Live rock question

[Toxik]

I was talking to a guy at work today that has had his live rock in a rubbermade container for 6 months. I'm not sure if he has had a heater in the water or done a water change at all. He thinks that all life is gone and is just base rock. I havn't seen it yet but he was saying there are some very nice pieces, big and flat. I was thinking of buing it off him but not sure if it is a good idea. Do you guys have any advise? What would it be worth? I don't want to rip him off nor do I want to be ripped off.
Thanks
Dave

[fishoholic]

I would think most of the life would be gone, however if you cycled it properly within 3-4 months it should have life on it again.

[dreef]

Yup no worries,throw it in a tub and cook it,it will come back to life,and be pest free.

[BlueAbyss]

Isn't this how people cook rock? Throw it in a Rubbermaid container for half a year with no light or anything? Maybe I missed something...

If it's been kept wet without circulation you will most certainly have a cycle from all the dead stuff.

If the pieces please you, I've seen base rock advertised for around 4 bucks a pound (in bulk boxes).

[Toxik]

Isn't this how people cook rock?
I've never cooked live rock before so I wasn't totally sure of the end results if it was still live rock or base rock.

[new but handy]

base rock at J&L is $50 for 50 lbs

[Myka]

I made a reply a couple days ago right after dreef's post. Mine disappeared. Weird.

The base rock that you get at J&L, the Caribsea Reef Rock is actually fossilized coral, it is very heavy and not particularly porous. It is not a very good base rock.

What my original post said was that even though the bacterial colonies will be a bit diminished in rock that has been cooking for a long time, there should be very little if any nitrate and phosphate leeching from the rocks. Test the water it is in before you buy it to make sure. It will also take a little while for the coralline to come back. Otherwise, I would jump on the opportunity to buy rock like this, it is awesome rock provided it tests out right, and was properly stored in saltwater of the proper salinity with a powerhead and heater of the proper temperature.