long term storage of live rock

[nitro069]

I am looking to store my live rock long term(3-5 years) for a future build of a new saltwater system. i have a few questions on the prep for storage.

what is the best way to prep the rock for storage.
should i rinse the rock with rodi water to rinse off any die off.
how would i go about removing any phosphates out of the rock.
i have some soft corals that have attached to the rock. will they fall off as i clean the rock.

any other suggestions on the proper prep and storage is appreciated.

 

[Giglio324]

muriatic acid is what guys use to prepare new rock for their tanks. i guess you could use it the same way when storing. it will strip everything off the rocks dead or alive. then dry it out for a few days and should be good to go

 

[dale]

sell it.. buy new base rock .. and store that...

 

[nitro069]

sell it.. buy new base rock .. and store that...

lol - if i'm not mistaken after reading about muriatic acid, it is base rock when done.

muriatic sounds like a fairly solid route/plan.  When i go to do that i will star a thread and post some pics with results. Not sure if there is anything of that sort on the forum.

 

[Giglio324]

Search it theres quite a bit of stuff on RC about it. I did it with some rock i got from a small breakdown tank i bought. All im gonna say is plug your nose and watch the show peeyewww

 

[parksy]

Throw it in a rubber made container and throw it outside till it doesn't stink then store it lol  I've done this a few times then cured it with no issues at all

 

[theyangman]

Why not sell the rock? It will need heat and flow for three to five years to keep it alive The costs of maintaining it might not be beneficial in the long run versus the loss today of selling it and buying new live rock when the time comes....

This seems pointless to store for that time period. You can either store it as live rock and pay to keep it alive or you let it die off in a tub and re-seed this dead rock later. Do the math.

Lets say the live rock sells on the boards for 2-3 bucks per pound.

1. you let this rock die off and you are simply using it again later as base rock. You can buy dead rock again in 3-5 years at 2-3 bucks a pound range and you break even. Ahead of the game even because you didn't have to store a crap ton of rocks for no reason.

2. you keep the rock "alive" with heaters and power heads using up electricity for the next 3-5 years. It will cost you quite a bit of money for that time period to keep this alive to re-use again. Will it eat up 8 bucks per pound of electricity to keep alive over 3-5 years? (replacement cost of live rock) I am not sure of that answer but I bet it is pretty darn close. Once again you have to worry about storing it for that long and consider the wear and tear on your equipment for that time period. You're saving next to nothing, if not actually at a loss by taking this route.

Considering you could have sold it for 2-3 bucks per pound on the second hand market today, I'd say sell it and clean your hands of it till you are ready to start up again. It just doesn't make $$$ sense to me to go either route, especially since it isn't that terribly difficult to sell, nor terribly difficult to buy again. It's not like a tank or other equipment that takes a huge slam on the second hand market when selling.

 

[teebone110]

Ideally you should keep it in an aquarium just in case the rubbermaid leaches any contaminants that will be absorbed back into your rock. Just make sure you know the history of the aquarium or better yet, buy a brand new one.

Keep the water circulating with a pump and keep it heated too.

Or you can just nuke it with muratic acid then store it dry until your ready to start again.

 

[spyd]

I would just sell it off. It makes complete sense to keep your dry goods because of the cost of new equipment. For your rock though, you will get the same dollar value selling it off now and buying down the road. Just saves the effort of drying it out and storing it.

 

[Jewel]

I agree, sell it unless it's Primo Rock,

 

[Neopimp]

Bleach it and put it in rubber made it's a rock and once dry it requires no extra care. 

Of course you could keep pet rocks if you want

 

[Neopimp]

It's not hard to get it alive again.  Leave it in water for a month... Done..