Changing rocks out completely

[huthain]

So im relatively new to saltwater I have my tank up and running for almost 3 months now with a few fish and some small test corals like GSP and Toadstool. Thankfully everything is going very smooth fish and coral thriving all parameters stable.

The issue is the rock work I had done initially kinda sucks and won't allow me to place corals properly so I am considering completely getting rid of them and getting new rockwork done by my lfs.

What I will try to do is move some of the existing rocks aside in the tank and some in the sump but I probably won't be able to keep more than 20% to 30%of my existing rocks meaning a lot is leaving and a lot more than left will come in.

The rocks they use has been sitting in water for a long time, however they will take them out and work on the aquascape meaning I believe they won't be live rocks.

What should I do to add these to my tank? What precautions do I need to take? Should I supplement anything? Keep an eye out for something? Am I going to harm my livestock?

 

[Rocks reef]

Saving some of your own rock is a wise choice.
As far as your LFS taking out rock to make an aquascape, a lot of times, live rock is shipped wrapped in wet newspaper. The beneficial bacteria can survive quite a long time as long as the rock is kept moist.

 

[huthain]

Saving some of your own rock is a wise choice.
As far as your LFS taking out rock to make an aquascape, a lot of times, live rock is shipped wrapped in wet newspaper. The beneficial bacteria can survive quite a long time as long as the rock is kept moist.

So from what I know is hell take it out of the water and then use some sort of epoxy or glue which needs to cure and it will be sitting out of the water till the next day or atleast 12 hours or more.

Won't they die when he is working on the aquascape? Is there a way he can do that work without killing off the rock completely? If I am able to get a container for him to put it in would that not allow the epoxy to do its work?

 

[huthain]

For additional context this is my current setup all rocks are mine except for the front center one which ive borrowed initially to help speed up the cycle.

 

[p1u5h13r4m24]

I’d expect your new rocks to get some ugly algaes on them, but if you’re gonna do it now is the best time before you add too many corals to your system :)

 

[Dragen Fiend]

So from what I know is hell take it out of the water and then use some sort of epoxy or glue which needs to cure and it will be sitting out of the water till the next day or atleast 12 hours or more.

Won't they die when he is working on the aquascape? Is there a way he can do that work without killing off the rock completely? If I am able to get a container for him to put it in would that not allow the epoxy to do its work?

There is reef specific glue/epoxy/putty that cures while in water. So no it wouldn't be left out for long.

When I buy liverock. I usually get a big bin with water. And work with the aquascape while its submerged. I do this to keep the more delicate organisms like sponges from dying.

 

[BryanM]

For additional context this is my current setup all rocks are mine except for the front center one which ive borrowed initially to help speed up the cycle.

Personally I'm not seeing a problem here.

It is always challenging to get corals glued where you want them on uneven rock surfaces... Sometimes a fish of mine will knock down a torch and I have to replace it.

In any case I think this looks good to me, but I'm not the owner :)

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

What I do is build my aquascape, then put it in a tank or container with a damsel for a few months. This makes the rocks live and able to handle the bioload, and they are populated with enough bacteria to avoid algae growth, and best of all, they are completely pest free. It takes planning and patience, but it works, I've done it once successfully, and doing it again now.

 

[huthain]

Saving some of your own rock is a wise choice.
As far as your LFS taking out rock to make an aquascape, a lot of times, live rock is shipped wrapped in wet newspaper. The beneficial bacteria can survive quite a long time as long as the rock is kept moist.

So ive been presented with another option my LFS said they won't be able to keep any live rocks staying live seems they don't want to go the extra mile with this, they have suggested using aquaforest rocks instead. These are ofcourse dry rocks and I'll also try saving 20 to 30% of my rocks temporarily in the display tank and some in the sump. Does this change anything? Am I to expect a new cycle? Any spikes?

 

[Dragen Fiend]

So ive been presented with another option my LFS said they won't be able to keep any live rocks staying live seems they don't want to go the extra mile with this, they have suggested using aquaforest rocks instead. These are ofcourse dry rocks and I'll also try saving 20 to 30% of my rocks temporarily in the display tank and some in the sump. Does this change anything? Am I to expect a new cycle? Any spikes?

