preparing live rock for storage

[crankbait09]

Come winter time, I will have my tank shut down, and it will go in to storage until I am ready to start it back up.

When I pull the what is now LIVE ROCK, I am assuming I can just place it right in to storage bins to dry. I do have lids on the bins, so stench shouldn't be too strong. Is there anything I need to do to this rock prior to placing it in these bins? Is it as simple as pull out, place in, and done?

When it comes time to setting the tank back up, I assume, I would take the what will now be dead, dry rock, place it in the tank, and cycle as normal. Is there any step I am missing?

[j.falk]

I would bleach cure it and then put the clean dry rock into storage.

https://youtu.be/X7HbhBUyGh4

[crankbait09]

that looks pretty simple. 1 gallon of bleach, per 10 gallons of water. Let them sit in the bin for a week, take out, rinse and store.

How do you know when it's done, short of testing? It won't be used for months

[j.falk]

I did the bleach cure with some rock this week. The entire process took me 6 days total.

2 days of bleaching (with a water change and fresh bleach after 24 hours), 2 days of soaking in dechlorinated water (with a water change and new dechlorinator after 24 hours) and 2 days outside in the 80 degree sun to air dry out. The rocks look like new again and are already back in use with no effect on my livestock.

The products I used to do the process:

Walmart Great Value brand bleach ($3.00 per gallon), Tetra AquaSafe dechlorinator ($5.00), and a Brute storage tote. A very cost effective way of cleaning rock for storage.

[wrott]

I'd put it in bins, leave outside 2-3 weeks--lid off.
then store in garage--lid on.

[crankbait09]

Let me ask this. If I take the easy approach, by putting it in a bin with the lid off and set it outside. That is skipping the bleaching process. Is that bleaching process important since the rock will be used again when I set the tank back up?

[j.falk]

If you don't bleach it and try to reuse it down the road...all the dried up organics are going to start rotting in the new set up and prolong the cycling period. No matter how you go about it you will eventually need to somehow cure the rock before reusing. Bleaching is quick, simple and effective and the rock will be ready to reuse as soon as your tank is set back up.

[crankbait09]

Alright, that makes sense.
Thank you

[billdogg]

If you have a place outside where the rocks won't get sprayed with yard stuff, you can just put them out there and let the sun do it's thing. You might also consider pressure washing them to remove the organic material first. Bleach will turn everything white, but not necessarily remove the material from the rocks.

I've got a pile of rocks in the corner of my yard that just sits there. As I need a new piece, or just want to switch things around, I just go grab a chunk, rinse it with tap water, and use it. Especially if it's going to be awhile you don't need to get carried away with cleaning it.

[crankbait09]

So is there any benefit to using bleach , other than turning the rock white?
Sounds like the sun/drying is what takes care of the rock. Then as you do, I'd place it all back in the tank and re-cycle.

[billdogg]

So is there any benefit to using bleach , other than turning the rock white?
Sounds like the sun/drying is what takes care of the rock. Then as you do, I'd place it all back in the tank and re-cycle.

IMHO, no. It's all going to die off anyway. The use of bleach just seems like a unnecessary step to me.

[crankbait09]

Ok, since I like to overthink everything, allow me to.

How critical is the amount of sun on this dryout period? The reason I ask, the only place I have to store this rock outside, is in a location where it only gets a little bit of sun. It gets a lot more shade than anything, a lot more.

How critical is the amount of sun on these rocks?

[on the spot]

I've bought and stored a ton of old rock - it all gets bleached and usually acid washed before storage.

Bleached because I lack the space to dry/store it outside for more than a few hours.

Acid washed because I don't trust people.

[deepseadan]

I like using the acid soak for all real live rock. I take a half gallon of Leslie’s pool muriatic acid and pour it in a large tub of water. Then add the rock and let it sizzle until the water is neutralized. For me this is usually a couple hours. The acid sizzles away a tiny layer of all the rock, inside and out, and gets rid of all the bad stuff. Then I wash it with a high pressure hose nozzle and the rock is brand new. This method only works with real live rock though, not the fake stuff.


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