I have a ton of live rock that has dried completely out. We haven't had the tanks up for two years. Can that rock be cured or is it completely dead?
2007-02-26 07:52:24 · 3 answers · asked by Kelly H 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
For anything to have remained alive on your rock, it would have had to survive in some type of egg/spore that would have not dried out. You may be able to get a little algae back, but most of the bacteria and the visible life (sponges, corals, feather worms) would have died out.
This isn't to say you can't re-use the rock. If you rinse it well (it may have dust or excess salt if it was kept in a bucket with saltwater) you can use this as your base rock to support a few new pieces of live rock. With time, organisms from the new rock will colonize the old.
2007-02-26 09:58:04 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could go both ways really.
I have kept my live rock out of a tank for about 9 months & I thought it was dead, but when we tried & put it in a tank w/the right lihjting, it came right back to life. I would try mixing some salt water in a bin & putting it in w/a light & see what happens!
Ya never know! Hope you can still use it!
Good Luck! Heather
2007-02-26 08:13:10 · answer #2 · answered by Heather 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Copperhead is right.
Use some of it as base rock and save yourself$$$$$$$$$$
it won't take long for the new live rock to establish the old.
I have done this in 2 of my tanks, 1 REEF and 1 FISH, and have had no problems.
Like copperhead explained, CLEAN in good before using it.
2007-02-26 10:52:11 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