Okay guys (COOKING ROCK and BARE BOTTUM QUESTIONS )

Boat Racer · 01/22/2006, 09:54 AM

After cureing my live rock in my tank when I set it up its obvious I should have cooked the rock first.The amount of detritus after baisting daily is rediculous even after over 3 months.I am going to change my system to Bare bottum and Cook my rock.The tank is new enough that my coral frags havent yet grown over the rocks so now is the time to do it................

1... I will be temporarily houseing my corals,fish and about six or seven smaller peices of my live rock(LR that I dont want to put back in after cooking) in a rubber made tank untill the sand is removed from the display tank and the starboard is added(ABOUT ONE DAY).Heres the question= will this 6-7 peices of LR that are about 6-7" peices each hold enough bacteria for my fish and system while the rock is cooking for a few months?The corals will be set on an eggcrate shelf and the several peices of LR will be placed around the tank for the fish to have structure and for biological filtration.I have =

1)3" sailfin tang
1) maroon clown
4)chromis
1)six linned wrasse
1)neon dottyback
1)scooter blenny

I think it might because I will have the Bare Bottum and the flow should keep most of the waste and uneaten food in the water collum to get filtered or skimmed off before it can break down to amonia?Am I rite in my thinking here?

2...Can I put 1 or 2 of these small peices of LR back into the tank with the cooked rock after I set it all back up again?I mean will these 2 peices that have not been cooked cause a po4 or sheading problem?I want to keep two of them because they have star pollyps on them that can not be removed.

3...What about my cleaning crew?I have a 75 gallon tank that has a cleaning crew and there will be nothing for them to eat after the rock is cooked. Do I need to get rid of the sand siffting snails and star fish?

20) big snails and 20 little sand sifting snails(nasarius,turbo and serith snails)
4)sand sifting stars
4)emerald crabs
10)reg leg hermitts

4...Will the starboard warp?
5...Does anyone already know what dementions to cut the starboard to get it inside of an 75 gallon E from ALLGLASS AQUARIUMS?

After reading about BB tanks and realizing how much crap is comeing off my rocks from curing in the tank when it was set up I know for sure that this is what I want to do.I have not been able to achive 0 nitrates and 0 Phosfates.My corals are alive but growing very slowly and most of them are brown,they had color when I bought them.I just love the look of the BB tanks when kept very clean.I will have more questions and some pics along the way after next week when I get my RO unit to make up all my own water from now on.I hope Sean T and several others with experience can help me by answering my questions.Please try to keep an eye out for this thread cause I need help along the way.Thanx Guys,Rob AKA Boat Racer.

Boat Racer · 01/22/2006, 12:51 PM

It doesnt look bad from the picture but the rock is full of crud that drops daily and it aint from feeding my fish and them pooping.

Boat Racer · 01/22/2006, 12:54 PM

I have already gotten rid of the Emporer 400 hang on anf the system will have a sump with the skimmer and heater in it and no sand or rock either.Maybe a prefilter sponge and a sheet of 100 micron pad to catch detritus.

SeanT · 01/22/2006, 03:08 PM

All your answers can be found here:
The "How to go Barebottom thread."

hth,
Sean

Boat Racer · 01/23/2006, 09:02 PM

Okay Sean I have read that entire thread for the second time and learned a lot more than the first time but one question I still need you to answer is # 2 Can I put 1 or 2 of these small peices of LR back into the tank with the cooked rock after I set it all back up again?I mean will these 2 peices that have not been cooked cause a po4 or sheading or an algee bloom to grow?I want to keep two of them out of the cooking procces because they have star pollyps on them that can not be removed.Thanx Rob

Feerlaroc · 04/19/2006, 09:18 AM

I'm not SeanT but I will give you my best advice, I would baste the two rocks with the GSP you are asking about as often as possible while the rest are cooking & I don't think you should have a problem. Disclaimer : I am by no means an expert ! BTW I did the same thing with cooking my LR & keeping my livestock in a smaller aquarium, I used the water from cooking my LR to do a weekly water change in my temporary holding tank & everything turned out okay with 2 fish & a few corals.

