add "old" rock while upgrading tank????

chazlightning · 03-01-2006, 03:25 PM

Hi, I am new to the site and the podcast. It is really helpfull for a beginner like me. You talked about setting up a new bigger tank in the same location as the older smaller one. I have a question. I have a 55g and will be setting up a 75g to replace it and it needs to go in the exact same spot.

I want to add more rock to my new tank when I upgrade. Do I need to do anything to the rock first? The rock "was" live rock about 6 months ago. I was givin the tank with all the rock in buckets and I never put it all in the tank. Some of it was in water for that time and some was dry. About 2 weeks ago I took the rock out and let it sit on a table in my basement for a few days. Then i soaked for a day or 2 in fresh water. Then I left it out for a few more and then soaked it for a few more after scrubbing it with a brush. It is now sitting on the table for a few days dry.

Here is my question I guess, what else should I do to the rock before putting it in the tank?

I am going to do what you mentioned about moving the tank. I have tons of buckets and plastic bins to put the water, sand, rock, and inhabitants in (not that many, i'll list below) and will do the physical swith of the tanks and all the equipment, and slowly add the elements back.

The podcast is great, and the website looks to be a great place for a beginner like me to visit on a daily basis!

Thanks for any info you can give me on my rock question,
Charles

Tank inhabitants:
1 Scooter Blenny
1 Banded starfish
1 Sea Cucumber (not sure which species, maybe i'll post a pick to see if you know)
1 Long Spined Sea Urchin
1 Emerald Green Crab (I had 2 but the Urchin ate it, the whole thing....)
about 40 nassarius snails
3 large snails (unknown species again)
various night time critters that come out on the rock.

gwen_o_lyn · 03-01-2006, 04:26 PM

Welcome to TR Charles!!
Not sure about your rock, but to me it seems like you can just add it to the tank. I think it would be the same as base rock right now. To be safe, you could always set up a rubbermaid with a heater and some flow and let it cycle about 8-12 weeks. Make sure you are using saltwater though.

**JustDavidP** · 03-01-2006, 04:30 PM

Your rock is no longer live rock, but calcium carbonate "base rock"

It's okay.. you can still use it (soon), but it is not as beneficial as it was before it was 'stored'. Chances are, it has 'death' on and in it and should be 'cured' or at least tested for problems again before use in your new tank. Take the time to do it right. Plan the tank swap around the 'readiness' of that base rock.

Did you let it soak in "tap water" for two days? Or was it RO/DI? If it was straight tap water, I'd ensure that it was BONE dry (almost impossible to ensure with a dense, porous rock), or at least soaked properly, once again, before using it. You may have saturated it with chlorine, or other contaminates from the tap water. Soaking it again in water that has been treated with dechlorinator may be in order.

Otherwise, remember, it DOES have remnants of 'die off' in there and it most likely will cause an ammonia spike, much like uncured live rock. Check it over for any dry, dead macro, sponges, etc. and clean it just as you would with uncured live rock. Give it some vigorous shaking under water to free it of silt, detritus and other things in the nooks and crannies.

Then...when all is done, I, personally, would store it in a clean, food grade, trash barrel, with full salinity (1.023-1.025) salt water, a heater (optional) a powerhead for circulation, and wait. You may not opt to do this..but I would. I'd leave it there for a week...and every few days, check water parameters. I'm pretty sure that you will see a 'cycle'. Check again later, do a water change, and check again. Because you have an already established tank, you will NOT want to put it through a cycle again. If after a week, you see no detectible levels of ammonia, nitrate, or nitrite, you may be able to use it. Otherwise you will HAVE to wait until it is cured again. This could take weeks.

Dave

pham411 · 03-01-2006, 05:00 PM

hey charels, i just went through a move like yours not to long ago. i upgraded from a 30 to a 75. my due to lack of space my 75 needed to go in the same spot. the only difference is i added lr instead of just rock. you cycling time might be a little longer depending on how your setting up you 75. my advice is seed your new tank with all the stuff in your 55 and keep all livestock out of the new tank for at least a week or two so things can settle also this alows your tank to cycle alittle. to make a long story short thats what i did. youll probably have alot of questions. every1 here is very helpfull so just ask
latez
mike

pham411 · 03-01-2006, 05:07 PM

oh one more thing. when i upgraded my 30 gallon was fully established for 2 yrs and was full of critters. assuming that your 55 gallon has a deep sand bed full of life it might take longer than 2 weeks to add back your livestock. so BEFORE adding your animals i would check amonia levels first.

there i didnt want to get " " on the two week cycle thing so theres my disclaimer. hehe

chazlightning · 03-01-2006, 05:12 PM

Thanks for all the info, this place is great!

I will put the rock in a big bin with the properly mixed salt water with a heater and powerhead for a few weeks and keep testing as you said. I did soak it with tap water, so i will make sure it has no chlorine on it.

I wish there was a place i could keep my inhabitants for a few weeks so i could set the new tank up exactly the way i want to with all the rock and sand and have it cycle. That way i would be sure that everything in the tank was safe.

Although i am in no hurry to set this up. I want to take my time and do it!

Again, thanks for your help. I'm sure i'll have some more questions soon enough!