Live Rock assist?
 

Question about load and rock. I've just added about 80 pounds of really amazing pieces of rock to a tub, and will seed it with established rock from a display. The 80 pounds has been sitting dry for about 5 months.

I figure I'll run this for about a month before my new tank is ready for water.

I'm not confident in it's ability at that point to be fully capable of filtering my fish load. I will have lots of water for changes, but it will still be a young filter system

So, I thought about adding a large aquaclear foam block to an established tanks' sump. This should give me an additional filter block to assist my rock until it catches up.

Does this make sense, or just sound good on paper?

If it works, what impact would it have on the donor tank? Nitrate potential, or not really in that time frame?

Thoughts?

I float dish cleaning pads in my sump for similar purposes. That is, to seed new tanks for QT or emergencies. Works great. I've done it a few times. The great thing about them I find is that they float rather than sink so they don't trap detritus like foam pads tend to. I've got pads that have been in there for years that are pristine (minus the bacterial coating and the Copepods living in them).

I used to that too. But now I'm stuck in that I can't risk transferring the flatties to the new system, so I'll need to seed from another tank.
Thinking Wayne's, as he probably has the cleanest tank in town :) Maybe I should run that by Wayne first ?? lol

dosent the bacteria need a food source to multiply ? maybe ghost feeding is the answer. I started my new tank with all dry rock from previous tanks and seeded with some live rock and I don't think it has the capacity of fully cured live rock. Im not ghost feeding but I am adding fish very slowly to let the bacteria catch up . I don't see why adding more bacterial filtration will hurt so why not ?

Oh right, those buggers. I never noticed any impact on my system when I took out the pads and put them in new tanks. Is just replace them with new pads if I had to medicate the new tanks with copper or something like that.

I'll seed my dried rock with real rock, and add some sludge with pods from a holding tank. Also adding snails and hermits, and I'll feed it regularly.

I think the additional foam block will be enough, more concerned with what it may do, if anything, to the donor tank. I think it would be fine.

Unfortunately I have to add all my fish to the new tank at once. I have to drain the original tank to get them.

are you using dead rock?

Hibernating rock :) Ok, ya, it's dead. Not my preferred choice, but I had access to some really nice large pieces that have dried out. I think it will be fine, with the proper care and handling. I think..

I seeded my dead rock with a sponge that was in origanal sump. For a month or little better. No issues when I transfered. Stocked with fish and frags same day it was filled.
I also double up on Prodibio which I was using at the time.
If you dose zeobak for ten days straight you should be fine

Not that I would discourage this practice, but I thought the same thing and 3+ years in my tank still has PO4 issues if I don't have massive amounts of money burning in a gfo reactor, er, I mean, if I don't have massive amounts of GFO being replaced every couple of weeks.

I would instead encourage a healthy mixture of rock-that-hasn't-been-dried-for-too-long in the tank as well.

Tony, the rock is so nice that I need to chance it. If it goes wrong, I will order a fresh box of rock. I have added some of this rock to my existing tank, and no issues, so I'm hoping

last time when I add 40# of dead rock in the 210. everything went downhill fast!

However, if you have the time to treat and cure the "not so alive" rocks, you will probably be ok.

You have the zeo stuff, so why don't you do the 14 day zeo cycle in the bucket? Take a few pounds of 'good' live rock and do the 14 day job. I did that you months ago when adding 100 lbs of dead rock to my system and it worked very well!

I added about 20 to my 180, no issues at all. No localized algae, etc.

You'll need to remind me what the zeo 14 day thingy is!

Hey Brad. I just used the 14 day zeo cycle as well and it has worked very well for me. However I had my dry rocks soaked in a tub for over 3 weeks prior to using this method.

Here's a link that explains it step by step.
http://www.korallen-zucht.de/en/serv...-just-14-days/

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Thanks, I'll have a read.

Emphasis on adding fish slowly from day 10 on makes this not ideal. At best I can stretch it a week, maybe.

I've actually didn't like that step as well because I was transferring from an old tank just like you. I think that's just to get the cycle kick started etc so the rocks can slowly get use to the bioload. Maybe if your cycling it in a tub or bucket you can throw a few of your smaller fish in there just to get the bioload kick started once the 14 day is completed you should be able to add more fish in quickly. At least this has worked for me. My no3 and po4 are still in check and after 14th day there's not much left for algea and diatoms.

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I'll try that. The rock will soak for 3 weeks anyway, then go into the tank. I'll cycle it there with the zeo, but fish will all have to go at once. There's no catching fish without draining the tank.

I agree that you will need to try and get your bacterial populations up there if your dumping all livestock at once. I'd be (reasonably) feeding just as though it was stocked. Adding anything with bacterial populations will most certainly go a long way. So your train of thought seems right on track to me and seems like a good solid approach. I don't think there would be much issues on donor tank. Might not want to make and drastic changes during or instantly after on donor system if concerned as it will no doubtably experience some level of population shift but normal circumstances I would assume would be problem free. IMO not even an issue. But understand the concern for buddy system. But I don't know your bioload nor would I have any clue as to the filtering capabilities you'll have at that time so who knows. I think your on track though. But honestly I don't know. My head is to preoccupied right now to think straight. Lol

IMO the best approach for dry rock if you don't want to spend months cooking it is to simply nuke it. Less the bleach. Unless there is a lot of organics. Then bleach first. Bit just give it all a good acid bath and then cycle it. Such a simple process that can make worlds of difference. If you keep getting sluff off at the bottom of the holding container, it's not yet clean. This should be minimal though anyways and you should be able to just cycle and be done. After you won't have (or shouldn't have) any phosphate issues with the rock itself. Although it sounds as though you have started cycling already and then the above may not be appropriate with your time frame and it is far more effective when the rock itself is dry.

Good luck!

Wayne is going to seed a large foam block for me, it should be enough to make up any lag in the LR filtration.
Dry rock is in a rubbermaid soaking away. I'll borrow some fresh LR from the LFS tomorrow and add that to the dry. Add some food and some snails.

I did the 14-day zeo cycle when I started the 280. At day 10 I added some small chromis (5 maybe? I don't remember). Otherwise though at 14 days I moved basically everyone over in one go from the old tank. There were no issues.

Tony

Think I'm in the same boat. Started with a huge amount of dead rock that had a good acid bath and bleach bath. Added some live rock from a local tank and soaked it in the garage all together for 4 to 6 weeks, skimmer, power heads, and a bit of light.
Now the tank is about 1.5 years in and I'm still leaching PO4. Other than pulling the rock out and replacing, are there any other options?
Really don't want to replace rock but don't want to be fighting this in another couple years as well...

Jesse

If the tank is already 1.5 years old. The rock would have had ample time to purge itself of any bound nutrients. Phosohates can only bed themselves so deep into the rock. After 1.5 years of potential purging opportunity there would have been more then enough time for it to have been purged out. Take this how you want, but your nutrient issues go deeper then your rocks. Granted after 1.5 years the rocks can be a contributing issue now again as they may very well be full again.

Brad Hagen Cycle is some amazing suff I have always used it and it worked great run the tub with that and a power head and heater and you wont get a spike nothing and it will be all GTG .. I have done this with all my tanks and never had a problem.

So how do you know if it works?

pfft, I just spit my tea at my monitor :razz:

Pfft... shouldn't that be bzzzt crackle poof? ;)

lol, it doesn't give up that easy. Thankfully :wink: