Live rock

[thommo75]

Hi,
I removed a large piece of live rock to try and get rid of a bobbit worm however think he managed to escape the rock before I removed it. The live rock has been out of the tank for a couple of days without water. Is it ok to replace in my 60 gallon display tank or will it cause an ammonia spike?

Thanks
Neil

 

[rdrbssr11]

Id toss it in a bucket of saltwater and a powerhead for a few days and make sure your ammonia/nitrates/etc. read 0. Its not worth the risk just to put a rock back in the tank.

 

[oscarinw]

Whether it will create and ammonia/nitrite spike depends on the amount of bacteria you have going in your tank already. If the rock you pulled is a considerable portion of the total rock, then chances are, you will get a spike. If it's only 1/10th or so, then I'd say you should be safe. No matter what, you will have die-off in the rock and even if no ammonia, chances are you might affect the balance somehow. I agree with rdr, you should cycle it separately and add later.