Cycleing/Cooking Marco Rocks

[Mouse]

I started to 'cook' my Marco rocks about 10 days ago. After picking them as clean as I could I soaked them for 3 days in R/O water, then gave them a bath in 40 gal of R/O with 1 gal of vinegar. Family issues kept me busy and this bath lasted a week. I found a light brown 'skim' on the water and throughout the water which smelled to high heaven. I also found some dark tan 'leathery' masses in a few places on the rocks. Some places on the rock have turned black, light coverings in places and a few places where it is thick and goes abit deep. During my initial cleaning of the rock I found many sponges, several bivalves and 2 crabs in the rock.
What do es anyone think the brown film/masses are? Or the Black areas on the rock? The rock is 'drying' now and I will re-soak it tonight, should I use R/O or saltwater? Vinegar again or try bleach?

[psteeleb]

I don't have a clue on the brown masses other then maybe some sort of algea

I would not soak it in vinegar again and neve for very long as it disolves coral.

try doing another soak in just water and check for amonia

[sirreal63]

You haven't cooked them or cycled them...you have soaked them and begun the cleaning process. In order to cook them they have to already be "live" and you cannot get that with r/o water or vinegar.

Once you have them clean as you can get them, fill a trashcan with saltwater, add a heater and powerhead, fill the can with the Marco rock and some "live rock" from an established system. The more live rock you add the better. Watch the ammonia levels and be prepared to change some water when the ammonia creeps up. After it has cycled the cooking process will begin. Keep enough saltwater on hand to change the water in the can weekly for a few weeks and watch your ammonia and nitrate levels. When either gets too high change the water. :-)

It may take several months of this before the rock is truly "cooked".

It will be ready to go into a tank long before that though.