new here. looking for live rock. everett wa

[ilovemyfish]

hello I'm about to transfer my saltwater from my 26bow front tank to my 40gallon stretch hex and i need some live rock for free or cheap. if you have any tips on tranfering tanks that would be great too thank you.

 

[vinny2261]

You can premix some additional water before you move the tank. Have it ready to go, proper salinity and temperature. I usually will drain some of the tank water into a 5 gallon bucket or buckets depending on how many fish you want in each bucket. Since you are moving from one tank to another they wont be in the bucket very long. Once you have caught out the live stock, fish and corals I would pump the water to the new tank. Move the base rock over as you are filling it. Place the other rock in. Carefully add the sand to the tank and then spread it around a little. I would then add my fish and corals and the water they where in. Don't worry to much about placement of the coral, but make sure they are not in any direct flow that may cause injury or get buried in the substrate. Top off your tank with the new water that was made up. Get your pumps and other equipment going. I would leave the light off or on low for a while after the move and start with the normal cycle the next day. If you have a hang on the back filter with a sponge adn some floss or something to get the detritus and other particals out of the tank. Recheck temp and salinity. Place your coral the next day and enjoy. If you find some rock that is not cycled yet you can do that in a 5 gallon bucket and then add it to the tank after it is cycled. If it is just a couple of pieces powerwash it to get any dead stuff out and throw it in the tank. It should not bother anything in the tank. Hope this helps in the move

 

[ilovemyfish]

thank you that is very helpful although i have never heard of power washing rock what is that and how and why would you do it?

 

[vinny2261]

Maybe a hose with a good attachment. I would not recomend a carwash because of the soap. The idea is to get out any dust , dirt, or dead critters out of the rock before you put it in your tank. Some people will bake it in the oven after that just to make sure there is nothing but the rock added to the tank. The less contaminates, the less the cycle of the rock. Once it is added to the established tank all off those animals, the pods and stuff will have more housing to multiply into.

 

[Redseadan74]

on the live rock for cheap, when I started out I bought my live rock from Dr. Foster and Smith it was on sale for about $1.80 lb and I bought 40 pounds for a 34 gal

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=393&ref=3392&subref=AN

 

[beoks]

i have used marco rocks several times i would highly suggest them, the only downside is you have to be patient for the rock to color up but its excellent rock and bad ass shapes!