Move from 14g Biocube to 65g

[cymonous]

Hello R2R! First Post.

I have a 14g Biocube that I have had setup for about a year. I got a 65g recently. I currently have 2 clowns and a royal gramma in the biocube. The Royal Gramma is starting to become a bit aggressive towards the clowns. I am guessing because he is getting bigger and because of the space. I don't have any extra Dry/Live Rock yet. I also cannot afford the extra Live Rock to fill the 65. I was wondering if I could move my Rock, Fish and corals into the 65 without adding more livestock till I get more established rock?

 

[cdness]

You could move them over to the 65G and get dry rock to save you some cash. Use water from water changes to help cycle the rock in another container then add to the tank as needed. Otherwise if you added pieces slowly to the 65 you may be able to get by without a cycle.

The nice thing about dry rock is first the price as it is significantly cheaper by the pound. But on top of it, you get more rock for the pound as there is no water weight... I like the BRS reef saver stuff personally, but Marco Rocks, Real Reef, and other companies sell dry rock and they are all basically the same stuff.

How much rock is in the 14G? If you have a good amount of rock you will be fine moving forward.

 

[cymonous]

I currently have around 15-20lbs of rock in the biocube. I am planning to buy some dry rock from a local club member at a good price. I know I can't add it all at once or it could cause issues.

 

[cdness]

Was the dry rock wet at some point in the past? If yes, give it a good vinegar and hot water bath to remove some of the nutrients. Let it dry out then add to the tank slowly. You should be fine, but keep an eye on the ammonia parameter when you do this. If all is healthy you have nothing to worry about.

Another option is if you have a friend in the hobby with a larger tank than you, see if they can partially cure the rock for you in their sump. They may be able to handle the bioload of the rock better than your rock can.

 

[cymonous]

I'm not sure if it was wet in the past or not. I will have to check on that. I appreciate the advice.

I do have a friend right down the street with a much larger tank. I am not sure what size sump he has. It may only be a 20g. That is also a good idea. I could ask him to cure a few pieces of rock for me at a time.

 

[cdness]

If the history is unknown on the rock, wash it well before curing. You may want to acid wash with muriatic acid instead of vinegar...

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[cymonous]

I just got some rock yesterday. A Total of about 45 pounds. I would say 1/4 is dry and rest was kept wet in a trash can with moving saltwater, but no light. I was not able to keep the wet rock wet though. If I move my current LR from my biocube to the 65, how much can I add at a time of the dry rock? Also, can I just use a bleach solution for the wet rock to clean it? I would rinse it with RODI and let it dry. And will it be safe to slowly add this rock to my tank after?

 

[cymonous]

Anybody with some feedback?

 

[Mike&Terry]

Yes, you can rinse your rock with either bleach or acid (acetic or muriatic) as was mentioned earlier. If you do this, you'll want to be sure and rinse it with RO/DI water thoroughly before you cure it or introduce it to a tank that has livestock in it. You're not done rinsing if you can still smell any hint of the acid or bleach. After rinsing, you're best off to allow the rock to dry completely, and be sure there's no bad smell (which would alert you to dead / dying organic material within the rock). Many people are using a process of "cooking" their dry rock to remove phosphates and cure it prior to placing it in their tanks. If you have a tub and lots of time to spare, this process can be worth the time, as many have reported that phosphates leach out of their dry rock causing persistent elevated levels of PO4 in their tanks. If you are keeping sensitive livestock, such as SPS, this can be a real problem and also lead to other issues like unwanted algae growth.

As far as how quickly and how much new rock you can add to your existing system, there's no firm answer. It depends heavily on:

• how clean the rock is that you are going to add,
• how established your system is (particularly the amount of nitrifying bacteria colonies you already have growing), and
• your bioload (how many animals you have in the tank that are excreting urine and feces into the water, and how much food you are adding)

The bottom line is to go slow. There's no rush to get your new rock added, and it's fine to take your time and cure it. The suggestion made earlier to ask a friend to cure some of the rock for you is a good one (assuming that there's nothing in your friend's system that you would consider "bad" or to be unwanted, such as red bugs, aiptasia, or chemical compounds like copper). You can add the rock to your system as it cures. The extra room that your new tank has should provide the immediate relief you want to reduce aggression between your fish, and as long as you don't go crazy adding new livestock, your existing rock will continue to take care of the biological filtration that's needed.