Dry rock in saltwater container

[aandfsoccr04]

Why exactly is the purpose of having dry rock sitting in a trash can or poly tank for several weeks or months running with just a powerhead before you put it inside of your tank?

 

[sureal00]

One of the reasons is to dose phosphate removers to get it out of the rock so it doesn't leech out in tank

 

[TheEngineer]

I do that to kill off as much algae as I can and also to let it cycle off whatever died during shipment.

 

[aandfsoccr04]

How long is really necessary?

 

[TheEngineer]

You could measure it the same as if you were cycling in a tank if you are just looking to shorten your in-tank cycle. For me, I got the rock well before I was ready for the tank setup so it cooked for 6 months in the dark.