dry rock needs cleaned

i bought some dry rock off a guy that had it sitting in buckets outside his house for the past year... Soooo rain water, leafs, grass all filled the buckets.... how should i go about cleaning this rock to make sure it will be safe for my new setup.

Also while im at it... whats the best way to clean an old dirty empty tank.... the tank wasnt used in over a year but it was never fully cleaned. it still had some dry sand in it, and dead feather dusters. How do i safely clean this tank and prep it for a new setup.

 

You'll prob wanna cook that dry rock for a while...
You can do it in a tank or a bucket. Rinse them off the best you can. Heater, salt water and a circulation pump for prob about 4 weeks min in a tank or bucket. Maybe a bag of carbon in there too as it may start to get stinky. Toss out the water and at this point treat it like fresh dry rock in the start of your new system.

Use a vinegar/water solution to get the tank clean. You can use a bleach solution, you'll just have to really, really make sure to rinse well!

 

vinegar works, but make sure you take the tank it as soon as possible so that the silicone won't start cracking. it happened to me, i had to redo everything a couple of days ago on my 75g

 

Thanks for the input... Any other thoughts. YOu think i should boil the rock?

 

bump for more input

 

Yeah a big crab pot or turkey frying pot will work best for the boiling. Do it outside so you don't make any enemies inside the house.

 

Ohh so you must also have a wife/boss

 

I dunno about boiling it...
The fast route is never the solution in this hobby.

 

Boiling really isn't a fast route but it is safe, I'm currently boiling 40lbs of dry reef rock plus it helps if it's leeching phosphates

 

Don't do what I did and boil it in my house. The Mrs was lets just say very "upset" at the smell. After boiling I let it dry outside in the sun for 2 weeks. Then into a pastic tub with saltwater, heater and a circ pump for 40 days or so. Turned out rather well.