melev

Another excellent video with tons of great information Marc. Your tank appears very healthy. Thanks so much for doing these videos; I've learned loads of new info and tips. I really like this idea of pegging corals into the aquascape. I'm sick of the method I've been using: using dollar store super glue, apply to frag plug and hold onto a spot in my rockwork for 30 seconds. Many times it doesn't hold and I have to repeat the process again, or, more often, the frag holds but only on like a corner of the bottom of the plug, making it very fragile; the next morning I almost always find the frag on the sandbed due to being knocked off by a snail, flow, etc.. For me to do this I'd have to take out some of my existing rock from my tank obviously and drill holes. I imagine the rock would be out of the water for maybe 15-20 minutes tops. Is this safe for the life on the rock? Also I'd like to do this with some dry rock I have and wanted to put into my tank (maybe 3-7lbs). I was wondering if it's safe if I added this dry rock to my display (even though my tank is a few years old and I didn't begin this rock)? Would I expect to find a small cycle occur or anything? Also, do you have any suggestions as to how I should clean the dry rock before I add it to the display (it's dry tonga rock from BRS)?

I'm excited to change up my aquascape a bit and finally have a process where I can easily mount frags without the worry of having them get knocked off so easily. And I think I'll grab some ecotech glue...the dollar stuff works but the bottles are so small and I have to use so much.

Thanks again for creating these knowledgeable videos/posts, and for taking your time to help out people like myself. You are truly a valuable resource and your efforts are much appreciated! - Dustin

Hey Dustin, thanks for the feedback and thoughts. The Ecotech glue is pretty amazing. I don't know what's in it, but it never clogs up and lasts and lasts - so it's all I use now.

Drilling the rock. Technically, you only have to keep the drill out of the water so if you had a shallow vat filled with rock and tank water you could drill underwater. The water will get cloudy, and I'd use a cordless drill for safety reasons. The bit may rust after that, but masonry bits are cheap. If you pulled out a rock out of the water, placed it on some thick towels and drilled some holes, you could submerge each rock back in water in less than 10 minutes I'd bet. Holes drill pretty quickly.

Your question about dry rock - I think it's best to get it in some circulating saltwater for a couple of weeks (or longer) before you put it in your tank. This would get the air out, and you could test the water for any surprises like phosphate or alkalinity spikes. I'd have it indoors in a bucket or trashcan with a powerhead and heater. When you are ready to use it, shake it out in the trashcan water as hard as you can, then it will be cleaner going into your reef.