Can old dried out LR still be used?

[Zer0]

Alright, i still have about 75lbs of live rock from my last tank that is sitting in a large bucket down in my basement. They have been out of use for a good month to two months and are pretty dried out i'd say. However, i am wondering what it is i will need to do to get them back in my 10G tank.

What i plan to do, is select the pieces i want, then wash them pretty thoroughly and scrub them down to get all decaying matter and any other loose rubble off of them so nothing flies around in my tank, which i hate. So now, my question is do you guys think this will be enough to begin the cycle on the tank? Or should i be considering throwing a piece of shrimp in there with the rocks. Also.. my rocks aren't completely white either. They have some greens left over on them, but im guessing when i scrub them down good that will fade away.

Just give me some thoughts and opinions on what i should do, thanks. I think i pretty much have it all mapped out, but i just want to hear what others say.

 

[thominil]

Just base rock now. I think it should be plenty to cycle that tank. Add a pound or two of live rock so you can get some of the critters and algae back.

 

[Zer0]

Yeah, i plan to do just that when my tank is fully cycled. But i'm in no rush right now. Just need to find the right pieces that will make my tank look nice lol.

 

[thominil]

Pick a few pieces that you can make bridges out of and make holes for the fish to get out of the current and rest. A few good shelf pieces for coral too.

 

[Zer0]

Yeah that's what i was thinking. I definitely have some nice pieces that i want to use. I'm considering using silicone and making a structure out of some of the pieces.. but i'll have to contemplate on what i want to do first. Also, i don't have as much room to work with as i did with the 55G, but i should be able to complete some nice things. Hopefully.

 

[cmor1701d]

If you add a bit of uncured LR to your base you can cycle at the same time. Eat the shrimp!

 

[Zer0]

Lol, yes that is a possibility, but i had the filth that comes with uncured live rock. It's what brought me down the wrong path with my 55G in the first place. So i may just stick to base rock, and then cured lvie rock to seed the base rock when the cycling is complete.