Cleaning/reviving live rock

lcrupert · Sep 5, 2013

2 years ago my husband started up a 75 gallon saltwater tank. We originally purchase live synthetic rock ( A LOT OF IT), which used to be a synthetic beautiful purple color. Then of course within months of cycling we had awesome purples and blues growing on it. Welllll.... he has neglected the tank for the past year and I am trying to maintain it myself.

My question is, my rock is pretty much brown and covered in junk, no color. It just looks....well...dirty. Not a healthy dirty. Is there anything I can do to restore it? Can I take out a chunk of live rock, do a freshwater dip/scrub, then place it back in the tank to cycle again, and do this until I have cleaned each rock?

I know this might sound ridiculous...but bare with me.

Tahoe61 · Sep 5, 2013

Yes you can do it that way. Just keep in mind not to do too many pieces at once or you may destroy too much of the biological filter. If your patient you can slowly rotate the pieces until all are clean. To promote coralline algae growth you will have maintain the appropriate calcium, magnesium and alkalinity levels as well.