Marco rock cycling Q's

[Proteus]

My tank is over run with Collonista snails and asteria stars. Though harmless I do not want them in new tank

I plan on buying new dry Marco rock and cycling it for a few to three months in a tote.
I would like to use my tank water from current DT to help the process.

My Q while silly is this

Can the snails and stars be transfered through the water?

Of coarse I know the adults can't but eggs or other stages of life

[asylumdown]

Collonista snails have a pelagic stage. Probably a short one since they breed so well in tanks, but they do broadcast in to the water, so there's always the chance that if your timing was unlucky you could wind up with them in the water you use. No idea if Asterina stars broadcast spawn. They're starfish, so somewhere along the way there's sexual reproduction, but I think most people get over-run by them from splitting.

[Proteus]

The stars I don't mind but the lil snails are a pain in the....

[asylumdown]

I don't think there's much point in using the old water to be honest. The bacteria are on the rocks, not in the water column, so using tank water probably isn't going to do much to speed the process up. And if there's things from your old tank you're trying to avoid getting in the new one, all the more reason to quarantine them from each other.

[Proteus]

Chance are also when I move the coral over there probably going to be a few snails tucked away on then also

[phi delt reefer]

Chance are also when I move the coral over there probably going to be a few snails tucked away on then also

TLF REVIVE dip will kills the stars... I just used it this week to help get rid of some zoa eating stars. There's probably a dip that will kill the snails as well.

Marco rock is full of phosphates (you'll find this out either the hard way or through many recent threads)

if you want new rock make sure you through acid wash, vinegar soak, then ro soak them for a month before cycling them. A quick google search will lead you to the various methods people have taken to "reset" old rock/new marco rock.

[Proteus]

I didn't know about the po4.

Thanks for that. I am looking at 2-3 months anyway so ill def look to do it the right way

[mseepman]

I'm not sure that the Phosphate rumour is very well thought out. I say that now, but 1/4 of my tank is Marco rock so I hope that I'm right :) Anyways, this is dry rock...it has no bacterial film or ecology to assist it with handling the phosphates that we add to the tank. When people say only my dry rock has algae on it...it's crap rock...I hope they remember that it's just CLEAN...of the bad and the good. Are there some rock's out there known for leaching, yes. Do they all do it...I just have trouble believing that.

[Proteus]

Yeah. I have added Marco to current tank about 20% at one time with no issue.

But since I have time I will ro soak it and test for nutrient leach I may also add sump rock to seed. May just have to buy a wrasse for the snails