Live rock... repair?

[fatoldsun]

I found a 5 gallon bucket of rock that came out of my tank before my move. It's hard to guess how much is there -- maybe 40-50 lbs. it's been in the bucket - outside since Labor Day. The water was filled to the top of an aqua-vitro bucket so it has a tight fitting lid. I discovered it this weekend. The water turned redish/brown and it started to freeze. It was like a slushy. A REALLY gross one.
I dumped some water out. I left just enough to cover the rock.
The rock was base rock in the tank before my move. Can I salvage it without cooking it? I was thinking of cycling it through my discard water from water changes. How long/how many water changes do you think until it's safe?

 

[kschweer]

I personally would etch the rock and then cure it. Remove the water that the rock is in now and add 1-2 gallons of distilled vinegar and top off with rodi water. I let mine soak in the mixture for about a day maybe 2. Remove it from the vinegar/water, rinse and then cure either in fresh made saltwater or the water from your water changes.

 

[fatoldsun]

How long did you cure it after the "etching"?

 

[fatoldsun]

...and what about bleach? I like the idea that a short soak will clean it up and I'm no chemist but if I let it dry won't the chlorine all evaporate without having to be neutralized? I thought about some of the other rock but what I have that's survived is on that rock, some zoas and palys leathers and shrooms. I'm not sure I want to kill all of that off too.

 

[kschweer]

How long did you cure it after the "etching"?

I let it cure about 2 weeks after I etched the rock. I used this rock for a brand new tank, if I was going to be using it in an existing tank I would have cured for a minimum of 4 weeks. As for the bleach you are correct that the chlorine would evaporate if let to dry, however I would still etch with vinegar or other kind of acid. Etching actually eats away at the outer layer of the rock, for lack of a better way to put it. By doing this some of phosphate bound in the rock will be released.

 

[fatoldsun]

I guess I'll do both. The water got really foul. I'm disappointed b/c it's base rock and is like to have had it available for rock-scape but I've gotta be safe. I think I may add to it. There's some rock that doesn't have anything on it but vermitids and I know I won't get all of those without cooking it all