Temporary Live Rock Storage?

Dustin1300 · 11/27/2011, 04:22 PM

I picked up ~80 lbs of live rock in anticipation of getting water in my tank in the next couple weeks and got it for a good deal and had been in a tank for 8 years and covered in coralline algae. This being said, I filled up the Brute 44 with about 25-30 gallons of saltwater, about 2500 gph worth of powerheads, and 3 air stones throughout the can. Also have heater running and keeping water ~78 degrees.

Since I've never done this should I add a light over the tank as I have no other light outside of a 48" fixture with 2X 250 Watt MHs and 2X 54 Watt T5s. Should I have light on the can or not? I can pick up a small light from lowes or HD if you think it'd be a good idea?!

Thanks in advance!

bmack · 11/27/2011, 08:39 PM

You should be fine.
Long story but I had to store over a hundred pounds of live rock for over a month in a brute trash can.
I just put an air stone and one power head in and stacked it on some egg crate.
I kept the lid partially closed to reduce evaporation and made one partial water change.
It was all base rock so no need for lighting. The coralline actually increased during this period.
Hope this helps

Dustin1300 · 11/27/2011, 09:13 PM

I've still got to build sump out of acrylic and get rest of system plumbed before it will see system...

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Dustin1300 · 11/28/2011, 09:14 PM

Anyone else have opinion on this? It was not base rock so it is covered in coralline so should I have light over it???

Dustin1300 · 11/29/2011, 05:50 PM

Lights or not?

SDguy · 11/29/2011, 05:51 PM

I say no lights...not like anything but the top layer of that pile would benefit anyways. I've seen coraline stay purple for MONTHS ina dark tote like that.

schristi69 · 11/30/2011, 11:20 AM

Had mine in a Brute for about 4 months. No water change, no air stone, no lights. Only a couple of power heads. Rock was fine when I used it. 2 stomatella even survived along with lots of little red worms.

mcrist · 11/30/2011, 01:35 PM

Definitely don’t add lights. I did the same thing six years ago and I went the route of adding a light. I had a terrible hair algae bloom that I think would have been avoided if I didn’t use the lights.

aleonn · 11/30/2011, 01:41 PM

I've done this as well. I did not place a light over the Brute containers, but kept the lid off to allow ambient light from the nearby window to illuminate the rocks at the top (I also had chaeto with my LRs).

Dustin1300 · 12/01/2011, 09:05 PM

No light then! Saturday I am picking up sand and live sand to make dsb in fuge and get the sand bed starting to mature. I will then add the live rock.

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11/27/2011, 04:22 PM	#1
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	Temporary Live Rock Storage? I picked up ~80 lbs of live rock in anticipation of getting water in my tank in the next couple weeks and got it for a good deal and had been in a tank for 8 years and covered in coralline algae. This being said, I filled up the Brute 44 with about 25-30 gallons of saltwater, about 2500 gph worth of powerheads, and 3 air stones throughout the can. Also have heater running and keeping water ~78 degrees. Since I've never done this should I add a light over the tank as I have no other light outside of a 48" fixture with 2X 250 Watt MHs and 2X 54 Watt T5s. Should I have light on the can or not? I can pick up a small light from lowes or HD if you think it'd be a good idea?! Thanks in advance! __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

11/27/2011, 09:13 PM	#3
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	I've still got to build sump out of acrylic and get rest of system plumbed before it will see system... Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

11/28/2011, 09:14 PM	#4
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	Anyone else have opinion on this? It was not base rock so it is covered in coralline so should I have light over it??? __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

11/29/2011, 05:50 PM	#5
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	Lights or not? __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

11/29/2011, 05:51 PM	#6
SDguy Fish heads unite! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: San Diego Posts: 23,384	I say no lights...not like anything but the top layer of that pile would benefit anyways. I've seen coraline stay purple for MONTHS ina dark tote like that. __________________ Peter SDMAS member Marine tanks since 1989. ><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º> ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><((((º> Current Tank Info: 240g butterfly and angel FOWLR. 15g QT.

11/27/2011, 08:39 PM	#2
bmack Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 6	You should be fine. Long story but I had to store over a hundred pounds of live rock for over a month in a brute trash can. I just put an air stone and one power head in and stacked it on some egg crate. I kept the lid partially closed to reduce evaporation and made one partial water change. It was all base rock so no need for lighting. The coralline actually increased during this period. Hope this helps

11/30/2011, 11:20 AM	#7
schristi69 Master of Space and Time Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Glendale, AZ Posts: 1,340	Had mine in a Brute for about 4 months. No water change, no air stone, no lights. Only a couple of power heads. Rock was fine when I used it. 2 stomatella even survived along with lots of little red worms.

11/30/2011, 01:35 PM	#8
mcrist Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania Posts: 1,598	Definitely don’t add lights. I did the same thing six years ago and I went the route of adding a light. I had a terrible hair algae bloom that I think would have been avoided if I didn’t use the lights. __________________ Mark Current Tank Info: 450 Gallon Peninsula

11/30/2011, 01:41 PM	#9
aleonn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 4,041	I've done this as well. I did not place a light over the Brute containers, but kept the lid off to allow ambient light from the nearby window to illuminate the rocks at the top (I also had chaeto with my LRs).

12/01/2011, 09:05 PM	#10
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	No light then! Saturday I am picking up sand and live sand to make dsb in fuge and get the sand bed starting to mature. I will then add the live rock. Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

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