Live rock at LFS filled with debris

[Been_There8]

So i went to my LFS today to buy some live rock for my tank, and as i picked up the rocks out the water for a closer inspection, i noticed that as i moved the rock a ton of debris fell off the rock, then i looked at other rocks and they were too like this. Then i asked the worker there, and he told me that all of their live rock was like this.

So im wondering is this harmful to my tank if i buy this, or do i even want this rock if its in this condition?

If i were to shake the rock, a ton more would fall out as well.

[FishNubbin]

detritus.

[Salamander]

Its kinda typical. The more you can get out the better. You can shake it out and blast it with a power head or you could "cook" the rock for a bit to help get it out.

Basically keep it in a tub with salt water, at temp, with circulation and shake the rocks around every couple days to get the crud out. Do a water change about every week or so and suck out the detritus. How long you keep doing it depends on how much crud there is.

In real rock cooking (reef style) you'd keep it in total darkness for many months to kill any unwanted algae etc. If that's what you need there are some great threads on here you could search for.

[lordofthereef]

My guess is their LR tanks had very little flow. Blasting it off before putting in your tank should help tremendously. That said if you are setting up a new tank it actually may help with your cycle if you leave it.

[joejoe1055]

the lfs could of had it awhile as well