phastroh
Do Not Listen To Me!!!
My rock/tank/aquascape project that happened last night.
I have a 80Gal Bow front with 160Pounds of rock(did)
It was 80Live and 80Dry to start about 5-6 months ago.
Lat night I made the decision to remove roughly 1/2 of the rock. I cannot verify it was exactly 50% but I have 2, 5 gallon buckets filled with the rock that is all the base rock I started with but I did keep a few pieces to stack on.
It is pretty close in the end. I do still have some small amount of rock where my skimmer is.
Now I do not really know how the biological filter will be affected at this point. There was a lot of Crushed Coral dust floating around and to the point is was hard to see. Not that you couldn't see in the tank but it was not good. I had the system off for roughly 1 hour and maybe 30 minutes or less.
I had to slowly rake my Crushed Coral and flatten it some. The rocks were done in shift with me keeping my Live rock on one side of the tank as we pulled them and flushed them with RO/DI Water then put them in my Brute Can with warmed saltwater just to keep them covered.
Eventually the ground was filled with the rock I wasn't going to use except a few pieces for stacking and I put the live rock back in and slowly merged to two camps from the brute and what was in the tank into what is now my new aquascape.
I was worried the whole time as I was constantly putting snails, urchins and crabs back in the tank. In the end the tank cleared up quickly and it looks so much more roomy in there. I actually have a lot of floor space now and yet the fish still have plenty of hiding space. I am actually excited that I may see some life in all these empty areas now WOOT TOOT!
NOTE: I had to add all I had left in saltwater back into the tank due to less displacement and all the water lost during having hands in the tank 50,000 times.
I checked the water this morning
AMMONIA - 0
NITRITES - 0
NITRATES - 10
SALINITY - Will check tonight but should be .024 like usual.
I already have a batch of new saltwater mixing since last night just in case. I changed it Saturday the day before this work though.
So now the thoughts I had/have on this.
How long will it take for the bacteria on the rocks in the 5 gallon buckets to be useless? I am not overly concerned as I don't want it in my tank.
I am saving it for my 180Gal that I will be buying.
Now follow me on this next long part. The goal is to for once and all rid myself of the Mantis when setting up the new tank without having to hunt it down.
My thing is this. If there is a Mantis in the drying rock in the 2, 5 gallon buckets it will already be dead I am assuming after 1 day with no water.
Is this right?
If so I wanted to cycle the new tank with the dried out rock using new substrate and Dr. Tims One and Only(It works)
Then after the tank is cycled and ready for the fish and corals take all of the currently used Live Rock out and let it sit in the air for 1 day or however long it will take to kill any pests. I would leave the fish with no rocks but ones with no holes from the dry rock that cycled in the 180gal just so they can hide away from each other.
Now I can catch the fish finally and possible get rid of the Damsel that is stressing out the Hippo Tang(I think he is in my opinion)
Ok so after a day or 2 put the live rock(I don't think it will be live after sitting out for 2 days) in the 180Gal and then catch the fish and bag them fro acclimation into the 180Gal.
I know there is a faster way but my main goal is to (I hate to say it this way) kill the pests in the rocks. I CANNOT have that clicking sound return into the new tank. I CANNOT have any chance a Mantis makes it into the new tank. It is somewhat IMPOSSIBLE to catch him otherwise. I AM NOT pouring soda in every hole and most you can't even see. :frustrat::grumble::death:
Sorry for the caps but I like them.
What say you?
I have a 80Gal Bow front with 160Pounds of rock(did)
It was 80Live and 80Dry to start about 5-6 months ago.
Lat night I made the decision to remove roughly 1/2 of the rock. I cannot verify it was exactly 50% but I have 2, 5 gallon buckets filled with the rock that is all the base rock I started with but I did keep a few pieces to stack on.
It is pretty close in the end. I do still have some small amount of rock where my skimmer is.
Now I do not really know how the biological filter will be affected at this point. There was a lot of Crushed Coral dust floating around and to the point is was hard to see. Not that you couldn't see in the tank but it was not good. I had the system off for roughly 1 hour and maybe 30 minutes or less.
I had to slowly rake my Crushed Coral and flatten it some. The rocks were done in shift with me keeping my Live rock on one side of the tank as we pulled them and flushed them with RO/DI Water then put them in my Brute Can with warmed saltwater just to keep them covered.
Eventually the ground was filled with the rock I wasn't going to use except a few pieces for stacking and I put the live rock back in and slowly merged to two camps from the brute and what was in the tank into what is now my new aquascape.
I was worried the whole time as I was constantly putting snails, urchins and crabs back in the tank. In the end the tank cleared up quickly and it looks so much more roomy in there. I actually have a lot of floor space now and yet the fish still have plenty of hiding space. I am actually excited that I may see some life in all these empty areas now WOOT TOOT!
NOTE: I had to add all I had left in saltwater back into the tank due to less displacement and all the water lost during having hands in the tank 50,000 times.
I checked the water this morning
AMMONIA - 0
NITRITES - 0
NITRATES - 10
SALINITY - Will check tonight but should be .024 like usual.
I already have a batch of new saltwater mixing since last night just in case. I changed it Saturday the day before this work though.
So now the thoughts I had/have on this.
How long will it take for the bacteria on the rocks in the 5 gallon buckets to be useless? I am not overly concerned as I don't want it in my tank.
I am saving it for my 180Gal that I will be buying.
Now follow me on this next long part. The goal is to for once and all rid myself of the Mantis when setting up the new tank without having to hunt it down.
My thing is this. If there is a Mantis in the drying rock in the 2, 5 gallon buckets it will already be dead I am assuming after 1 day with no water.
Is this right?
If so I wanted to cycle the new tank with the dried out rock using new substrate and Dr. Tims One and Only(It works)
Then after the tank is cycled and ready for the fish and corals take all of the currently used Live Rock out and let it sit in the air for 1 day or however long it will take to kill any pests. I would leave the fish with no rocks but ones with no holes from the dry rock that cycled in the 180gal just so they can hide away from each other.
Now I can catch the fish finally and possible get rid of the Damsel that is stressing out the Hippo Tang(I think he is in my opinion)
Ok so after a day or 2 put the live rock(I don't think it will be live after sitting out for 2 days) in the 180Gal and then catch the fish and bag them fro acclimation into the 180Gal.
I know there is a faster way but my main goal is to (I hate to say it this way) kill the pests in the rocks. I CANNOT have that clicking sound return into the new tank. I CANNOT have any chance a Mantis makes it into the new tank. It is somewhat IMPOSSIBLE to catch him otherwise. I AM NOT pouring soda in every hole and most you can't even see. :frustrat::grumble::death:
Sorry for the caps but I like them.
What say you?