycle once it is introduced. Should I do anything else to the rock to remove the dead material? Scrub etc.? __________________ "I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite." - G. K. Chesterton Current Tank Info: 39 gallon CAD Lights

09/12/2007, 09:18 AM	#2
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	Anything that was alive on the rock is now definitely dead. At this point, you just want to get all that dead gunk off there. Ironically, the best way to make that easy is to soak the rock and get it nice and wet again. Do this in plain tap water, let it sit for a day or two. Once things have been loosened up a bit, go after it with a scrub brush, and rinse well. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

09/12/2007, 02:26 PM	#3
trwells Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lubbock, Tx Posts: 248	Alright, thanks! __________________ "I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite." - G. K. Chesterton Current Tank Info: 39 gallon CAD Lights