Reef Reboot - Need advice

[jsbzcmcdaniel]

My current reef tank has been up and running for a year. I started with a sand bed but after a few months I decided to convert to BB. The rock was dry Marco rock.

Fast forward a year, I want to change back to a sand bed due to ascetics and ability to keep wrasse. My wife bought me 120lbs of Caribsea Life Rock for Christmas. I plan on adding the sand bed and removing the existing rock. My question is will this require a complete re-cycle or can I simply add the sand and new rock without any major concerns.

Thanks

 

[Wayne P.]

It seems like you are pulling out your existing rock, which has the bacteria residing in it and then replacing it with dry rock. If that is the case, IMHO you will need to recycle to allow your bacterial colonies repopulate.

 

[Wayne P.]

It seems like you are pulling out your existing rock, which has the bacteria residing in it and then replacing it with dry rock. If that is the case, IMHO you will need to recycle to allow your bacterial colonies repopulate.

 

[jsbzcmcdaniel]

That was the plan. According to Caribsea the rock is already cured. I don't want to go through a complete recycle so I think I may just add the sand and then add 20lbs per week to the existing rock to seed the bacteria. Thoughts?

 

[ScottB]

I am easily confused but I will suggest a couple things.

Adding sand to BB is fine. You may wish to rinse the silt from it and and add it over a few days. The stuff is SUPER dusty so make sure you have some extra filter floss around to help trap the silt.

Your 1 year old rock is a dear and precious source of bacteria. I would not recommend removing very much.

I believe the CaribSea rock you are referring to is impregnated with dormant bacterial ... "spore". It is clean, man-made stuff, but if it is dry, it is dead rock and not a substitute for your live rock. You can supplement with it just fine. But I would not replace very much more than say... 25% or you risk a small cycle.

I write all this without full knowledge of your tank size and bioload but hope these are helpful suggestions for you to consider.