Beginner's guide to Live Rock

I like to change the water anytime it begins to get foul. I change up to 50% of the water, depending on how much volume you have it in. (The more water it is in, the less likely you are to have to change it- it is all about keeping the ammonia and nitrite concentrations from getting too high)

There will be more than enough leftover organics in the water that is left for the tank to cycle properly. :)

I would not overdo the water changes, just make sure to keep the water from turning into a thick, noxious stew!
 
Palmetto

Thanks again for all the information. Maybe you can provide a little more! :D

Could you give us some more info on dipping the live rock in water with a lot of salt to remove some hitch hikers? I have read that you can mix up some really salty water and dip your new live rock in it. This causes some of the unwanted worms and stuff like that to come out of the rock. How much salt should be used (what salinity should I go with)? How long should I leave the rock in the water? Anything else we need to know.

Thanks
Brad
 
Good question!

I never mix the salt stronger than 1.030. That seems to work nicely- your goal is to run the mobile crabs out without over-stressing anything else-

I use 1.030 in a small rubbermaid and dip the rock for 15 minutes. :)
 
Oh, and I gather the worms from the bottom of the bucket and put them back in the tank. :)

I like keeping the worms.

Kevin, I missed your question about one fish at a time. I would definately go very slowly adding fish- corals can be added a bit more quickly, but fish are generally more sensitive to "new tank syndrome" so you will want to be sure that your nitrates and ammonia are zeroed out, then add small amount of fish at a time. Save your most aggressive fish for last- if you put a maroon clown or another "bully" in first, he could stake out territory and defend it when you add something else.
 
Palmetto said:
Oh, and I gather the worms from the bottom of the bucket and put them back in the tank. :)
Click to expand...

How do you know what to keep and what to toss? I'll be investing in about 150lbs of LR in the next month or so (when I can scrape up the cash) and I've never dipped before.

--Fizz
 
The only thing I would toss is the hairy crabs or mantis shrimp.

I toss pretty much all hitchhikers with pinchers- IMO you simply cannot trust a crab that you cannot positively ID. Porcelain acropora crabs are an exception- they are actually beneficial to the coral. They are smooth-shelled, usually white crabs with bandit markings on their eyes.

Some rock does not seem to contain many hitchers- most of the Kaileni, Fiji, and Tonga has been through spray systems before shipping to U.S., and most of the nasties have gone.

I have only found one tiny mantis in all the Kaelini I have worked with, so I do not want to build up the fear of hitchhikers- only to provide a dipping method for those who are interested in doing so.

:)
 
Question

Question

I'm thinking of going with Kaelini or Fiji. can you tell me about the differences between the 2? From the pics, Kaelini looks a bit more colorful (will this last through the cycle?), it looks more smooth and dense compared to the fiji. I would like to go with the Kaelini, but I am afraid it might be denser, therefore not fill my tank as much since it does not have the same volume/weight ratio as the fiji.

Any info is appreciated.
Chris
 
Sorry for the slow replies-

Chris- the Kaelini starts off more colorful and some of that color remains through the cycle. Most of the coralline ends up different shades of purple- it does not stay looking like it does when it is "fresh".

The Kaelini varies greatly in terms of density. Some of it is more dense than most Fiji, some is less. It varies from box to box, and the flatter pieces are heavier. :)

AP- I am not familiar with the product you describe, so I cannot comment on it. If it does reduce the ammonia level, I would consider it helpful.

ZOSO- You can cure outside, but I would be VERY concerned about large temperature swings, and would not do it for this reason. :)

HTH!

Darren Walker
www.PalmettoReefs.com
 
Thid thread was hugely helpful to a newbie who is about 2 weeks away from ordering LR. many of my questions were answered but I still wonder if there is any advantage to ordering precured LR for a new tankother than the time factor? Should I expect more creatures on uncured LR? I'm anxious to get this thing up and running but am willing to take the time to do it right.
 
how long???

how long???

Is it ok to have live rock out of the water for certain amount of time like say during shipping? Is there a general rule on how long before it gets to a point where its no good anymore?

