Starting over

[Codemasterflex1]

So I’ve had my 50 gallon for about a year and half now. I have two clownfish and no coral. I want to redo my aqua scape with dry rock and I have a couple of questions. 1). If I use my old tank water and media, would this speed up the process? 2). Would I have to add anymore bacteria to it? Thank you

 

[vetteguy53081]

So I’ve had my 50 gallon for about a year and half now. I have two clownfish and no coral. I want to redo my aqua scape with dry rock and I have a couple of questions. 1). If I use my old tank water and media, would this speed up the process? 2). Would I have to add anymore bacteria to it? Thank you

Do a water change, re-do the scape and top off the tank. Adding liquid bacteria such as Bacter 7 will be helpful

 

[Codemasterflex1]

Okay so I have live rock now and I want replace with dry rock so I should toss all my old tank or do 50/50 water change? Also should I leave my old bio media?

 

[lissailor]

Why don’t you put the live rock in the sump and put the dry in the display. Then after a while just remove some or all of the live rock from the sump.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I personally would not pull out all of my live rock and replace with dry rock at one time. Either season the dry rock then switch or, switch out in stages. 1/3 at a time over a few weeks. Removing all of your life rock sounds like a recipe for a recycle.

 

[Codemasterflex1]

I don’t mind re cycling the tank. I just want to get all new rocks with my aqua scape. I want to jazz it up. Plus I have a ton of hair algae that grows off this one live rock I have plus a bunch of critters inside my live rock.

 

[Codemasterflex1]

Unfortunately I don’t have a sump

 

[iMi]

Definitely keep the live rock. If you need to add more rock or replace some pieces, that's alright. Keep the sand, if possible. Re-arrange the aquascape and skip cycle. You can always add bacteria in a bottle, but one is not required.

 

[Codemasterflex1]

well I don’t want to add anymore more live rock. I wanted to get rid of it and start new. I want to add the purple and pink coralline algae

 

[Miami Reef]

Get a 5 gallon bucket and store your live rock in there with saltwater, pump, and heater.

Empty out the tank. Make the rock work you want, and when you are done add some pieces of the old live rock to the bottom of the tank for a month or two. This will fill your new dry rocks with beneficial bacteria so you can add corals and fish much sooner. After a month or two remove the old live rock. Now the new dry rock will be live!

don’t waste your money on the bottle bacteria. Your live rocks have much more bacteria and will cycle the tank much quicker.

 

[Miami Reef]

You can do 100% water change. Nitrifying bacteria don’t hang out in water. They attach to porous surfaces. Keeping water won’t do anything.

 

[Sam816]

put ur seeded live rock + media in a bucket with a heater and pump. ghost feed the bucket every now and then. should keep ur bacteria alive n kicking.
move the media + live rock in the tank for 2 weeks then start taking them out slowly over next 2-3 weeks.

 

[Miami Reef]

put ur seeded live rock + media in a bucket with a heater and pump. ghost feed the bucket every now and then. should keep ur bacteria alive n kicking.
move the media + live rock in the tank for 2 weeks then start taking them out slowly over next 2-3 weeks.

This advice is golden. You should definitely keep feeding the live rocks because the bacteria adjust their population based on bioload. More ammonia from food means more bacteria to seed your new tank.

 

[Miami Reef]

Just don’t go overboard and dump too much food at once.

 

[Codemasterflex1]

I have ceramics rings that got into the back of my tank.

 

[Miami Reef]

I have ceramics rings that got into the back of my tank.

That works.