Dilema what to do

[Myka]

Bleach and acid are useful for different purposes. My opinion on dry rock is that most all of it could use a bleach bath to remove surface organics. Then let the rock soak in RODI water bleach-free for a week and test phosphate. If phosphate is high do an acid bath. If phosphate remains high after that use a lanthanum chloride product like Ocean Fresh Foz Down. If you have time to spare or you're concerned about chewing up too much rock (acid removes the top layer of rock), you can skip the acid and just use Foz Down. Once you've stripped all the phosphate out of the rock (nitrate should be out by this time too) you can start seeding it with cured live rock or bottled bacteria products if you prefer. I would do all of this in a vat with no light on the rock. You don't need to use saltwater until you start seeding it.