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Live rock (letting it dry out)


91mini

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I am purchasing a 100G tank from a guy on craiglists but will not be ready to set it up anytime soon. He is including 30 pounds of LR with the sale. How can I properly store the live rock until ready to use it again? I figured it will be dry rock by the time I'm ready to use it and plan to buy 150-200 LBS of LR to go with it when I am ready to set it up.

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You could get a tub and keep them in darkness with water and a heater and powerhead and keep it LR.

 

Don't have to let it dry out entirely but you would still get a cycle from it etc.

 

Otherwise set it out in the sun for a while until it is completely dry and then when you want to use it rinse it really well with RO and make sure it's very clean. DBR

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Ferrari_Jones

Get a cheap rubbermaid tub, preferably an opaque one. Fill it with saltwater, toss in a heater and powerhead and set it someplace where it won't be disturbed.

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.

 

Otherwise set it out in the sun for a while until it is completely dry and then when you want to use it rinse it really well with RO and make sure it's very clean. DBR

 

Thanks,

 

I think this is what I'll have to do as I will not be ready for it until maybe a January. I don't really want to store it as LR for that long.

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There is a good link somewhere about making it dry rock. It takes alot more then just letting it dry....

 

Yeah I forgot to mention that I did use about 1 gallon of vinegar in RO overnight (after dried) with the rocks in a 5 gallon bucket, rinsed thoroughly and let sun dry. Then rinsed again when I wanted to use them and placed in tank.

 

Others have used bleach but I am so wary of that and didn't want to try it.

 

Sorry should have elaborated.

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Yeah I forgot to mention that I did use about 1 gallon of vinegar in RO overnight (after dried) with the rocks in a 5 gallon bucket, rinsed thoroughly and let sun dry. Then rinsed again when I wanted to use them and placed in tank.

 

Others have used bleach but I am so wary of that and didn't want to try it.

 

Sorry should have elaborated.

that sounds more like it.

 

o that link i was thinking of.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/live-rock/reus...rock-37810.html

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It smells HORRIBLE! :eek:

 

Had me gagging! LMAO and you will be dealing with the die off from the rock smell too!

 

So much easier to just keep it alive. OH well good luck.

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  • 1 month later...

I'm just a noob but I HAD live rock.. quit my nano for awhile (2 years?).. I just let it dry in the sun.. crud and all :o Then threw it in some heavy duty bags and a box in the shed.. came back two years later and took a brush to it dry to get all the dead macro and yucky stuff off until it looked clean. Repeated with brush only this time in RO/DI water, until crud stopped falling off. Then I put it in a rubbermade with salt water and a powerhead/heater, let it sit that way for I think 1 week, then changed the water and left it for another 3 weeks. Then I threw it in my tank with 2 small pieces of fresh live rock from the store. It went through a cycle.. and all is well now. I guess that was 9 months ago. The smell from mine was not that strong/bad. It did have a mild odor though.

 

Again, I am just a noob. But this worked for me.. only better because I no longer have Aiptasia that came on the rock 2 years ago :>

 

edit: oops forgot to add, I put 1 fresh live rock from the LFS in the rubbermade too.

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