old algae covered rock in new tank?

this may be a dumb question but - say i had some old rock that used to be in a very poorly attempted tank, plagued with all kinds of nuisance algae.
are there ways to cleanse the rock so that it can be used in a properly setup tank without having all the old problems reappear?
do you just scrub off the old algae and make sure theres no phosphates in the new tank?
can you soak the rock in vinegar/water or bleach(?!) let it dry and rinse?
Just bake them dry in the sun for a few weeks?
:-/
or would the rock be forever tainted and better off discarded?

thanks

 

From Ottys thread

Recipe I was taught for nuking (cleaning) Live Rock
1. Soak rock in 50/50 Bleach and water solution for 3 days.
2. Soak rock for next 3 days in RO water if possible but tap is ok
3. Soak rock in RO/DI water and Baking soda for 3 days to neutralize the bleach. For a 30g trash can I use 4 lbs. of Baking soda.
4. Let rock sit outside in sun for 2 weeks turning the rock to make sure all water is out of holes. If cold out side I have put in my garage with a fan on the rock for about 1.5 weeks and still turn rock every day.

Last couple times I nuked rock I was not ready to add to tank when I was complete so I mixed some SW and added the rock with some PH's and heat to kick start a cycle until I was ready to add to the tank.

This will ensure you are not adding anything in your tank that you don't want, just like getting base rock. It will become live rock once it is seeded."

 

that sounds like an excellent recipe, thanks alot

 

i had the same problem in some of the rocks i got. they had lots of small brown algae all over and some aptaisia and some other nuisances. i just kept them in the tank when i treated for ich with hyposalinity. after 2 weeks the rocks looked like they died (they turned into a pale color) so i took them out and brushed them in a fresh water bucket. then put them back in the tank. now after 2 weeks the coral algae almost covered them back entirely. and there is no sign of any other parasite yet.

 

I've heard of people baking them in the oven. I would probably personally do that, just because the thought of bleach getting in the tank scares me. I've never heard any stories of the above bleaching method going wrong though.

 

good to hear theres a couple of options.
hypo sounds like a fish friendly option, but does it kill off nuisance algae as well as any pests?
baking them makes sense too, but i'd be a bit worried about remnants of stuff getting baked onto the rock and not being able to get them off. also putting fish rocks in my oven scares me more than bleach in the tank lol.