Live rock addition to established tank please help!

[Justfishing189]

Hey guys,

I previously had a 10 gallon nano with about 8 pounds of live rock. Just yesterday i transfered my 2 clowns and 3 coral pieces to a new 20 gallon long. Along with the livestock I added the live rock from above, the live sand from the 10, and all the water from the ten. Pretty much the only change was the increase in tank water volume. I would like to add about 12 more pounds of live rock to have more hiding spots, places to put coral, and most importantly more filtration. I would like to know the best way, if possible, to add the live rock. Thanks! A little background info on the live rock, it would be from my LFS and is kept cured in a tank full of just live rock. (Basically its a 40 gallon tank full of cured live rock) Any help is much appreciated!

[ajmckay]

As long as the live rock is fully cured there should be no problem. This means that the rock has been sitting in water long enough for any dead organic material to fully decompose. This usually takes some time, in the magnitude of weeks or possibly months depending on the porosity of the rock and how much dead stuff was on it. But it should be safe to add immediately. If you're at all concerned you can set up a bucket or bin to put them in and add them slowly or verify for yourself that even after the rock sits in a bucket for a day or 2 that there is no ammonia in the water. Add a pump to the water though if you do that.

 

The other option would be to add cured dry rock.

 

If you add uncured live rock or uncured dry rock you need to cure it in a separate container for a while though.

 

Good luck.

[WindyCity]

You used your 10g of established saltwater,so did you add 10g of fresh saltwater? That won't hurt corals?

[seabass]

If you're at all concerned you can set up a bucket or bin to put them in and add them slowly or verify for yourself that even after the rock sits in a bucket for a day or 2 that there is no ammonia in the water. Add a pump to the water though if you do that.

I agree. I always cycle/cure the live rock separately before adding it to any tank with livestock.

 

You used your 10g of established saltwater,so did you add 10g of fresh saltwater? That won't hurt corals?

No, (as long as it's fully dissolved) new saltwater at the same temperature and specific gravity won't hurt the coral.

[reefernanoman]

How about using dry rock that it is safe to introduce into the existing tank? That's what I would probably do to avoid introducing pests.

[seabass]

How about using dry rock that it is safe to introduce into the existing tank? That's what I would probably do to avoid introducing pests.

If the dry rock is really clean, that will work. However, some sources of dry rock aren't clean, and have to cleaned (or cured) prior to introducing it into a tank with livestock. There are various methods to prep dry rock for a tank with livestock. You can test your rock by putting it in a bucket of saltwater (with a powerhead) for a few days; if you can detect ammonia afterward, then you need to continue to cure it in a separate container until ammonia is no longer detectable.

[reefernanoman]

If the dry rock is really clean, that will work. However, some sources of dry rock aren't clean, and have to cleaned (or cured) prior to introducing it into a tank with livestock. There are various methods to prep dry rock for a tank with livestock. You can test your rock by putting it in a bucket of saltwater (with a powerhead) for a few days; if you can detect ammonia afterward, then you need to continue to cure it in a separate container until ammonia is no longer detectable.

Marine Depot claims to have dry rock that is "clean" and safe to put in an existing tank:

http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaMaxx_Eco_Rock_Dry_Live_Rock_Aquascaping_Rock_for_Saltwater_Reef_Aquariums-AquaMaxx-UJ12111-FISSLR-vi.html

[seabass]

Marine Depot claims to have dry rock that is "clean" and safe to put in an existing tank: http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaMaxx_Eco_Rock_Dry_Live_Rock_Aquascaping_Rock_for_Saltwater_Reef_Aquariums-AquaMaxx-UJ12111-FISSLR-vi.html

Yes, they claim it's "This new base rock from AquaMaxx is professionally cleaned..."

 

Another good source is from Reef Cleaners. They claim their rock "... has been professionally cleaned and dried after a long soak in a deep water well to prevent leaching of phosphates."

 

I would guess that either source could be added after just a quick rinse.