Question on "making" live rock....

[Hulley]

Ok, I currently have a RSR 350 and I'm not wild about the rock scape and am thinking of changing it out completely. Obviously I can't just remove it replace with new rock, so...

How could I turn the new rock (dry rock) into "Live" rock? Basically how do some places "Farm" live rock?

In case you are wondering, I would transfer my live stock (I have very little) to a new, small tank and use some of the current live rock for it.

I'm thinking I could put the rest of the my current live rock in a big rubber maid bin with the new, dry rock with circulating SW and treat it like a tank with no lights and do that for a few months with some live stock to keep the cycle going....That sound about right?

 

[Hulley]

I'm also planning a larger tank in the future when my basement is finished and I could have live rock ready to go.

 

[tankstudy]

Ok, I currently have a RSR 350 and I'm not wild about the rock scape and am thinking of changing it out completely. Obviously I can't just remove it replace with new rock, so...

How could I turn the new rock (dry rock) into "Live" rock? Basically how do some places "Farm" live rock?

I would recommend getting your new rockscape together the way you want it. Get a large rubbermaid tub and use some bottled bacteria. Once that is cycled to match your livestock, you can just switch out the old rockscape with the new ones relatively easily.

 

[CC13]

Ok, I currently have a RSR 350 and I'm not wild about the rock scape and am thinking of changing it out completely. Obviously I can't just remove it replace with new rock, so...

How could I turn the new rock (dry rock) into "Live" rock? Basically how do some places "Farm" live rock?

In case you are wondering, I would transfer my live stock (I have very little) to a new, small tank and use some of the current live rock for it.

I'm thinking I could put the rest of the my current live rock in a big rubber maid bin with the new, dry rock with circulating SW and treat it like a tank with no lights and do that for a few months with some live stock to keep the cycle going....That sound about right?

1) Buy the rock you want for your new system.
2) Buy a rubbermaid plastic garbage can and place the LR and dead rock inside with a powerhead and heater.

The LR will seed the dead rock which can be used in the new system.

 

[Hulley]

1) Buy the rock you want for your new system.
2) Buy a rubbermaid plastic garbage can and place the LR and dead rock inside with a powerhead and heater.

The LR will seed the dead rock which can be used in the new system.

I did that about 10-12 years ago after a tank crash, I didn't realized that seeded the rock also, I thought that just killed off whatever bas stuff was on the rocks and allowed whatever needed to be leached out, out.

Wouldn't you need some kind of life to keep the cycle going?

 

[User1]

1) Buy the rock you want for your new system.
2) Buy a rubbermaid plastic garbage can and place the LR and dead rock inside with a powerhead and heater.

The LR will seed the dead rock which can be used in the new system.

Pretty much what @CC13 noted above. Can use rock or substrate from the existing system to seed new. Similar to say what TBS does with their rock but instead of a brute can they are taking a couple tons and using the ocean whereas you are using a home sized container. The Ocean and time ages or matures TBS rock similar to what you are doing. Life from your existing rock or sand will move and spread to the new. Bacteria in a bottle will also help say from Dr. Tim's or the other solid one (forget the name, there is a thread here somewhere). But in either case it is a time and isolated container thing unless you are doing this in the display has part of a cycle.

 

[tankstudy]

I did that about 10-12 years ago after a tank crash, I didn't realized that seeded the rock also, I thought that just killed off whatever bas stuff was on the rocks and allowed whatever needed to be leached out, out.

Wouldn't you need some kind of life to keep the cycle going?

You would need some type of ammonia source which can be anything like live fish, food or ammonium chloride to multiply the bacteria to levels you needed. The live rock will better seed the dead rock with an ammonia source but without it, the bacteria populations will only grow to what available ammonia there is. If there isn't much, your bacteria populations will be far less than the live rock in your system and your switch over could kill over all your livestock.

 

[Dennis Begley]

I agree, use the old live rock to seed the new. However as was said the bacteria will only grow to the food supply so you are going to have to feed the Rubber Maid container to get the bacteria to prosper and spread.