want to re scape tank

[gavinc123]

how would i go about re scaping my tank? I have one large rock and a stack of three smaller rocks in my 40g tank but I want to re do it and buy new rocks I'd be happy with since my scape doesnt really support coral well. I have 2 clowns a royal gramma and a bi color blenny. Would i just take the rock out and replace it no problem or do i have to move my fish into another tank to do it?

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

how would i go about re scaping my tank? I have one large rock and a stack of three smaller rocks in my 40g tank but I want to re do it and buy new rocks I'd be happy with since my scape doesnt really support coral well. I have 2 clowns a royal gramma and a bi color blenny. Would i just take the rock out and replace it no problem or do i have to move my fish into another tank to do it?

Give us a bit more info. Are you talking about bringing in new, cycled live rock? Starting dry rock?

Do you have a sump? Sand? What's your filtration like?

If live rock, and you have sand, it should be as easy as pulling the old and putting together the new scape. A sponge filter could handle that bioload alone so shouldn't be much issue there.

 

[gavinc123]

Give us a bit more info. Are you talking about bringing in new, cycled live rock? Starting dry rock?

Do you have a sump? Sand? What's your filtration like?

If live rock, and you have sand, it should be as easy as pulling the old and putting together the new scape. A sponge filter could handle that bioload alone so shouldn't be much issue there.

I dont have a sump, I just have a hob with carbon and filter floss that has been working, I'm not sure what kind of rock im buying yet but itll likely be dry rock. I have an inch and a half or so of sand through the tank as well

 

[ekandler]

Check out my build thread. I did exactly what you’re suggesting. I had an established reef (multiple years) that I did a complete rescape of, replaced my all of my rock and didn’t have any issues.

just need to make sure you do it right, by curing your new rock properly and saving as much as your old rock as possible in your sump.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I dont have a sump, I just have a hob with carbon and filter floss that has been working, I'm not sure what kind of rock im buying yet but itll likely be dry rock. I have an inch and a half or so of sand through the tank as well

Ok that changes things.

The bioload is still light, but personally I would never CHOOSE to go through the uglies with dry rock, in my main tank again. It'll be a year before it's decent again.

Do you have anywhere you can cook the rock for a few months?

 

[gavinc123]

Ok that changes things.

The bioload is still light, but personally I would never CHOOSE to go through the uglies with dry rock, in my main tank again. It'll be a year before it's decent again.

Do you have anywhere you can cook the rock for a few months?

I have a 12.5 gallon aio

 

[ekandler]

Ok that changes things.

The bioload is still light, but personally I would never CHOOSE to go through the uglies with dry rock, in my main tank again. It'll be a year before it's decent again.

Do you have anywhere you can cook the rock for a few months?

Yeah, definitely wouldn’t cure rock in a display tank that’s set up. They should just go to target or Walmart and get a 50 gallon rubber maid for $30 and cure rock in that. That’s what I did for a full aquascape for a 100 gallon tank.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I have a 12.5 gallon aio

That's not going to be big enough to cook enough rock for a 40 in my opinion.

Do you have an aversion to live rock? It'll be a 6-month commitment, minimum IMO with a dry rock start.

 

[ekandler]

That's not going to be big enough to cook enough rock for a 40 in my opinion.

Do you have an aversion to live rock? It'll be a 6-month commitment, minimum IMO with a dry rock start.

I was able to cure dry rock for my re-scape in about 8 weeks. I used Dr Tims to start and then added some of my cured live rock from my display and other bacterial starters later in the cure. Doing it like that and adding ammonia daily I was able to cure the rock really well. Didn’t have any coral die off when I swapped in my new rock, but I did keep as much of my old rock in the sump as possible which was probably 20% of what was in there before.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I was able to cure dry rock for my re-scape in about 8 weeks. I used Dr Tims to start and then added some of my cured live rock from my display and other bacterial starters later in the cure. Doing it like that and adding ammonia daily I was able to cure the rock really well. Didn’t have any coral die off when I swapped in my new rock, but I did keep as much of my old rock in the sump as possible which was probably 20% of what was in there before.

To be clear, I'm not worried at all about the bacterial colonization imbalance between the new and old rock. Having a sand bed and Hang on back filter is enough to carry that small bio load to carry.

Dry rock looks like crap for months after being exposed to light in water for the first time. They call it the uglies for a reason. I've done it once and will not be making that mistake again. I now cook dry rock, In a BioCube in the garage with the lights going. Rotating them every few weeks.

 

[ekandler]

To be clear, I'm not worried at all about the bacterial colonization imbalance between the new and old rock. Having a sand bed and Hang on back filter is enough to carry that small bio load to carry.

Dry rock looks like crap for months after being exposed to light in water for the first time. They call it the uglies for a reason. I've done it once and will not be making that mistake again. I now cook dry rock, In a BioCube in the garage with the lights going. Rotating them every few weeks.

Are you calling it the uglies because it’s white or because of the nuisance algae blooms? Because if you have cured your rock sufficiently, you don’t have nuisance algae growth. The rock will still be white temporarily but it’ll turn brown/purple in a month or two.

 

[ilyad]

I would highly recommend real reef rock. Its a bit more expensive than your plain white dry rock, but they look great, and dont start any cycles. I had a nano tank that I did that with... I figured out the layout using the rocks outside of the tank... pulled the old rock out (carefully not to shake off a bunch of nasty stuff and put that in the bucket), very very gently moved away the sand from the spots where the rocks would sit on the bottom, put in new rock, did a larger than normal (but not too crazy huge) water change and everything was good to go. Took me about 2 hrs total.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Are you calling it the uglies because it’s white or because of the nuisance algae blooms? Because if you have cured your rock sufficiently, you don’t have nuisance algae growth. The rock will still be white temporarily but it’ll turn brown/purple in a month or two.

I'm calling it that, because that's what the period of nasty algae growth is generally called.

Curing rock for bacteria colonization, does not stop the ugly algae growth in the first few months it is exposed to light. Hence doing both at the same time.

 

[ekandler]

I'm calling it that, because that's what the period of nasty algae growth is generally called.

Curing rock for bacteria colonization, does not stop the ugly algae growth in the first few months it is exposed to light. Hence doing both at the same time.

Yeah I get what you’re saying. Not sure why I didn’t experience it then. I put all new rock in a 3 year old tank with established fish, inverts, coral, etc. and didn’t have any nuisance algae growth.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Yeah I get what you’re saying. Not sure why I didn’t experience it then. I put all new rock in a 3 year old tank with established fish, inverts, coral, etc. and didn’t have any nuisance algae growth.

That's awesome that you didn't.

 

[CoralB]

Welcome !!!