Transfering Live Rock

Soon I will need to move 40+ lbs of live rock from one tank to another, plus adding some base rock. As of now rock looks great. When the time comes, do I just transfer with no worries? Or should I do some kind of rinsem scrub or what?

Also, will my 2 perc clowns and cleaner shrimp be ok in a tank with no rock or at least one untill my cycle (if any) is over? Oh yeah, and should I remove any CUC from rock before transfer or leave them?

Brian

 

Brian,
There are a couple of qualifying questions I would ask before answering your questions:

First- where is your rock coming from? If you have observed it for a long time or can otherwise verify its quality then you might not have to do anything with the LR at all. Also, how far is it between the two locations? If it is within an hour, there will be little to no "die off" of the bacteria on the LR which will mean no cycling (or very little). However, if you have not/cannot verify the quality of the LR and the distance is greater than 1 hour (out of water) then you will have to take a different approach.

On rock that was recently live and has died, the bacteria will die off, causing water parameters such as ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates to spike to lethal levels for fish in some circumstances.

If you have to cycle the rock fully, then I would reconsider the purchase. You can add clean, quarantined base rock to any existing tank as there are no alive or dead bacteria that will alter the water parameters.

If you currently have a tank setup with no LR in it and no sand, then you are asking for trouble. Also, if you have to "cycle" your LR again in the tank you will likely lose your percs and cleaner shrimp (almost def will lose the shrimp as they are intolerant of bad water conditions).

Hope this helps and with some answers we can work toward a plan that works for you!

 

I have a 50 gallon hex up and running now(2 1/2 months) with the 2 fish, shrimp and CUC with 40+lbs of live rock and 40 lbs of sand. In about a month or so I will begin my 90 gallon build. Plan is to transfer what I can from old tank to new tank. Also adding another 50lbs of base rock..

The distance will be about 15 feet between the tanks. I need to know what to do with the fish, shrimp and cuc untill I know water quality is good. Would they be ok with the old tank still running but without rock or maybe a little rock for a few days? As far as the rock, is it ok to just transfer?

Brian

 

Why not set up the 90g tank at the same time and transfer 1/2 your live rock from the 50g into it? Leave it set up and running for 3-4 weeks with all of the new base rock and 20lbs of live rock in it. You should then be able to transfer everything that remains in the 50g into the 90g without any issues.

 

the only thing I would do when upgrading is new sand seeded from the old sand and give the rocks a good ol shake in the old tank water(throw this water away afterwards) to remove detritus.

 

How much of the old sand should I use?

Brian

 

I was thinking of doing that. Do you think I will have a cycle though? I figured I would not have a cycle. Or will I have one from the new sand with seeded sand from old tank?

Brian

 

I'm not sure of the amount, but I believe you would want to sprinkle the old sand around the tank to "spread out" the beneficial bacteria.

 

I can't say with 100% certainty that you won't have a cycle, but in the past when I've done just that, I have not seen a cycle occur. Testing 3 times a week for ammonia and nitrite, for a month, and I never saw any measurable traces of either. All livestock lived.

 

a couple cups.

Disclaimer: If the tank has been set up for a very short time or you have a very shallow sand bed, you probably wont need new sand. But if your wrong its not pretty digging it out and you will have to rinse it real well.