Thanks
 
NeuroLarry said:
Thid thread was hugely helpful to a newbie who is about 2 weeks away from ordering LR. many of my questions were answered but I still wonder if there is any advantage to ordering precured LR for a new tankother than the time factor? Should I expect more creatures on uncured LR? I'm anxious to get this thing up and running but am willing to take the time to do it right.
Click to expand...

I am glad you have found this helpful!
:)

A lot of what you will end up with depends on how well your LR may have been "cured" from the source you order it from. If there was good temperature, circulation, and water volume for the initial curing process, then you will end up with good "life" in your rock (if shipped properly of course!). Many holding tanks for curing LR end up as major amphipod/ copepod breeding grounds, so you may end up with more of these from the "cured" tanks.

Sometimes you get lucky with freshly imported rock, however, and get some interesting live corals or inverts that you may not ordinarily see. Fresh live rock is also the best way to start the cycle off on a new tank, IMO- although there will always be some die-off just from shipping that will also start the cycle going. I usually start a new system off with about 1/2 to 1/3 fresh, uncured rock- with the rest being fully cleaned and cured. This gives a good start to the cycle, and brings in a wide range of life- without stinking you out of the house!

:D

Darren Walker
www.PalmettoReefs.com
 
Last edited:
Re: how long???

Re: how long???

RedTurq said:
Is it ok to have live rock out of the water for certain amount of time like say during shipping? Is there a general rule on how long before it gets to a point where its no good anymore?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Well, of course the least time out of water is best for the animals. That being said, I have seen rock packed for several days with wet newspaper to keep it damp that still had pods and worms coming out of it. I would try for overnight shipping whenever possible, but if you are buying from a reputable dealer that is packing well with wet newspaper or something I think 2-day shipping is acceptable.

:)

Darren Walker
www.PalmettoReefs.com
 
Palmetto - I bought rock online (a fiasco), it took ten days to arrive. I decided to put it in my already cured tank (I removed the fish). I got an ammo spike in 24hrs, followed by nitrite. After 4 days ammo & trites returned to zero and never came back. I've had fish in there over a month now, everyone is happy.

The rock is mostly dead, all the coraline algae turned white. I ended up buying some "critter kits" to add some life to it. My question is, what would it suggest to you, that it cured in 4 days? I ask because it sounds like it should have taken a couple weeks. Would it suggest there wasn't much life on the rock to begin with? This was Walt Smith aquacultered rock.

-Dave
 
I really don't know what to say, Dave. I have not messed with the aquacultured rock myself- but it makes sense that man-made rock would have fewer critters trapped deep inside than collected reef-rock.

Aquacultured rock has life that has started from the outside-in.

Collected rock has life that started from the inside-out- it grew into the shape that it is from something smaller.

My guess is that it would take a bit less time to "cure" aquacultured rock after shipping because of this, but again, I have not worked with the aquacultured rock.

Darren Walker
www.PalmettoReefs.com
 
Great thread.

Someone asked if you used RO/DI for all these water changes when curing. I'm curious about this too. I considered it but ended up just filling up my curing tank with the garden hose. Figured the nutrients in my water were the least of my worries. But I'm curious what you think.
 
Interesting and informative post Palmetto,

whats your take on seeding lace rock with LR. So far I have a 45 gl rubbermaind with a 200 wt heater a stong powerhaed and 1 inch of caribsea crushed coral with aragonite. I just trew in a plant grow light with 2 50/50 bulbs that I should be getting in a couple of days. Im also looking to buy my LR next week.

Any suggestions?
 
great post, and i would like to thank palmetto for spending so much time here. Here is my scenario... I will be adding a few fish as well as some low-light corals. my question is this. I bought about 15lbs. LR from my LFS the other day. It was cured, and was the only thing in the tank. Four days later, today, my ammonia, and trite levels are 0. My rock seems pretty dead. some of the polyps have died, and the algae isn't growing. I am running a standard light though i plan to get a vho bulb to replace the 40w (its a 55 gal). When i go to buy more LR...

What should i look for on the rock?

If it is mostly white and beige is it bad?

also, are there specific corals that go with spcific LR and vice versa?

should i hold off on the fish until i add the LR? the corals?

what lighting is best for LR in a 55?
 
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