adding new LR to a young tank

[El Langostino]

I have a 90 gallon system with 90 gallons of LR. The tank is about 6 weeks old or so with crabs, snails and chromis fish. My friend wants to sell some LR; about 20 pounds of rare marshall islands rock.

Would it be ok to add new Live Rock to my new system? this new rock is fully cured obviously because it's like 3 years old and been sitting in a tank at his house. It's only about 25 lbs max and he's selling it to me for real cheap. He's also giving me his mated pink skunk clown pair for free since he's taking his sytem apart and beginning to sell everything off.

I'm just worried about getting unwanted hitchikers form his rock like isopods or something that would demolish my tank, and I'm also worried about possibly restarting my cycle with this rock since my tank isn't really all that established (6 weeks old).

 

[scrmbld33]

you should have no prob adding the rock, i would transport it water to your house, thies will keep the die off (if any) to a min, as for hitchhikers, its always a risk, the only way to rid of unwanted pests would be to quareteen the new rock, and catch them from there,

 

[Avi]

scrmbld33's right. You can add the rock to your tank straight away and there shouldn't be any water quality issues as the result. I'd think that your friend would be able to tell you about the possibility of a mantis shrimp or some other unwanted hitch-hiker, so the odds are that there isn't a big risk.

 

[oyam123]

Agree!...go for it, what Cheap for LR$$$$???

 

[El Langostino]

Yeah, my friend had it in a reef tank a few years ago, but he sold all his coral. For the past year or so, it's just been in a 40 gallon breeder with the pink skunk clowns...so I think it is safe.

He's probably not transporting it in water, but in an oceanic bucket with newspaper on the top. Do yo uthink that is fine?

 

[El Langostino]

the deal is $70 for 25 lbs of marshall islands rock, a pink skunk pair, refractometer, syphon hose, and lol, empty oceanic bucket as odd as that sounds. I need it to start making my water, heh.

 

[szwab]

you can always set up a QT if you are concerned. I would reccomend using a QT tank anyways for all additions to the tank.

 

[El Langostino]

How about just getting a 5 gallon home dept bucket filling it with tank water, since I have to change water anyway, and sticking a maxi jet in there and letting it sit for a few weeks?

 

[Avi]

It's a matter of how much "die-off" there'll be. I doubt that there would be so much die-off in the transport that you'd need to keep it in a bucket with a powerhead for so long as that. I would just flush it with your tank water a few...twice or three times...and put it in the tank. You could use it to start a quarantine tank also, but that'd be up to your needs.

 

[El Langostino]

I just decided to put it all in, it was only wrapped in paper for like an hour, it smelled fine, nothing dying on it. Now I have over 120 lbs of Live Rock....and oh yeah...the Pink Skunk Clownfish he gave me are awesome. I'm really enjoying watching them already =)

 

[scrmbld33]

good deal!!!! how bout a pic?

 

[Avi]

pics are always good.....

 

[crzy4reefs]

well good luck on the new fish and rocks.....pictures would be awsome.

 

[FroMan]

the only thing you would have to be aware of is phosphate leaching out of the rock.

 

[szwab]

always good to hear good results!
now let's see some pics