Tank/circulation disaster. Help please!

[ScubaSkeets]

My aquarium started leaking so to avoid a total disaster, I emptied the water into 3 brute cans and a spare 40 gallon fish tank to place my fish in and started to process of swapping out my aquarium. I placed some live rock in the fish tank and running a wavemaker and a heater and so far the fish are doing fine.

However, I put the remainder of the rocks and the sand in the brutes with the old tank water and added a pump each to these for circulation.
Well, the power strip to those pumps failed and I didn't notice until the the horrible stench started filling up the house. The few corals that were on the rock were all mush. Dead. I had to take the rocks outside.

Is the water still usable? Are those rocks ok to put into the new tank with some of that water, but mostly new water mix? Will the rocks that I placed in the 40g tank be able to seed the rocks that died?
Any other suggestions/advice to how to handle this mess would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I would check the parameters on the water first before dumping it back into your tank.
Did you take the old rocks outside and completely clean them, or what did you do with them?

 

[skiergd011013]

Sounds like a total loss if it smelled up a house, and a wouldnt reuse any of that, except The rock could probably be sterilized with bleach for future use

 

[ScottJ]

I wouldn't reuse that water. Who knows what is growing in there.

I would clean the rocks with a stiff brush and give them a few weeks in clean (new) saltwater with a heater and pump. With a total water change every week or so.

Or you could totally bleach and dry them if they are that bad.

Water is pretty inexpensive, and all the good stuff is in the rocks.

 

[VintageReefer]

My aquarium started leaking so to avoid a total disaster, I emptied the water into 3 brute cans and a spare 40 gallon fish tank to place my fish in and started to process of swapping out my aquarium. I placed some live rock in the fish tank and running a wavemaker and a heater and so far the fish are doing fine.

However, I put the remainder of the rocks and the sand in the brutes with the old tank water and added a pump each to these for circulation.
Well, the power strip to those pumps failed and I didn't notice until the the horrible stench started filling up the house. The few corals that were on the rock were all mush. Dead. I had to take the rocks outside.

Is the water still usable? Are those rocks ok to put into the new tank with some of that water, but mostly new water mix? Will the rocks that I placed in the 40g tank be able to seed the rocks that died?
Any other suggestions/advice to how to handle this mess would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Welcome back bud, haven’t seen ya in a while. Wish this was on better conditions.

I would make new water and post some pics so we can see what your dealing with and offer better help

You got this!

 

[Shirak]

Rocks will be fine... mix up a brute container of fresh salt and bring to temperature. Brush them well and dunk and swoosh them around to get any crud off and out of the crevices. Then into another brute for a day with heater and pump and all set IMO.

 

[andrewey]

Sorry about your loss. I agree, toss the water, keep the rocks, but let them process the ammonia in some fresh saltwater. I would probably trash the sand or remove that and clean it, but that can release a lot of trapped organics during a move and given everything that's already happened, it's one less variable to deal with.

 

[VintageReefer]

@ScubaSkeets I would break out the power washer, blast those rocks off and make sure all the little nooks and crannies are flushed out - don’t need any decaying matter going back in the new setup.