Switching Rock work

[twistoflime]

Well we went to go see Rit's tank and after that my mom decided she wanted stacked rock work instead of the rock wall we currently have :doh:. I told her that this was probobly not possible but I would look into it so I'm posting this thread. In truth I would like a much more open rock scape with coral "islands" on the sand but the rock came with the tank and I'm just happy to have the tank. I'm perfectly fine leaving the rock like it is. I just fell kind of bad because I have been the "dictator" of the tank and my mom, dad, and sister havn't really gotten much that they wanted (mostly because it's either invasive or not reefsafe)
To stack rock like my mom wants we would have to take down the rock wall and put the new rock in. What would be the best most inexpensive way to cure the rock? Is there a way I can do this without having to catch the fish out of the tank? I just don't see how this is possible but my mom really wants rock like that. I told her it would be about 3-4 dollars a pound and we would need around 400 ibs but she was still okay with it :shout:. I just don't know if there is a "safe" way to do this. Any suggestions/comments would be appreciated.
thanks, Diane

 

[hackman72]

Depending on rock type $3 or $4 is conservative. You'll need to cure it in a rubbermaid container for a couple of weeks and keep a check on the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates to see when it is cycled. Some people do and others don't remove the livestock when they redo the aquascape but I think it's best to remove them because there's a lot of movement and you can injure or at a minimum stress the fish. Also, the rock needs to be on the bottom glass and not just sitting on the sand or it could fall and possibly break the glass.

 

[lilrobb]

why don't you take the wall down and make the stacks with the existing rocks?
a pic might help...

 

[stickx911]

you can always invest in dry rock. it will not be as nice right away, but there will be no die off to cure, and it can be as cheap as just a dollar a pound. Dry rock may take a month to pick up a coraline cover...but it will and for as much as you need....just a thought. Oh, and no nasty hitch hikers either.

 

[mojo]

It can be done. You can see my story http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=21518">here</a>.

If you buy new rock, do what was suggested above- use several large rubbermaid containers (possibly a 100g horse trough for a tank your size) to let the new rock cure for several weeks / months, depending on quality. Pick a weekend, and do the swap. Be prepared to do several large water changes - the rock will cycle again, at least to some degree.

It's not fun, but the results are worth it.