Question about old live rock...

[sedrostyle]

So if I remember right, I read some where or someone told me that after years of using the same live rock, you will need to switch out the pieces.
I have recently seen two of my buddys tanks crash that I have known them to have them up for 3 years or so due to phosphates, and algae blooms I guess. In my eyes they just got too dirty.
I am just wondering what the limit is on live rock
OR how you keep the rock clean and healthy for many many years.
same with sand I guess, do you need to change this out after years and years?
Just a thought that popped into my head the other night, as I have lots of cured rock that is just sitting in buckets.
my tank is only a year old so I hopefully wont have to worry about this. If ever. maybe its a myth I do keep my levels and water pretty stable.
thanks :spit:

 

[user 26995]

Flow, flow, and more flow. Get a turkey baster and blow all the detritus off of and out of the holes in the rock. Often! Get it into the overflow to get removed by mechanical filtration.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Peppie]

+ 1
That is a great habit!

 

[sedrostyle]

Maybe I have my flow pointed in the wrong directions for we're my overflow is. And maybe that's why my skimmer isn't as efficient as I'd hope. eh eh anyone ?

 

[Katchupoy]

Turkey baster. And lots of flow from time to time... I have a softy tank, so they dont like too much flow... But I have a switch where i can manually turn it on, so it will look like a washing machine in there, and i turn it off. Also while doing this turbulent flow.... I floss..... Hope this helps. I have BB so no issues with sand.

 

[user 26995]

Also while doing this turbulent flow.... I floss.....

:rofl:

this just struck me as too funny!

 

[user 26995]

Sorry, I'm over it now!

I use the filter floss pad also prior to the skimmer. It captures the larger material before it gets to the skimmer or settles in the sump.

 

[Katchupoy]

:rofl:

this just struck me as too funny!

That was not my intention LOL.... but Im glad I made you smile... Haha... Lost in translation maybe?

Just to add... I floss inside the main tank since most of the stuff I want to get is too heavy to go over the overflow and to the sump. Using a soda pop bottle cut in half, it fits snugly to a maxijet pump.

 

[sedrostyle]

you put what on the other end of the soda bottle to " floss " ?

 

[user 26995]

That was not my intention LOL.... but Im glad I made you smile... Haha... Lost in translation maybe?

Just to add... I floss inside the main tank since most of the stuff I want to get is too heavy to go over the overflow and to the sump. Using a soda pop bottle cut in half, it fits snugly to a maxijet pump.

HMMM, I would like to see a pic of that. Sounds like a great idea but I cant quite picture how it works.

Yeah, I just pictured you standing in front of your tank, while it was in washing machine mode, flossing your teeth! I know thats not what you meant, but thats the first thing that came to mind!

 

[Katchupoy]

So when you cut the 2-liter soda bottle into half. You can use it as a filter with floss... similar to image below.

The head fits snugly to the inlet of the Maxi-Jet pump.

 

[Katchupoy]

Yeah, I just pictured you standing in front of your tank, while it was in washing machine mode, flossing your teeth! I know thats not what you meant, but thats the first thing that came to mind!

Haha, thats true... I re-read it again, and it sounded like that... lol... haha

 

[Katchupoy]

Heres another one when I was taking monthly progress shot and i forgot to remove the soda pop bottle.

 

[user 26995]

So when you cut the 2-liter soda bottle into half. You can use it as a filter with floss... similar to image below.

The head fits snugly to the inlet of the Maxi-Jet pump.

is there something holding the floss in the bottle or is it just wide open on the end. That pump isnt really that strong to force the floss out of the end of the bottle?

 

[Katchupoy]

Actually no, because you are going to put a lot of floss inside that pop bottle that there will be a compression of some sort. The floss is so light that it will not move, and since there will be a small suction going on when the pump is on, it will not fall....

BUT, BUT, BUT. When you are ready to remove it because the color has changed already and you are ready to wash it or replace it... removing it from the tank is a different story.

The floss is so heavy because it is wet. And once you remove it out of the water, it will fall back to the tank... So you need to rotate it upside down so the opening is facing up. This will prevent the dirt to fall back to the tank also. Easy just need to remember it.

You will be amaze on how much flossing helps... specially with the coloration of the water. I sometimes sandwich the carbon between two layers of floss. Just another option....

 

[user 26995]

Great info.
Now where do you get your floss material?

 

[Katchupoy]

Great info.
Now where do you get your floss material?

Walmart for 8 bucks the size of a full size bed pillow. Enough to last for months. In my case years since I wash my floss several times before replacing them.

 

[sedrostyle]

I still don't get the material. The inside of a pillow? :/

 

[sedrostyle]

Whoa. Didn't scroll up ignore that last post for a minute uhhh Duhh

 

[sedrostyle]

Ok.... Still dont get it.
Lol. Wondering if I have my Maxi jets in the wrong ( mode ) because I have the cage looking one on my maxi for circulation? Not the suck in one end and pushes out the other.
...... I'm so lost