Adding dry rock to established tank

[samnaz]

I have a 20 gallon long with 10 pounds live rock, it's been running for about one year. The live rock is round, boring and coral placement is difficult, so I want to add some dry rock that I have sculpted into more interesting and practical shapes. It is mined dry rock supposedly free of organic wastes, I have a few different brands including Reefcleaners, BRS, Marco, Aquamaxx. A few of these brands say these rocks can be added to established reefs, I guess I just want to be sure.

Would it be okay to just rinse the rocks off thoroughly beforehand, and add one small piece (~1 or 2 lbs) at a time?

Or should I cure it separately in a bucket for a few weeks before adding it to the tank?

 

[Mal11224]

I have added live rock to my reef several times after it has been running for months and have not had any issues with it. It usually rinse it well with salt water in a bucket and put it in my tank. Just watch your skimmer, it may over flow with wet skimmate.

 

[Dr.HarlemTutu]

Go slow or it'll cause a mini cycle. You could culture it a bit in a nickel first. Power head and salt water... Let it sit for 4-6 weeks while ghost feeding it.

 

[Mal11224]

Just a correction. I have added dry rock to my tank in the past. Also, never saw any detectable ammonia levels. The dry rock eventually becomes live rock and will look like the rest of the scape in the tank.

 

[jimbau]

Just clean it well first. As long as the rock is not full of organic material you should not have a problem. It is the dying of living organism that can cause a mini cycle but mined rock shouldn't have that issue.

 

[Dr.HarlemTutu]

Well I too have added dry rock... Caused a mini cycle. He has a very small system and should be cautious. Dry rock or not. Yea it becomes love rock after weeks months and years. You still need to be cautious

 

[mfinn]

If the rock is completely free of organic material you will be fine adding small amounts at a time.
To make sure the rock is free of organic material I would do a bleach bath first.
Then a soak in a strong dechlorinator solution and air dry for a couple days.

 

[HB AL]

Just hose it off and add a little at a time.

 

[Captmcfly]

I have a similar question. My tank was running for 6 months with 45 lbs live rock and no substrate before i started placing corals i took all rock out and placed it in a bin with my tank water and fish then took out most all the rest of the water into another bin. I then poured 40 lbs of agranite into the tank and placed all rocks and water back in. Would the new substrate cause a cycle or no? Just wondering because i did not notice any sign of a cycle happening. After a few weeks i then started adding my corals. No issues so far.

 

[Dancingmad]

When I'm adding dry or live (because i live life on the edge) to an existing tank i usually use water i pull from a water change to cure the rock for about a week and slowly introduce it over another week. Just my two coppers!

 

[mfinn]

I have a similar question. My tank was running for 6 months with 45 lbs live rock and no substrate before i started placing corals i took all rock out and placed it in a bin with my tank water and fish then took out most all the rest of the water into another bin. I then poured 40 lbs of agranite into the tank and placed all rocks and water back in. Would the new substrate cause a cycle or no? Just wondering because i did not notice any sign of a cycle happening. After a few weeks i then started adding my corals. No issues so far.

Shouldn't have any cycle because of the new substrate as long as it was clean.
Sometimes when you remove all the rock and expose it to air, you can cause a mini cycle, but as long as the exposure time is short, there shouldn't be too much of a problem.