No you should be fine. The thing that causes spikes is stirring up sand due to changing sand, cleaning it or re-arranging rocks that kick up sand. Unless you have a large bioload (which you don't). Then you shouldn't see an impact from swapping some rocks for dry.

And yes, plenty of people sump some of their display rocks when swapping out for fresh dry rocks. Bacteria latch instantly. So its really just a waiting game for it to further colonize all the nooks and crannies in the new rock.

 

[Dom]

So im relatively new to saltwater I have my tank up and running for almost 3 months now with a few fish and some small test corals like GSP and Toadstool. Thankfully everything is going very smooth fish and coral thriving all parameters stable.

The issue is the rock work I had done initially kinda sucks and won't allow me to place corals properly so I am considering completely getting rid of them and getting new rockwork done by my lfs.

What I will try to do is move some of the existing rocks aside in the tank and some in the sump but I probably won't be able to keep more than 20% to 30%of my existing rocks meaning a lot is leaving and a lot more than left will come in.

The rocks they use has been sitting in water for a long time, however they will take them out and work on the aquascape meaning I believe they won't be live rocks.

What should I do to add these to my tank? What precautions do I need to take? Should I supplement anything? Keep an eye out for something? Am I going to harm my livestock?

Please take some time to really think about doing this. You have a tank where "everything is going smoothly", and now, you want to change your rock work to better accommodate coral placement.

I'd ask you to consider not fix something which isn't broken. I would be concerned with the disruption you are planning to the tank.

Bringing in new rock work could bring in hitch hikers. And while all hitch hikers are cool, some may be detrimental. I would also be concerned with stirring up the sand. Also, you wouldn't be able to remove the Anemones easily from the rock. The stress of getting them off the rock may be something they do not bounce back from.

If it were my tank, I would not try doing this with the livestock in the tank. I would set up a holding tank moving the water, livestock and rocks with Anemones over to it. Then I would redo the rock work and start the display tank over.

Just my perspective.

Dom

 

[huthain]

Please take some time to really think about doing this. You have a tank where "everything is going smoothly", and now, you want to change your rock work to better accommodate coral placement.

I'd ask you to consider not fix something which isn't broken. I would be concerned with the disruption you are planning to the tank.

Bringing in new rock work could bring in hitch hikers. And while all hitch hikers are cool, some may be detrimental. I would also be concerned with stirring up the sand. Also, you wouldn't be able to remove the Anemones easily from the rock. The stress of getting them off the rock may be something they do not bounce back from.

If it were my tank, I would not try doing this with the livestock in the tank. I would set up a holding tank moving the water, livestock and rocks with Anemones over to it. Then I would redo the rock work and start the display tank over.

Just my perspective.

Dom

Thanks for your response. So im going a different wat going to just add new dry rock and tey to save as many as my old rock in the sump until the new ones mature. I dont have any anenome at the moment. Would there still be something to be concerned about?

 

[huthain]

No you should be fine. The thing that causes spikes is stirring up sand due to changing sand, cleaning it or re-arranging rocks that kick up sand. Unless you have a large bioload (which you don't). Then you shouldn't see an impact from swapping some rocks for dry.

And yes, plenty of people sump some of their display rocks when swapping out for fresh dry rocks. Bacteria latch instantly. So its really just a waiting game for it to further colonize all the nooks and crannies in the new rock.

Correct me if im wrong but I doubt sand moving is an issue for me. I have a sand sifting goby that literally redecorated my whole sand bed every day and almost every other day I have to move the gravel back around and level it. In most cases he'll empty out multiple corners in the course of a few days.

 

[Dom]

Thanks for your response. So im going a different wat going to just add new dry rock and tey to save as many as my old rock in the sump until the new ones mature. I dont have any anenome at the moment. Would there still be something to be concerned about?

Just remember; dry rock must be cycled before putting it in your tank. In my experience, putting it in the tank dry lead to a huge GHA explosion.