reuse rock and sand?

I agree it can be reused if it was not exposed to copper and if you rinse it very well. The sand should be rinsed several times in freshwater and then placed in a circulating system.

If the LR stinks right now in the tub outside that means it will need the time that you suggested for recovery. If it doesn't stink then you can probably put it directly in the tank because the bacteria survived and kept things going.

If it were my LR I would have never put it outside. I would have left it in the house in a tub. It's alive and likes warmth and circulation. But if that was unavoidable, I understand, The thing I would do now is bring the tub inside and let it warm gradually to room temperature. Place a power head in the tub if possible and in a few days, if it doesn't stink, place it in an existing tank.

Also, if you live near me, or want to bring it to me, I could place the LR in my system to recover and get seeded with life from my systems. I also trade LS for dead or dry sand.

This is the thread that may answer some of your questions.

http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244

Ok Tuachan lets see if I can answer some of these for you, hopefully Mark or someone will speak up if I am wrong.

1. The sooner you add Live rock with your dead rock the sooner you dead rock becomes alive. The bacteria from your live rock will breed and spread to the dead stuff.

2. If you plan on using a DSB (deep sand bed), which I recomend, you need a minimum of 4".  If you don't currently have that much sand you can get some olitic sand from someone on this board. Oolitic is very fine sand and should be placed below the larger grain stuff. A good way to seed your tank (add bacteria) is to get some sand from an already well established tank. A good idea is to add this sand prior to putting water in the tank.

3. I would not recomend using hard water to start your tank, since your RO is slow I would suggest getting ro water from your local fish store (lfs). Some even have pre-mixed saltwater such as Aquatic Dreams in Ogden.

4. If you want to go the cheaper route, and who doesn't, you might look into getting some Utah rock (lake bonneville tulfa rock) and then purchase some live rock from a member of this board or a lfs. AD sells the stuff for $4 a lb. Also I suggest you talk to Mark or another member who can show you how to properly aquascape your tank. It is important to have good flow around and even under your rock. The best way to get live water, sand, and macro algae is from a member on this board. Just ask, most are more than willing to give you some for free. For coral frags take a few visits to a couple folks tanks, if your lucky you will find that person who hasn't fragged anything for a while who will hook you up for free. I don't suggest really buying any coral from any lfs before you get you tank truly up and running. Oh by the way it's going to take at least a month to get you tank trully stable, at least that is what I waited before adding any coral or fish. As for the janitor crew you will probably have to buy these from a lfs or an online store.

I hope this helps you out some, if you need any help just pm me, i'll try to steer you in the right direction. (sorry for the long post).

Rocky