Joe t,
Amber is partially correct about live rock. The thing I want to clarify is that not all live rock is dead coral... there are many different types of rock that qualify as live rock.
Live rock is a porous rock that comes from the ocean, and yes, unless someone attempts to make it artificially with cement (bad idea) the live rock we see in the stores is collected from the wild... miles out off shore (so nobody gets the idea to go collect their own as that isn't safe or legal) where the pollution levels are not a factor due to the depth of the water and the distance from shorelines. A permit is needed to collect it and that applies all around the world, and one reason the expense is so high is because each collector has a strict limit on how much they can take from a given area each year. This is heavily regulated and monitored.
Along with the organisms that Amber mentioned, live rock is porous enough that it works much the way filter media works in a freshwater aquarium, it serves as surface area for nitrifying and in many cases, denitrifying bacteria as well.
There are different densities of live rock which account for its quality. The more dense the rock the less of a filtering job it can do in the aquarium, and vice versa. (this is due to the amount of surface area available to the bacteria)
The term "live rock" refers to rock that is collected and kept wet and not allowed to dry out, or "base rock" (which is dried live rock) which is "seeded" with the organisms and bacteria typically using live sand and other cured live rock that already contain these organisms and bacteria.
Curing of base rock to make it live rock is a somewhat lengthy process and typically takes months to accomplish. Adding all base rock to a new saltwater aquarium means a much longer cycling period to allow the rock to cure directly in the aquarium, not something that should be done with animals in the tank.
Saltwater environments rely much more heavily on biological filtration than mechanical or chemical, which is more common in freshwater. The nitrogen cycle tends to take longer in a marine tank vs a freshwater tank because of the many stages a new tank will go through, such as the algae growth I mentioned to Amber in a previous post, as well as the difference in how the bacteria and various other organisms function in saltwater. Any time live rock is moved from one environment to another, (even 2 tanks that sit side by side) a period of "die off" has to be expected, which is where the various organisms and algaes contained in and on the rock will die due to the change of water chemistry, temp, etc. This die off will raise ammonia levels, triggering either the beginning of the nitrogen cycle in some cases (food for the bacteria) or a mini cycle in a more established environment. For this reason it is always safest to put the majority of rock into the tank before adding animals and letting the tank cycle and stabilize for a period of weeks until the cycle is complete. Adding rock to an established tank with animals should be done slowly and in small amounts at a time, spaced so as to let each smaller piece catch up and fully cure before adding more. This helps to avoid any major problems in the water chemistry that will harm the animals. Marine animals are much more sensitive to environmental changes and changes in water chemistry than most freshwater fishes are.
I hope this helps to explain live rock, what it is as well as it's function. If you have more questions please feel free to ask. There are many people who fear saltwater tanks because they have heard it is "harder" to keep. That is a myth, provided the person understands the environment and can exercise patience during set up, doesn't over stock the tank, and keeps up with regular maintenance. In all reality, once established (about 1 yr after set up is complete) a marine tank is actually less work to care for than freshwater if it is done correctly... so I enjoy helping to get the info out there and offer help to anyone who wishes to try their hand at a saltwater tank. Education and patience are the keys to success.
Dawn
--- In AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com, "joe t" <jett07002@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Dawn:
>
> I am not into saltwater aquariums at all. At my age, I don't think I am going to start now. LOL. But I do enjoy looking at them. Thay are beautiful when kept by one who knows what they're doing, and even more so, CARES about what they are doing.
>
> Enough said about that. I didn't mean to write a speech. :0)
>
> Let me ask what may be a dumb question, but in fresh water I (we) never used the term "live rock." What is live rock?
>
> joe t
>
> --- In AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com, "dawnshungryeyes4u2c" <dawnshungryeyes4u2c@> wrote:
> >
> > What size is this new tank? On average it is usually figured as 1 lb of live rock per gallon of tank size, but the more live rock you can get in there the healthier the tank will be. In saltwater the majority of your filtration is going to come from your substrate and live rock. I can also tell you that it DOES pay to get good quality live rock, even if that means buying it a bit at a time due to the expense. Quality live rock should be lighter weight (less dense) and porous. Marshall Island live rock is one of the best if you can get it, but Fiji live rock is also pretty good. Branch rock is very dense so don't overdo on that stuff if you find it. It won't offer you the needed filtration, and avoid claims of "homemade" live rock that is created out of concrete mixes.
