If the water in your aquarium is not being filtered is the live rock still good?

Question

I have a saltwater tank and after the last fish died, I just turned the tank off. There is still water in there and the live rock is still in there. I want to start my tank up again. So do I need to throw the live rock away and buy some more or what?

It's been sitting for several months. The water is half gone.

Answer 1

I would drain the tank completely, Re fill it with new SALTWATER and place a couple of powerheads in the tank.
If everything in the live rock is dead, It will begin the curing process again by itself.
Do partial water changes once per week until there is no more odour from the rock.
The Good bacteria will cycle (cure) the rock from all of the dead stuff that is in it.
Once the rock is cured, you can do a partial water change and start adding a cleaner crew.(check ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels)
It may be helpfull to add a few snails and hermits while the rock is curing.
You don't have to spend another ton of money on new live rock.
I have cured hunderds of pounds of rock this way but I usually do it in 5gal buckets with powerheads.
I sell it locally.

Answer 2

how long has the tank been off? you dont need to throw the rock away.. im sure there is some bacteria left in it assuming it hasnt been sitting for a long period of time. The best thing to do is test the water for ammonia nitrite and nitrate. You will definately have to do a water change 30-35% or more. do you see any red slime or algae growing over the rock? is there a fowl oder coming from the tank?

Answer 3

I would ditch it or just use it as a decoration. It is most likely that the majority of live organisms on the rock died after you shut the filter. If you do decide to use the rock you might want to wipe off any slime or decomposed matter from the rock as this may cause your ammonia to spike in the tank.