Full Rock Swap - How to go about it?

PSU4ME · Sep 30, 2020

My tank is 7 months old.....started it with dead rock I bought off a guy 6 years ago due to its shape. Gave it a muriatic acid bath and stored it.......used it on this tank. I have dumped numerous IPSF packages in this tank and the rock isn't doing much.........barely and coralline, taking on a dark color and I can't keep an SPS alive. Had a bout of dinos that is now gone. Total BS, I hate dry rock (or at least the stuff I have) so i'm looking to swap it out.

I have 125#+ of KP Aquatics rock in some holding tanks without fish so they QT and I'm targeting a full rock swap come November 1. I have some questions if you all have time to comment:
1 - Keep the sand? is it possible, what problems would I have? Do I need to swap it out?
2- With Live Rock going in, can i do this all in the same day?
3- Anyone do this previously, have advice on how to go about it? I wanna start removing rock slowly throughout the day to avoid the anthias from shooting into the rock work.
4 - Heavy Carbon?

Looking for any advice that you have. I have minimal corals which i'll remove but i'll be navigating the fish that will remain in the tank.

Thanks in advance

Doctorgori · Sep 30, 2020

You are gonna get a variety of opinions here. Here is what I would do:
I go 50/50 on sand; you got time to clean it, then keep it as I miss the critters. Me I don’t have time AND I want SPS, so I cop’d me some flat bottom dry rock (and yes I know but) and glued my new scape like everyone else is doin anymore....Man is it worth it just from a flow/detritus remove thing...
I say scap the sand, glue-scape your rock, and go for the flow ....

I wouldn’t sweat the rock reset, yes you can put it all in at once.

PSU4ME · Oct 1, 2020

Yeah the sand is, could be my issue. I have and want wrasses so I need a sand bed so I can go bare bottom. Some of it will get disturbed when I pull the rock out but at the end of the day I’m sure most will get a good moving around.

I plan to do some consistent water changes and run carbon but I wasn’t planning to remove and replace the sand.

Anyone think that’s a mistake?