Adding dead rock to my tank!!!

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#1
Hey guys so I have a bucket full of rock that used to be live but has just been sitting dried up in a bucket outside for a few months now. I would like to add some of these rocks to my tank that has been running for a little over a year and am not sure how to go about the process. Are there any specific precautions I need to take into consideration? What steps would you recommend that I take with this process from preparing the dead rocks to introducing them to my tank? Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks :)


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ASERT

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#2
Place it in a separate container/bucket, cover it so it's in the dark with a running pump and heater for a few weeks.. Do a couple water changes on it or else if thrown in you will have a certain algae bloom on it or it can leach all kinds of nasty you don't want..
 

EyeReef

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#3
Great advice from Abel, I would definitely be cautious of throwing it all into an established system at once.
 
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#4
Awesome thanks for the advice!!! Would it be a lot easier to just add some dry rock from BRS to my tank? Or would I still have to put that in a bucket of water and cycle it?


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#5
How big is your tank?

I've added dry rock to my established tank in the past with no problems. I think the key is to go slow... add a piece or two at a time.

But the safest way is to do the above and cycle it separately with a powerhead and some heat.
 
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#6
Awesome thanks for the advice!!! Would it be a lot easier to just add some dry rock from BRS to my tank? Or would I still have to put that in a bucket of water and cycle it?


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The old rock may have more trapped organics than the new dry rock, but I would still go about it the same way.

But if I were to choose, I would go with new dry rock rather than using your old rock but that is up to you.
 
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#7
How big is your tank?

I've added dry rock to my established tank in the past with no problems. I think the key is to go slow... add a piece or two at a time.

But the safest way is to do the above and cycle it separately with a powerhead and some heat.
Thanks!! So would you recommend getting new dry rock and doing that or would I have the same result using the rock I already have and just cycling that?
 
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#8
Thanks!! So would you recommend getting new dry rock and doing that or would I have the same result using the rock I already have and just cycling that?
Let me see your current tank and the amount of rock.

Safest way would be to cycle the rock separately, whether it is new or old dry rock. If your tank already has quite a bit of rock, adding a small amount shouldn't hurt anything.
 
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#9
It's a 40 gallon cube, the IM Nuvo 40 Fusion. I'm at work until 5 so I can post a picture when I get home around 6


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Ok, thanks for the help I really appreciate it. I think I'll grab some new dry rock and cycle it separately for a few weeks and then add it slowly like you said. It sucks to have to add rock after my tank has been running for a little over a year now, I'm just not happy with the current scape.
 
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#12
I think I want to double the amount of rock that I have right now, so It's a big change. I tried to take a minimalistic approach, but am not making any use of the top half of my tank.. I'm going to build the scape up some more
 
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#13
One more question.. Would I be able to just trade my dry rock for live rock at my lfs and put that straight into my tank to skip the long process?


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theMerchant

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#14
You still might want to do it a litte at a time. You run the risk of some die off from the live rock and a possible mini cycle


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