Might be time for a change

[Frag Freaks]

Well as of late I have had some bubble algea problems and I am really getting fed up with constantly having to clean my rocks and pick the bubble algea of.

I am thinking about just ordering some new rock (Marco Rock). I was going to pre design my rock structures before I do the curing process. After I have all my structures builts I was going to cure the rock.

Once this is done I would just swap out "bad" rock in my tank that is covered in bubble algea and replace with the new Marco rock. After that I would then dry out my old rock and reuse some of my favorite pieces. I do have plenty of livestock in my tank that i would have to be careful of when doing this.

Has anyone done something like this before? What are the pros and cons. Will replacing my rock essential get rid of the bubble algea in the tank.

 

[JayM]

if you have the algae in the tank, and a bubble has burst, then there is a strong possiblity of it being in suspension in your water column, waiting to land on your unsupecting new marco rock.

Have you tried emerald crabs or other eradication methods?

 

[Arthur1]

You are better off dealing with the problem at hand as it won't just go away with new rock.

 

[Frag Freaks]

if you have the algae in the tank, and a bubble has burst, then there is a strong possiblity of it being in suspension in your water column, waiting to land on your unsupecting new marco rock.

Have you tried emerald crabs or other eradication methods?

I have three emeralds but they dont seem to be doing their job. Should I add more?

 

[Frag Freaks]

Maybe I will just pick a day and pull all of my LR and give them a good scrub and rinse off in some new saltwater then do a big water change.

 

[Frag Freaks]

Alot of my rock that I have is somewhat of a lower grade rock that isnt as pourus and nice looking as the marco. I was thinking of using the bubble algea as an excuse to switch to a higher grade better looking rock.

 

[SteveDola]

Im going to be doing something similar to your swap but for different reasons. My rock work is just too much and when I set it up I had no SPS. Now with my coral change over I need to rescape for a better flow design. If I start taking out all the corals and trying to work with existing rock I think my clumsy hands would destroy many of my nice corals. SO Im left with this long task of curing some new Marco rock and piecing together a new rock structure. I plan on using some of the new rock for pillars and small overhangs for my sps/zoas. As I have my tank set up now it has two mountains on each side...im going to use more of a valley effect across the middle of the tank. Also going to add more sand and do a large water change during this transfer. Sorry I hijacked your thread just thought Id share my intensions. I think it can be a good idea to "freshen up" the tank from time to time because Im not adding a new tank to the house so this will infact act as my new tank. One thing Im not doing is not completely changing out all of my existing rock. The existing rock is full mature and does a good job with keeping up with my waste. What ever isnt put back into the display is going into my fuge. Good luck with your turnover and hope it turns out great.

 

[Frag Freaks]

Im going to be doing something similar to your swap but for different reasons. My rock work is just too much and when I set it up I had no SPS. Now with my coral change over I need to rescape for a better flow design. If I start taking out all the corals and trying to work with existing rock I think my clumsy hands would destroy many of my nice corals. SO Im left with this long task of curing some new Marco rock and piecing together a new rock structure. I plan on using some of the new rock for pillars and small overhangs for my sps/zoas. As I have my tank set up now it has two mountains on each side...im going to use more of a valley effect across the middle of the tank. Also going to add more sand and do a large water change during this transfer. Sorry I hijacked your thread just thought Id share my intensions. I think it can be a good idea to "freshen up" the tank from time to time because Im not adding a new tank to the house so this will infact act as my new tank. One thing Im not doing is not completely changing out all of my existing rock. The existing rock is full mature and does a good job with keeping up with my waste. What ever isnt put back into the display is going into my fuge. Good luck with your turnover and hope it turns out great.

I guess I wouldnt be do a total swap out either. There are a bunch of nice pieces in my tank that are higher quality rock that do not have bubble algea on them that I plan on keeping. I was thinking about maybe getting rid of 3/4 of my rock. There are lot of very heavy piece in my tank that I want to get rid of.

 

[Frag Freaks]

I have decided. Since I want a new look in the tank anyway. I am going to buy 50lbs of Marco Rock and keep some of my nicer existing rock. I am going to get a mixture of Fiji and Tonga rock.

I will be pre aquascaping the dry rock before curing that way it will be all set to go when its cured. Do a one day swap. Change out the rock and clean some of the rock I will be keeping.

I will start a new thread when I have the rock and can begin aquascaping. Updating with pictures.

 

[SteveDola]

good luck.

 

[Frag Freaks]

I will just have to be careful about the amount old LR i keep in the tank. I have an angel so I have to make sure tehre is still enough for him to grazy on etc. Also I will have to make sure I feed veggie clips a little more often.