How long before dry rock is seeded with bacteria?

[exnisstech]

I googled and really found nothing certain. Any where from 24 hours to 6 months. What I have is a large piece of live ocean rock close to the size of a soccer ball. I've had it for years and it has never been dry. It is in a 40 gallon breeder. Filtration / circulation is an aquaclear 110 hob filter with 2 sponges. The sponges are 3"x3"x9" and have been seeding in an established tank for about 9 months. I have some clean bleached dry rock that I just put in with the live rock to start seeding it. Should I ghost feed the tank? How long will it take before that dry rock can be placed into an aquarium that has coral and a couple of fish already in it? I have a reefer 170 that I have been trying to get aquascaped to my liking and want to use some of the rock in there. It's bare bottom so no sand to help but the tank has been running for about 3 years and has Marine pure blocks in the sump. Im sure this is something I should now but after all the mistakes I have made I like to ask is I'm not positive about something

 

[Spare time]

I feel like it would be pretty difficult to say. I would just place it up against the live rock and maybe ghost feed or dose ammonia for a few weeks til you see the rock start to grow things. Or, you could put the live rock in the sump with a light and go about things that way. I'd think at least a month would be the minemum.

 

[Saltyreef]

If you have enough established rock with it it will take some time...maybe a year or 2 before its inhabited close to what your others have.
The coraline wont grow without light but i have a bunch of coraline still alive in the dark...it just hasnt spread to my dry rock yet.
Its been in a dark tote with warm salt water for 2 years so i expect it to be fully cured and full of bacteria. Ghost feeding is always a plus. Fish even better.