If one fully cures and cycles the new rock before hand, do you think a complete swapping of all the rock in a 28g biocube would work out ok?
I have a 28g Biocube that has been running for 8 years, with all original rock work. This rock work is in a decent arch but it's tall and mostly vertical. I need more surface area for corals and such on sandbed and mid tank. I'm kicking around the idea of creating a new, more functional rockscape and am curious if I could pull it off without any new cycle being kicked off.
I would build my new structure(s), and then cycle them in a brute can or equivalent, remove the old rock from the tank and put the new structures into the tank. I'm not worried about disturbing the sand bed, I always vacuum it fully each water change and once a year or so I pull everything out and vacuum under the rocks too. I have a handle on moving the anemones so not worried about that and I actually have to thin them out again. Bummed about loss of coraline algae on the rocks and I'd have to cut and glue some of the zooanthids to move them, but they grow pretty quickly.
Tank is too crowded as things are growing (and as we find things we like and want to add) and I need to frag and thin but think making more surface area on rockscape would help. Waiting until we buy a house before upgrading to a larger tank. I can pretty much move this setup myself in a day.
Tank Inhabitants
6 RBTAs (need to thin the herd)
1 not so happy green BTA
Green Carpet Anemone (likes light, but lives under the arch, want to make more room to coax him out)
rock flower anemone
2 Clowns
2 Cardinal fish
firefish
2 fire shrimp
candy cane
green hammer (grows fast and large, need to frag)
2 plate corals
Duncan coral
black sun coral
zooanthids
2 torches
What do you all think?
Thanks,
Joe
Not the best pic but you get an idea. About the full back half of the sandbed has rocks.
I have a 28g Biocube that has been running for 8 years, with all original rock work. This rock work is in a decent arch but it's tall and mostly vertical. I need more surface area for corals and such on sandbed and mid tank. I'm kicking around the idea of creating a new, more functional rockscape and am curious if I could pull it off without any new cycle being kicked off.
I would build my new structure(s), and then cycle them in a brute can or equivalent, remove the old rock from the tank and put the new structures into the tank. I'm not worried about disturbing the sand bed, I always vacuum it fully each water change and once a year or so I pull everything out and vacuum under the rocks too. I have a handle on moving the anemones so not worried about that and I actually have to thin them out again. Bummed about loss of coraline algae on the rocks and I'd have to cut and glue some of the zooanthids to move them, but they grow pretty quickly.
Tank is too crowded as things are growing (and as we find things we like and want to add) and I need to frag and thin but think making more surface area on rockscape would help. Waiting until we buy a house before upgrading to a larger tank. I can pretty much move this setup myself in a day.
Tank Inhabitants
6 RBTAs (need to thin the herd)
1 not so happy green BTA
Green Carpet Anemone (likes light, but lives under the arch, want to make more room to coax him out)
rock flower anemone
2 Clowns
2 Cardinal fish
firefish
2 fire shrimp
candy cane
green hammer (grows fast and large, need to frag)
2 plate corals
Duncan coral
black sun coral
zooanthids
2 torches
What do you all think?
Thanks,
Joe
Not the best pic but you get an idea. About the full back half of the sandbed has rocks.
