16G BowFront --> 29G Reef Tank Build

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Ya you can have as many pounds as you want... Just make sure you cure the live rock or else your tank will cycle again...

 

[Mrc8858]

I think 30-35 lbs would look good but you can add as much as you can fit if you want lol

 

[DanS180]

Ya you can have as many pounds as you want... Just make sure you cure the live rock or else your tank will cycle again...

well if the live rock is already in an established tank, shouldnt it be cured??

 

[DanS180]

I think 30-35 lbs would look good but you can add as much as you can fit if you want lol

ok well then im definitely goin to be getting some LR off of him, i wanna do a nice 2 stack/bridge type thing that we were talkin about before but i want it to look perfect!!!

 

[Mrc8858]

Well you should be able to find the perfect piece if he's got that much rock hopefully

 

[DanS180]

Well you should be able to find the perfect piece if he's got that much rock hopefully

i have work until 6 tomorrow so im not sure if ill be able to go check it out tomorrow but ill definitely be able to check it out by Monday... hopefully he sells it for a cheap price

 

[CorallineAlgae]

First thing you must ask him is if he ever ever ever treated his tank with copper for ich. If he did, at any time, I would pass on the rock. On the other hand... if he didn't, it may sound strange but I would then recommend getting a lot of his rock to both fill out your tank and replace any reef ready or base rock you have in your tank already. Nothing beats real live rock. Dry stuff generally can't touch it, and if you ever upgrade to an even bigger tank you could still use your dry rock for that.

Equipment wise, what he has is probably a little old so only get what he's willing to sell for a great price. If everything is priced cheap, go for whatever you like. Lots of people have AMAZING tanks with nothing but used equipment. You may hit pay-dirt!

 

[DanS180]

First thing you must ask him is if he ever ever ever treated his tank with copper for ich. If he did, at any time, I would pass on the rock. On the other hand... if he didn't, it may sound strange but I would then recommend getting a lot of his rock to both fill out your tank and replace any reef ready or base rock you have in your tank already. Nothing beats real live rock. Dry stuff generally can't touch it, and if you ever upgrade to an even bigger tank you could still use your dry rock for that.

Equipment wise, what he has is probably a little old so only get what he's willing to sell for a great price. If everything is priced cheap, go for whatever you like. Lots of people have AMAZING tanks with nothing but used equipment. You may hit pay-dirt!

Ok I'll ask him about the copper thing. First I wanna see how much he's gonna charge me for it then I'll go from there assuming everything is good.. I don't know if id wanna replace the reef ready rock. I like the look of it! :/ lol

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Ok I'll ask him about the copper thing. First I wanna see how much he's gonna charge me for it then I'll go from there assuming everything is good.. I don't know if id wanna replace the reef ready rock. I like the look of it! :/ lol

I do too. It looks killer. I was just saying that as an option in case his rock was awesome and he was selling it at a really low price. Normally you can't take out live rock and just let it sit out to dry, but because your rock was dry just a couple weeks ago it's no loss if you replaced it. there's no reason to do that though. It's just optional in case he has an amazing deal on real ocean live rock. I sure can't fault you for keeping the great rock you already found. Let us know what you end up getting!

 

[DanS180]

I do too. It looks killer. I was just saying that as an option in case his rock was awesome and he was selling it at a really low price. Normally you can't take out live rock and just let it sit out to dry, but because your rock was dry just a couple weeks ago it's no loss if you replaced it. there's no reason to do that though. It's just optional in case he has an amazing deal on real ocean live rock. I sure can't fault you for keeping the great rock you already found. Let us know what you end up getting!

Well from what I understand all his LR is still in the tank in water(hopefully).. if its not in the tank and just drying out should I even bother with getting it??

 

[Schism]

Well from what I understand all his LR is still in the tank in water(hopefully).. if its not in the tank and just drying out should I even bother with getting it??

If its drying out then its no longer 'live' rock.

 

[DanS180]

If its drying out then its no longer 'live' rock.

Haha well yeah so it'd be useless right??

Or would it just be base rock at this point?

 

[Schism]

Haha well yeah so it'd be useless right??

Or would it just be base rock at this point?

It would be dead rock with a lot of die-off. Pretty much useless unless you wanted to cure it first and cycle the rock.

 

[DanS180]

It would be dead rock with a lot of die-off. Pretty much useless unless you wanted to cure it first and cycle the rock.

Yeah so it'd be useless to me lol if it is dead rock how would I go about curing it?

 

[Schism]

Yeah so it'd be useless to me lol if it is dead rock how would I go about curing it?

Put in a tub full of saltwater, heater and powerhead. Lid on top to keep out light and throw in a dead shrimp and let sit until the entire thing cycles pretty much. Rock will leech out phosphates during this time from the dieoff. Periodic water changes will remove the nutrients. Would do this for a good 2 months or so probably.

But unless you get it for the price of dry rock then i wouldnt do it. Wouldnt pay any more than 2 dollars a pound for dead rock

 

[DanS180]

Put in a tub full of saltwater, heater and powerhead. Lid on top to keep out light and throw in a dead shrimp and let sit until the entire thing cycles pretty much. Rock will leech out phosphates during this time from the dieoff. Periodic water changes will remove the nutrients. Would do this for a good 2 months or so probably.

But unless you get it for the price of dry rock then i wouldnt do it. Wouldnt pay any more than 2 dollars a pound for dead rock

Yeah if its dead rock I'm just gonna skip on it. No sense in buying stuff id have to cycle if I can buy base rock for $2-3/lb at my LFS

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Well from what I understand all his LR is still in the tank in water(hopefully).. if its not in the tank and just drying out should I even bother with getting it??

If it's still in his tank with pumps running.. then as long as copper never touched it, should be great. If it's dry I wouldn't bother with it. You can get "fresh" base rock for cheap that you know was never mishandled from your LFS. I just can't see paying for dry live rock from someone you don't know. I hope it's still live. You'll be in business.

 

[uh.oh...]

Dead rock, base rock, dry rock. How different are they really? Have you seen how live rock is processed? Hauled from the ocean, stacked in warehouses and sprayed with a water hose. At one point is was all alive, then dead, and it all is full of phosphate. Yes, fully established reef ready teddy rock is probably safe, but comes with hitchhikers galore.

My advice, pick out the pieces you like, get largish ones, as small rock is harder to aquascape, and just be prepared to work it out. Sure, your tank will look at little gross, but when it does finally get kicking you'll have the rock you wanted

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f6/do-you-need-to-cure-base-rock-106658.html

 

[DanS180]

If it's still in his tank with pumps running.. then as long as copper never touched it, should be great. If it's dry I wouldn't bother with it. You can get "fresh" base rock for cheap that you know was never mishandled from your LFS. I just can't see paying for dry live rock from someone you don't know. I hope it's still live. You'll be in business.

Im gonna call him after work and see if its in the tank and running.. then go from there

 

[DanS180]

Dead rock, base rock, dry rock. How different are they really? Have you seen how live rock is processed? Hauled from the ocean, stacked in warehouses and sprayed with a water hose. At one point is was all alive, then dead, and it all is full of phosphate. Yes, fully established reef ready teddy rock is probably safe, but comes with hitchhikers galore.

My advice, pick out the pieces you like, get largish ones, as small rock is harder to aquascape, and just be prepared to work it out. Sure, your tank will look at little gross, but when it does finally get kicking you'll have the rock you wanted

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f6/do-you-need-to-cure-base-rock-106658.html

Time will tell lol thanks for all your information tho!! Hopefully its live rock and not dead rock