55 Gallon Saltwater Aquarium sitting dry

I have a 55 gallon saltwater tank that i let run dry about a year ago because of its location in the house. There was a whole bunch of live rock in the tank, and i would like to bring the tank upstairs into the main house and set it up again. Is my live rock still live? How can i tell? Before setting it up again should i take everything out of it clean everything? Im not s saltwater pro here, so any help is appreciated.

Thanks
Jon

 

No, your rock is no longer "live"; However, it can still be reused. Just clean it the best you can, and place it in the tank when you fill it with saltwater. It will cure while the tank is cycling.

 

I just posted a few photos in my gallary, is it even live rock or is it coral?

 

It is (or was) live rock, and will be again once it's been recured. Live, and even base rock are just chunks of dead coral skeletons.

 

Ok thanks. Its got alot of salt on it, do i need to clean that off? If so whats my best way to clean?

 

Soak it in a bucket of freshwater for a while then let it dry in the sun.

 

+1. No soap. You can soak in freshwater and scrub with brush to get chunks off (if its really dirty). I wouldn't use any left over sand though, even though you didn't ask. Other than that it will become live again during and after the tank cycle. You could even buy a cured live rock to seed the tank with. I have never tried this but others have said you can scrape the algea off of a cured live rock in a high flow area to help spread the algea. (I like the purple)

 

I would leave it in the tank it is in, after you remove all the sand ect. place only the rock in the tank- then buy a gallon of vinegar, plain white vinegar, fill the tank up and and use the whole bottle of vinegar in the water, place a power head midway in the tank and let soak 2 to 3 days. this will clean all the rock and tank of any "bad" stuff. then rinse every thing off real well and start the system as new.

good luck