> >
> > Since you have crushed coral in the tank it would be wise to avoid any of the bottom feeding/sand sifting animals such as gobies, sand sifting starfish, etc. and the same applies for bottom dwelling fishes... the crushed coral can easily damage the mouths and gills of the gobies and etc. and it's too sharp for the starfish and etc. to live in. This also applies to nassarius snails that spend most of their time under the substrate. I never add crushed coral to a reef tank because there are too many animals that can't handle it and it also doesn't offer as good of a filtration bed as just sand alone.
> >
> > Other things to avoid in a small tank are anemones with the exception of rock anemones since they don't move around as much on their own and they don't get real big. If you intend to add corals (which I am assuming since you said reef tank) be careful and choosy about which ones you mix, they are not all compatible with each other, and the smaller the tank the harder it can be to find the ones that will work together and still be spaced enough to keep them all safe and still allow room for growth.
> >
> > What kind of lighting do you have over the tank? That will help determine what corals you can add.
> >
> > You didn't mention your specific gravity/salinity level? That is vital to a healthy fish and healthy everything. And be sure to test calcium levels regularly since all of the animals rely on calcium for proper growth and body function. Too high is just as bad as too low. Target area for calcium levels in a reef tank is 400 - 450. Be sure this is where it needs to be and stable for at least a few wks before you attempt to add your animals.
> >
> > The only other thing I can think to warn about at this point is the "die off" when adding new/more live rock to the tank. Expect this to happen EVERY time you add new pieces of rock. The more rock you add at a time the higher the ammonia levels will spike and that means the longer it will take for the tank to catch up in way of cycling. Curing live rock in another tank or vat will not avoid die off once the rock is moved to your tank, and the more change there is in conditions, from temp to lighting, to salinity, etc. the more die off you should expect. This happens any time the rock is moved to different conditions. For this reason you should work to get as much rock into the tank as possible and give it time (a couple of wks minimum) to cure in the tank before adding any animals.
> >
> > A new saltwater tank will go through various stages of algae growth, including a period of cyano bacteria in most situations. This is normal and will subside on it's own during the cycling process, so don't panic. Don't attempt to fix it with large water changes as this will only prolong it, not get rid of it. The average saltwater tank will take about 8 wks to fully cycle and get through the worst of the algae stages, some can take as long as 12 wks. This, too, is normal.
> >
> > Can you list the various different equipment you are using? Filter, skimmer, etc?
> >
> > Be sure to post some photos of your tank. That will help us to help you and I know I would enjoy seeing the photos! :-)
> >
> > Best of luck to you and please post if you need help.
> >
> > Dawn
> >
> > --- In AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com, Amber Berglund <arberglund@> wrote:
> > >
> > > I've just recently dipped my toes into trying a Saltwater tank (reef
> > > tank). Oh and that's figuratively of course, I'd never stick my toes in
> > > a fish tank, LOL.
> > > My boyfriend had a lonely little tomato clown fish (Grumpy Jr.) in a 48
> > > gallon bowfront tank, the tank was in serious need of cleaning, and
> > > since he's working on moving into my condo we decided to move his
> > > fish/filter/and gravel over to one of my tanks until we can move his 48
> > > gallon over.
> > > There was a slight mini-cycle after the move, but things have evened
> > > back out and the fish is doing great and seems much happier in his new
> > > clean tank (even if it's smaller). I only have one large piece of live
> > > rock, so I'm pretty sure I need to purchase more, especially if we end
> > > of having 2 saltwater tanks running after he brings his over.
> > > I had a bunch of crushed coral/sand that had once been living and in my
> > > 125 gallon tank, but when I made it freshwater I changed the gravel. So
> > > I used about 1/4 of my boyfriends gravel and added it on top of my
> > > crushed coral sand to help seed the gravel with nitrifying bacteria.
> > > I'm excited to try out saltwater for a change, but nervous about killing
> > > his fish somehow, LOL.
> > >
> > > Amber
> > >
> >
>
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