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Live Rock advice

Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Help
Forum Name: General Help
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URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=59760
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Topic: Live Rock advice

Posted By: joelduval1
Subject: Live Rock advice
Date Posted: October 18 2012 at 5:04am

Ok so I've been curing some live rock and base rock in a 10 gallon tank for the past month. All levels are good. Ph 8.2, nitrate 0, Nitrites 0, ect 0. So here my question... Would it be ok to move these pieces of live rock/base rock into my already established 30 gallon tank? Or would all hell break lose and I'd get a recycle? I've never done this before and after long thought I'd like my rock higher and bolder for my coral. Thanks ahead of time everybody :)

Replies:

Posted By: 1stupidpunk
Date Posted: October 18 2012 at 5:19am

Where you testing periodically through the process, if you have seen a rise and drop in ammonia and now everything tests 0 its safe to add to your main tank.

Posted By: Molli
Date Posted: October 18 2012 at 8:22am

If it were me I'd add the rock gradually and keep testing, but I'm pretty risk adverse LOL

Posted By: bur01014
Date Posted: October 18 2012 at 2:11pm

I see really no need to cure "base rock" if it was never alive in the first place, a good power rinse at a car wash, then just throw it in your tank....I add pieces all the time.....now, with adding already "live rock" to your established tank, I'd throw in some fish food in the curing tank and see if nitrate climbs appropriately, without raising ammonia and nitrite before throwing it in your tank.

Posted By: joelduval1
Date Posted: October 22 2012 at 2:15pm

Thanks everyone.

Well it was once live rock, it sat out for over a month, so I re cycled it just in case. I didn't know if I had to or not... But today I might be adding it into my larger tank.

Posted By: builderofdreams
Date Posted: October 22 2012 at 7:38pm

Not sure i would use it after your last post.

How did you clean the rock? Or did you clean the rock?

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It's Not a Hobby It's an Obsession
150&210 Gallons of Madness and. Sanity! 801-850-4915

http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=65135&title=builderofdreams-feedback-post

Posted By: joelduval1
Date Posted: October 22 2012 at 9:12pm

It was in my mother in laws tank. She sold her tank and gave me her rock. I scrubbed it and completely washed it first. Than put it in my 10 gallon nano with 2 small pieces of live rock.

Posted By: builderofdreams
Date Posted: October 22 2012 at 11:59pm

From looking at your other thread and seeing your tank,(very nice by the way) i would not use it.

If your looking to add rock then i would use "base Rock" like buro1o14 had mentioned or good live rock.

-------------
It's Not a Hobby It's an Obsession
150&210 Gallons of Madness and. Sanity! 801-850-4915

http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=65135&title=builderofdreams-feedback-post

Posted By: Will Spencer
Date Posted: October 24 2012 at 5:16pm

Builder, I'm curious why you wouldn't use this rock. It's previous live rock that has been dried, cleaned and cured. I can think of no reason not to use it and have done similar with rock myself several times. Am I missing something?

Personally I think this is being extra cautious, there can't be anything alive on it now except bacteria from the curing process.

Posted By: builderofdreams
Date Posted: October 25 2012 at 8:18am

I would be concerned that the rock can not be cleaned correctly.

Scrubbing the outside of the rock is not going to remove the dead deep inside the rock.

I personally have not tried to bring back Live Rock thats that has not been out of the water less than a year.

@ Will. if you have done this than i would say go ahead and use it. You have more experience than I.

Apologize if i have given any advice that was misleading or incorrect.

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It's Not a Hobby It's an Obsession
150&210 Gallons of Madness and. Sanity! 801-850-4915

http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=65135&title=builderofdreams-feedback-post

Posted By: Will Spencer
Date Posted: October 25 2012 at 9:55am

Builder, no need to apologize, I was simply wondering what your thoughts were. I was definitely not saying your advice was wrong, everyone has their own opinions and in this hobby there are MANY ways of doing things successfully.

I agree that there could be dead stuff deep inside the rock, but my perception is that after curing for a month that stuff should be breaking down and once the cycle is truly in place it is no longer a problem. I believe that the same is probably true for dead base rock, there is likely dead stuff deep inside it that we can't clean out manually.

As to how much to put in a tank at once I think that depends on the size of the tank and the status of the tank. Putting 30-40 lbs in my well established, 10 years, 180 gallon tank has not been a problem. Putting that in a 30 gallon tank that has fish and corals, but not much rock yet could be a whole different story. In a small tank like that maybe go a bit at a time over 5 or 6 months. (I must admit I don't have that kind of patience and would probably drop it all in at once and hope the curing process had done it's job, but this might not be the best way to go.) In a brand new 30 gallon tank with no other significant life in it, yea, build your reef, seed it with small bits of live rock and let it do it's thing. Then start adding life a little at a time.

Posted By: 1973Ford
Date Posted: October 25 2012 at 1:09pm

I have used rock that was once alive than sat outside for over a year and its going coraline algae on it.

Posted By: phys
Date Posted: October 25 2012 at 1:53pm

I was able to use live rock that died off in a tank.. it took over a month to fully cure again but it is now in a 10 gallon tank that's home to a few life forms and coral. I'd say you could use it if all your params are correct... maybe try adding some inexpensive coral to that tank or some inverts to see how those hold up first... Also, before you switch it over, do it during a water change and give it a few dips to help wash anything off... but be sure it's clean water and not full of stuff you vacuumed up.. After you put it in, watch the params for a few days to a few weeks to make sure nothing is going wrong..

Posted By: joelduval1
Date Posted: October 25 2012 at 7:42pm

Thank you everyone for the great advice! I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet.

Posted By: joelduval1
Date Posted: October 28 2012 at 4:58am

Ok so today I added a single, 4lbs piece... I'll keep you all updated to see what happens.