Ever replace or change you Live Rock

[Duce]

I read in a magazine and it recommends chaning the LR in your tank once in a while. Just wondering anyone ever does that and if so how often do you change it - as the magazine, changing a small piece once in a while. As well if the put the old LR in my sump for a while and then put it back in my main tank would it be good or just trade those pieces to the LFS later. The reason for changing the LR is to replenish some of the life that were lost after all that time in the tank or introduce some new ones ......

[areze]

tank to sump wont do anything I dont think. I think the changing of LR would mean cooking it, cycling 1 peice into the cook tank and 1 peice out.

but that would be a chore an a half, redoing your rockwork every few weeks to move a peice in and out. plus buying all that extra rock, and my understanding of cooking is to kill everything that could be bad on a rock.

if you kept adding new liverock you'd be constantly cycling the tank as the new rock cured. and youd have a high chance of getting something with a bad hitchhiker.

[Duce]

I meant take out a piece that has been in the tank for a few years and replace it with a new piece. Not cooking the old piece, just place it in the sump.

[mhurley]

Nope, never done it. I've got Florida LR in my tank that is 10 years old...back when it was legal to harvest it in Florida.

[bhdmc]

I would only change my LR if I wanted to switch to a different type(Fiji, Tonga, etc.). Never did. Too lazy. If your tank is running fine, IMO, I would leave it alone and enjoy it. Do not fix what is not broken.

[bluesponge]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6376886#post6376886 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Duce
I meant take out a piece that has been in the tank for a few years and replace it with a new piece. Not cooking the old piece, just place it in the sump.

Thats not a bright idea....

Changing liverock would most likley add new death to the tank...(Ammonia, Nitrites)


The longer the liverock is in the tank, the more Pods and coraline and other life will grow inside and on the rocks... If you keep swapping out that life for new dead life, you will never give the rock a chance to grow life...


Example:

planting a seed, as soon as you see a tiny sprout growing, pull it out and plant a new seed??? No, you let it grow to enjoy the fruits right?