Advice on swapping out aquascape

[Jefdav84]

If possible I want to see what the best way to swap out my current aquascape. I have had my 50g cube running for about 7 months now, which was started from completely dry rock with some live rock in sump. I would like to use the caribsea liferock shapes (dry rock) to create a new scape. Are there any best methods to doing this?

Clean rock and put directly in?

Let rock build bacteria for a little bit in a separate container?

Just leave some of the rock i have currently in the system?




Here are a few details on the tank.

- Mixed reef
- I have an encrusted torch coral, and a bubble tip anemone (in same spot for 4 months) that would need to be removed.
- I will be leaving in two smaller rocks that I have some zoa's growing on, as well as a jedi mind trick monti.

 

[tsouth]

If you're wanting to remove and replace the old rock, then I would recommend placing the removed rock into the sump, and the new life rock into the display. You can also do vice versa, your choice - ultimately, don't remove anything immediately, but rather over time. You can add all the new liferock in, but move the old live rock out a piece at a time, over the course of a month or something.

If you're wanting to add liferock onto the additional aquascape, then you can place it directly in the display without much harm - keep an eye out for elevated phosphates, and at its worst, cyano due to an imbalance of phosphates being higher than nitrates (leeching from the liferock)

What you're wanting to avoid is a deficit in bacteria, that may lead to the inability to temporarily sustain your bioload.