cleaning tank??

[movadoman21]

hello i was wondering how long can LR live outside of water before i take them out to clean my tank? or can i just put them in a bucket of salt water for a coulpe of mins. i would ilke to clean the sand bed its a litle dirty from moving the LR around.
so is it ok to take the LR out of the water for a couple of mins?
thank you
chris

 

[aileena]

ya you can take the rock out for a few minutes as a general rule...if there are any sensative creatures like sponges they will likely die though...you can put some of your tank water in a bucket and place the rock in there too.
I would be carefull about messing with the sand bed if its established....and definetly do not use a gravel siphon on it

 

[irenicus]

I'd just leave the LR in the tank. Vacuum around it.