using "dead" lr as base rock

[martinplayer]

I'm setting up a biocube29 nano reef. Used to have a 90g with lr and fish, no corals. I still have all of my old lr but it has been out of water for several years. Some of it has old dried green algae on it from when my son used it in a freshwater tank. Some is just bright white with nothing on it. I know the "dead" lr can be reseeded over a period of time if contacted by new lr. Is it safe to use in this condition as base rock and will the remains of freshwater algae or anything else on it pose any harm or promote bad algae growth?

 

[reefhustler]

I would recommend soaking it for a few weeks in freshwater and changing the water everyday. Also every couple of days i would blast it with the water hose to free any dead plants and animals.

 

[Illuminati]

Steralize it in bleach.

Take a 5 gallon bucket and all the live rock you have. add water until the water level is over the rock, dump in chlorox bleach (regular, non-scented bleach). Maybe 4-5 cups.
Let it soak for a half hour.

Rinse the rock in a shower/tub/outside with a hose.

Get a new 5 gallon bucket, fill it up with the rock and add fresh water. Do 100% water changes every day for a week to get the bleach to leech out of the rock. The last few days you can also add a dechlorinator like Prime to the water. After a week it should be white and totally steralized.
Let it dry for a couple days and add to the tank.

I have done this myself when I had bubble algae. I added the rock right back into a stocked tank w/o problems.

 

[Illuminati]

Here's an old picture, you can see the bleached rock back in the tank. Do it right and it's 100% safe