"Dead" Live rock... need some answers please!

[adpierin11]

My mom recently broke down her saltwater tank. I currently have a cichlid tank and was wondering if I could use her live rock in my tank without repercussions?
I know it won't be live rock anymore, but I can't let that rock go especially when I have a cichlid tank.
Is there anything I need to do to clean out the rock before I put it in my aquarium if I can?

[TheOldSalt]

Yeah, boil it for a few hours and the let it soak in freshwater for a couple of weeks. Change the water a few times over those weeks.
You can skip the boiling by instead soaking it for a month.

Smell it every few days. It will eventually stop stinking so much. Once it starts to smell clean, let it saok in new clean water for another week and make sure it really is clean.

Yes, it's a pain. It's a lot less pain than putting a bunch of still-rotting rock into your cichlid tank, though, I promise.

[hvc801]

Originally Posted by TheOldSalt

Yeah, boil it for a few hours and the let it soak in freshwater for a couple of weeks. Change the water a few times over those weeks.

^^ Yep, did the same for some coral.

[Ricker]

Or instead of killing the LR try to trade it?

[Scuba Kid]

Don't kill good liverock. You'd be way better off selling it for like $3 a pound and using that to buy base rock. Would be much less of a pain and you might be able to make a little money off of it. Reef hobbiests will usually jump on a good liverock deal.

Originally Posted by hvc801

^^ Yep, did the same for some coral.

You killed coral just to use the skeletons? That's just disgusting...

[Ricker]

I am really not into SW but I do own a small one. I don't get upset really when I see this I just don't agree with it. It is living come on. Ya do what scuba kid said get base rock please!

[adpierin11]

Originally Posted by Ricker

Ya do what scuba kid said get base rock please!

Sure thing, first thing in the morning....
It's been sitting in my mom's tank now for a couple of months without fish and without filters and so on.
I don't know if it's still technically "live" because of what I stated above.
I've already boiled a couple of pieces, would have loved to make some money off of it, but then I guess it's already too late.

Thanks though....

And I'm not too for sure what you mean by it's living. Live rock isn't alive, just have a lot of things that live on them, and they all are pretty dead by now since it's been broken down for a couple of months or so I think.... but I could WAY be wrong, I'm not too for sure on how long things can live on the live rock without all the things I mentioned above.

But if anyone knows any different I would seriously love to be educated. Any chance about learning more about the fishy world is more than welcome!! (no sarcasm that time I promise!!)

[TheOldSalt]

Live rock isn't live for what's ON it, but for what's IN it.