Dead rock in established tank?

[hammcd]

I have a tank that has been set up for about 4 months now...i definately need more rock in it
i was planning on moving rock from my old tank but the old tank ahd an apstasia outbreak...i need the tank cleaned out soon and was gonna boil the old live rock
is it bad to put this dead rock in an established tank..what would happen...would it cause a cycle etc or would it cause no harm and slowly become live over a period of time?
thanks

 

[cr500_af]

As long as the rock is CLEAN dead rock, no issues at all. You'll only have a cycle or mini cycle if you put in rock with dead organics on it that start to decompose.

 

[juston51]

cr500_af;671853 wrote: As long as the rock is CLEAN dead rock, no issues at all. You'll only have a cycle or mini cycle if you put in rock with dead organics on it that start to decompose.

+1. Agreed!

 

[brianjfinn]

Boiling should be OK, I think. You could also soak it in a mild bleach solution, rinse real well, and let it sit in the sun for a day or two.

 

[hammcd]

ah ok so bleaching and drying in the sun is the best method then?...is there a certain bleach to water ratio?

 

[peaches7412]

what about just letting it sit in the sun without bleaching it? Shouldn't the sun be enough.

 

[snowmansnow]

I just stored about 95 lbs.. I rinsed it off good... set it on the porch for about a week in the 100degree weather ... let it set through some rain storms...

I wouldn't boil it either IMO.

B

 

[hammcd]

what if it has a few polyps or something on it..like i have one rock that has lots of yellow polyps on it but also apstasia i cant get rid of..i dont necessarily want either in my new tank but dont think i could sell it cause of the small amount of apstaisa...would u just set it in the sun for that?

 

[rbredding]

if you can add a little at a time, your existing LR/system will be able to offset any spike caused by dieoff..

i have added rubble to my sump little by little over the last several months, if I need a new frag plug, I just grab some of it and fasten a coral to it..

if you're talking about modifying the structure of your system (ie, adding a shelf, or building another tower,etc) then you're more likely to encounter a more substantial mini-cycle..