Help with phasing out live rock

Brisc0 · 12/23/2010, 06:25 AM

Well, my system is for all intensive purposes brand new. It been up and running for over three months now, I have all the equipment together, and its really looking good...

With the exception of the hydroids and macro algae on the live rock. I have about four different strains of macro that hitch hiked in on my live rock and its establishing itself rather well. Scrubbing it isn't going to work, I have tried. At this point, looking at the big picture, I am seriously considering buying myself 50 lbs of dry rock from BRS and cooking it for 8 weeks and then phasing out the live rock.

The initial plan in my head would be:

1. Cook the dry rock as long as it takes
2. Once rock is cooked, move the good pieces of LR in my DT to the sump
3. Introduce the cooked rock to the tank and aquascape
4. Boil the macro/hydroid tainted LR from the display and set aside for future

Anyone have any input on what I should expect with this process? Will I have huge blooms or chemistry spikes? Any suggestions at all? I am fed up with live rock. So far in the three months this tank has been seeding, I have had the Macro, hydroids, cirolainids, aptasia, gorilla crabs, and a mantis. As much as the reviewers at BRS rave about the dead rock it just makes sense to me to go that route.

HanoverFist · 12/23/2010, 06:31 AM

Just for the sake of clarity you mean you'll "cure" the dry rock. Cooking is what you'd do to your current LR to kill everything off. It's just semantics but no sense in adding to the already confusing world of coral husbandry :P

Also consider this option, pull half your LR out and cook then re-cure it. Then swap that out with the LR still left in tank and do the same thing. That way all your rock gets cooked and cured and you didn't have to buy new rock.

If you completely cure the dry rock there wont be blooms.

Anemonebuff · 12/23/2010, 07:22 AM

Using GFO and doing some big waterchanges should be tried first. It will impact the stability of the tank less. Just be sure to add the GFO in small quantities so you do not deplete alk and pH.

dogstar74 · 12/23/2010, 01:49 PM

I would take out the hydroid rocks, and break the hydroids off with a hammer and flat head screw driver.

In my experience, it won't take too long for the macros that came on the LR to die out. For some reason they don't grow as well as the "domesticated" types of macro we use in the sumps. I had some really cool kelp that grew up im my tank. I actually welcomed them because they looked so awesome! But after about 2-3 months they stopped growing and started to receed and finally they were completely gone.

So I wouldn't worry about the macro. Just prune it, it will go away.
Hydroids however get them out. But I don't see any reason to kill off the rest of what is on the rocks.

Just my .02
Aaron

cherubfish pair · 12/23/2010, 04:54 PM

Now this seems like an actual case where a clean up crew could work. I've seen so many tanks where people put hermits and snails on BARE rock and not supplement the cuc at all. And then when someone has some NICE growth of living crud on their rock, they want to kill it all.

Go figure.

RyanSweatt2004 · 12/23/2010, 08:00 PM

I say just remove the hydroid rocks and let them dry out "die" for a few weeks and then add them to a bucket of saltwater with an air stone or something to let them recycle. No need to take drastic measures with the rest of the macro algae. Some basic good tank upkeep and a good clean up crew will help. That and keeping the lights off and running carbon and GFO will help remove any source of nutrients that are fueling the macros. things will get better if you keep up on them.

BFG · 12/23/2010, 11:12 PM

Don't do a 50 percent removal. Do a lower percentage.

12/23/2010, 06:25 AM	#1
Brisc0 Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Little Rock, AR Posts: 279	Help with phasing out live rock Well, my system is for all intensive purposes brand new. It been up and running for over three months now, I have all the equipment together, and its really looking good... With the exception of the hydroids and macro algae on the live rock. I have about four different strains of macro that hitch hiked in on my live rock and its establishing itself rather well. Scrubbing it isn't going to work, I have tried. At this point, looking at the big picture, I am seriously considering buying myself 50 lbs of dry rock from BRS and cooking it for 8 weeks and then phasing out the live rock. The initial plan in my head would be: 1. Cook the dry rock as long as it takes 2. Once rock is cooked, move the good pieces of LR in my DT to the sump 3. Introduce the cooked rock to the tank and aquascape 4. Boil the macro/hydroid tainted LR from the display and set aside for future Anyone have any input on what I should expect with this process? Will I have huge blooms or chemistry spikes? Any suggestions at all? I am fed up with live rock. So far in the three months this tank has been seeding, I have had the Macro, hydroids, cirolainids, aptasia, gorilla crabs, and a mantis. As much as the reviewers at BRS rave about the dead rock it just makes sense to me to go that route. __________________ I'll drink to your leg... @bushwilliams on Twitter My Full Reef Aquaria Blog @ http://reef.bushwilliams.com Current Tank Info: 40G Nuvo Fusion Started 8/2014

12/23/2010, 01:49 PM	#4
dogstar74 Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Wyoming Posts: 2,152	I would take out the hydroid rocks, and break the hydroids off with a hammer and flat head screw driver. In my experience, it won't take too long for the macros that came on the LR to die out. For some reason they don't grow as well as the "domesticated" types of macro we use in the sumps. I had some really cool kelp that grew up im my tank. I actually welcomed them because they looked so awesome! But after about 2-3 months they stopped growing and started to receed and finally they were completely gone. So I wouldn't worry about the macro. Just prune it, it will go away. Hydroids however get them out. But I don't see any reason to kill off the rest of what is on the rocks. Just my .02 Aaron __________________ "If there's nothing wrong with me... then there must be something wrong with the universe!" Current Tank Info: 10 gallon nano with ATS

12/23/2010, 04:54 PM	#5
cherubfish pair Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Libby, Montana Posts: 7,061 Blog Entries: 1	Now this seems like an actual case where a clean up crew could work. I've seen so many tanks where people put hermits and snails on BARE rock and not supplement the cuc at all. And then when someone has some NICE growth of living crud on their rock, they want to kill it all. Go figure. __________________ pairo chero Thanks for looking at my build thread and subscribe to it if you already haven't yet! Current Tank Info: thirty rimless

12/23/2010, 11:12 PM	#7
BFG Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 700	Don't do a 50 percent removal. Do a lower percentage. __________________ If you've learnt, teach. If you have, give.

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12/23/2010, 06:31 AM	#2
HanoverFist Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Phoenix, Az Posts: 626	Just for the sake of clarity you mean you'll "cure" the dry rock. Cooking is what you'd do to your current LR to kill everything off. It's just semantics but no sense in adding to the already confusing world of coral husbandry :P Also consider this option, pull half your LR out and cook then re-cure it. Then swap that out with the LR still left in tank and do the same thing. That way all your rock gets cooked and cured and you didn't have to buy new rock. If you completely cure the dry rock there wont be blooms.

12/23/2010, 07:22 AM	#3
Anemonebuff Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: LI,NY Posts: 3,877	Using GFO and doing some big waterchanges should be tried first. It will impact the stability of the tank less. Just be sure to add the GFO in small quantities so you do not deplete alk and pH.

12/23/2010, 08:00 PM	#6
RyanSweatt2004 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: maine Posts: 590	I say just remove the hydroid rocks and let them dry out "die" for a few weeks and then add them to a bucket of saltwater with an air stone or something to let them recycle. No need to take drastic measures with the rest of the macro algae. Some basic good tank upkeep and a good clean up crew will help. That and keeping the lights off and running carbon and GFO will help remove any source of nutrients that are fueling the macros. things will get better if you keep up on them.