Removing established rock

[planereefer]

What does everyone think the best way to remove a rock that is at the bottom of an aquascape?

I have a piece of LR that I need to take out to remove some hydroids. However it is at the bottom of the aquascape. I want to take it out but what is going to be the best way to put it back so it doesn't get undermined by a critter?

My plan was that I could drain some of the water, which I would do during a water change anyways. I could then probably pull them off with some tweezers, but ideally I think the rock should be scrubbed before going back in the tank.

 

[Owen386]

no real right or wrong way here.

Its gonna be a PIA just know that

 

[planereefer]

....Its gonna be a PIA just know that

No doubt!

I'm gonna remove the top rocks and put them in a saltwater bath while I work on the others which will get a bath in Freshwater, scrubbed, bath in RODI then I'll place it back in the tank. Hopefully that will work.

 

[GobyWanKenobie]

Don't put too much liverock in the fresh water bath or you might end up with a mini cycle.

 

[planereefer]

Don't put too much liverock in the fresh water bath or you might end up with a mini cycle.

Only the rock that is getting scrubbed is going in the FW bath. The ones that I need to move to get to where I need to will go in a SW bath.

 

[planereefer]

So I ended up removing two rocks, scrubbing them and then rinsing them in FW. I was able to get rid of both the bubble algae and the hydroids. I used a screwdriver to chip the infected pieces off. I'm also going to let those two rocks dry out, in the meantime I rearranged the aquascape temporarily.

I also have an algae bloom going on so don't mind that

 

[jdeb101]

I think it's growing season for algae. lol My tank is going through the same thing, although Im partly to blame because haven't had time the past month to do any w/c.

 

[planereefer]

I'm wondering if I should add a few more CUC members...I'm still in the beginning stages of my cycle, as I have only Ammonia and not Nitrates or Nitrites so I'm a little hesitant on added anything.

 

[jdeb101]

I would wait it out as I think the Ammonia could end up killing off your CUC making things worse.

 

[planereefer]

That's what I'm going to do, the inverts I have ( 4 snails and 2 hermit crabs and 1 conch) came with the rock and sand which I'm going to leave in there. They are eating the start of an algae bloom.