Dry rock to live rock

S3lls · Mar 16, 2026

Hi all. I am looking to add a rather large dry dead rock to my existing set up. I watched a few videos and read some older posts on how to prepare it outside of display tank.
Some recommend vinegar soak. Some bleach. Some say daily water changes for at least a month of soaking, some say just add a pump and let it sit.
What worked for you?
Also here I found a few recommendations of ARK and Marco colorants. I think I want to do that, because I can’t stand the look of white rock, it makes me think of bleached corals and stresses me out haha. That’s why I never looked at dry rocks before, but the shapes they make out of them nowadays are just way too tempting

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 16, 2026

What is useful depends on the history of the rock.

Where did yours come from?

S3lls · Mar 16, 2026

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
What is useful depends on the history of the rock.

Where did yours come from?

From a local store, it was on a shelf, dry, the label is Chandlerrocks (https://chandlerrocks.com)

Mr. Mojo Rising · Mar 16, 2026

It would only need to be bleached or cleaned if it was dirty, like if it came from someone else's tank and it was full of crud. But if buying it from the store it should already be clean and white, you just need to rinse it quickly under water to get any dust off and put it in the tank. The rock won't stay white very long, it will change color as micro algae and biofilm grows on it.

mook1178 · Mar 16, 2026

SOunds unused then, I would rinse it off with tap water and add them slowly, not all at once. Watch you phosphates as you do. If you go slow enough, it will have little impact on your phosphates. But phosphate impact relies heavily on the amount you are adding compared to what is already there.