Live Rock-dead Or Alive?

[topmav1]

I recently took down my 46 bow. I kept my LR in a tub with Saltwater for about 1 month. I just started the tank up again and I put the LR in brand new Saltwater. Is the rock still alive? Should there be any bleaching? I bought to Aragamaz oolite sand. Realizing only later that it was not Live sand...should I seed the sand with sand from my LFS?

Also, whats the best way to get the Calcium leves up to the normal 380-400 range?

 

[Pandora]

top, did you have water circulating in the tub for the 1 month? Even if you didn't, some of the bacteria will survive, but not the same populations as if you had kept it with a powerhead and heater. "Bleaching" better describes zooxanthella, but I think you are refering to coraline algae, which can also lighten and die off if there was no light on the tub during this time. There will be less of that as well, but both should return as you start cycling the tank again. Ideally, you should seed with some LS & LR out of a healthy tank just to jump start it. But it's all relative... it's not completely "dead" either.

Getting it back up, you can do a kalk drip or b-ionic, whatever you were doing before to get your calcium up.

 

[topmav1]

Excellent. Thank you. I should have thought about the light issue with the LR. While I have you here, I already have Phosban and Chemipure in the sump to prevent any Phosphate issues, etc... I am also going to put some chaeto in there for the nitrates. Do you suggest any other additions to the sump or the tank? I have a dead fish in the tank now that didnt last the move...damsel...should I leave him in there to help the bio?

 

[Pandora]

No problem. The additives--I don't think it's a huge need to have those when you are cycling; in my way of thinking, if you have no real macro life in the tank, then there's no big harm. I guess you want it in there to limit algae breakouts. But they are actually competing with the chaeto anyway, and my thinking is just that every tank goes through a stage of algae early on that's hard to prevent, and let nature take it's course. The other way nitrate leaves the tank is by a slow process that happens when bacteria grow in the anaerobic areas of LS & LR; eventually completing the cycle as nitrogen gas (this is slower than macroalgae will convert it, though).

The dead fish, I personally would take out. I think your idea is kind of like with the "piece of shrimp" technique of cycling, to provide a source of ammonia--and that's not unreasonable either; but I think you may have enough from just the die off of the rock to start things out. That's just my opinion, I think you could go either way on it.

 

[topmav1]

Once again thank you!