01/22/2006, 09:54 AM	#1
Boat Racer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Sarasota Florida Posts: 268	Okay guys (COOKING ROCK and BARE BOTTUM QUESTIONS ) After cureing my live rock in my tank when I set it up its obvious I should have cooked the rock first.The amount of detritus after baisting daily is rediculous even after over 3 months.I am going to change my system to Bare bottum and Cook my rock.The tank is new enough that my coral frags havent yet grown over the rocks so now is the time to do it................ 1... I will be temporarily houseing my corals,fish and about six or seven smaller peices of my live rock(LR that I dont want to put back in after cooking) in a rubber made tank untill the sand is removed from the display tank and the starboard is added(ABOUT ONE DAY).Heres the question= will this 6-7 peices of LR that are about 6-7" peices each hold enough bacteria for my fish and system while the rock is cooking for a few months?The corals will be set on an eggcrate shelf and the several peices of LR will be placed around the tank for the fish to have structure and for biological filtration.I have = 1)3" sailfin tang 1) maroon clown 4)chromis 1)six linned wrasse 1)neon dottyback 1)scooter blenny I think it might because I will have the Bare Bottum and the flow should keep most of the waste and uneaten food in the water collum to get filtered or skimmed off before it can break down to amonia?Am I rite in my thinking here? 2...Can I put 1 or 2 of these small peices of LR back into the tank with the cooked rock after I set it all back up again?I mean will these 2 peices that have not been cooked cause a po4 or sheading problem?I want to keep two of them because they have star pollyps on them that can not be removed. 3...What about my cleaning crew?I have a 75 gallon tank that has a cleaning crew and there will be nothing for them to eat after the rock is cooked. Do I need to get rid of the sand siffting snails and star fish? 20) big snails and 20 little sand sifting snails(nasarius,turbo and serith snails) 4)sand sifting stars 4)emerald crabs 10)reg leg hermitts 4...Will the starboard warp? 5...Does anyone already know what dementions to cut the starboard to get it inside of an 75 gallon E from ALLGLASS AQUARIUMS? After reading about BB tanks and realizing how much crap is comeing off my rocks from curing in the tank when it was set up I know for sure that this is what I want to do.I have not been able to achive 0 nitrates and 0 Phosfates.My corals are alive but growing very slowly and most of them are brown,they had color when I bought them.I just love the look of the BB tanks when kept very clean.I will have more questions and some pics along the way after next week when I get my RO unit to make up all my own water from now on.I hope Sean T and several others with experience can help me by answering my questions.Please try to keep an eye out for this thread cause I need help along the way.Thanx Guys,Rob AKA Boat Racer.

01/22/2006, 12:51 PM	#2
Boat Racer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Sarasota Florida Posts: 268	Here is a before shot It doesnt look bad from the picture but the rock is full of crud that drops daily and it aint from feeding my fish and them pooping.

01/22/2006, 03:08 PM	#4
SeanT Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Wilmington, North Carolina Posts: 13,860	All your answers can be found here: The "How to go Barebottom thread." hth, Sean __________________ My tank was cool. Current Tank Info: Barebottom (the tank not me...at least not at the moment).

01/23/2006, 09:02 PM	#5
Boat Racer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Sarasota Florida Posts: 268	SeanT Okay Sean I have read that entire thread for the second time and learned a lot more than the first time but one question I still need you to answer is # 2 Can I put 1 or 2 of these small peices of LR back into the tank with the cooked rock after I set it all back up again?I mean will these 2 peices that have not been cooked cause a po4 or sheading or an algee bloom to grow?I want to keep two of them out of the cooking procces because they have star pollyps on them that can not be removed.Thanx Rob

04/19/2006, 09:18 AM	#6
Feerlaroc Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Central Florida Posts: 116	I'm not SeanT but I will give you my best advice, I would baste the two rocks with the GSP you are asking about as often as possible while the rest are cooking & I don't think you should have a problem. Disclaimer : I am by no means an expert ! BTW I did the same thing with cooking my LR & keeping my livestock in a smaller aquarium, I used the water from cooking my LR to do a weekly water change in my temporary holding tank & everything turned out okay with 2 fish & a few corals. __________________ ( \ / ) (O.o) ( >< ) /_\|_\ Copy the bunny into your signature to help him achieve world domination. Current Tank Info: 75 gal. mixed reef

01/22/2006, 12:54 PM	#3
Boat Racer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Sarasota Florida Posts: 268	I have already gotten rid of the Emporer 400 hang on anf the system will have a sump with the skimmer and heater in it and no sand or rock either.Maybe a prefilter sponge and a sheet of 100 micron pad to catch detritus.