The rock smells a little like mold now what?

[scheri11]

He took the water out and just left the rocks in there to dry (about a month ago) and now they smell a little like mold. I think I even saw some fuzzies on them. So do I just throw them away and start over when I bring the tank home.

 

[aquaknight]

Don't throw it away, just drop it off at my house for disposal

.

 

[scheri11]

so do I still use it to start my tank?

 

[aquaknight]

Yea, well sorta. I definitely would take a powerwasher to them first, but the mold and 'fuzzies,' they live in a damp environment, they aren't able to live submersed in a fully aquatic environment. Try to get the bulk of that stuff off. I still wouldn't use only that rock, use some fresh live rock, and I'd probably still toss a shrimp in for a couple days.

 

[pezenfuego]

I would add more live rock (as previously suggested). Make sure to keep your ammonia level down during the cycle. It may seem as though removing ammonia would be like removing the food source for your bacteria (and it is) but the bacteria doesn't require 6 ppm of ammonia to culture lol. I would say under 3 ppm. Some would argue lower.
Oh you can keep the ammonia down during the cycle by doing water changes. The only reason to keep the ammonia down is to reduce the prospect of nitrates (or remove nitrates) and to keep the little organisms on your rock (if you buy more) alive.