Beginner's guide to Live Rock
- Thread starter Palmetto
- Start date
Radicaljbr
Active member
Thanks for all the great knowledge....not sure if you are still answering questions, but if so, I was wondering if you had names of good places to buy LR from online...will be setting 105 gallon tank in about 3 weeks.
thanks
John
thanks
John
blue streak
New member
THANKS!,great post.
I am getting LR from someone else getting out of the hobby, how do you know if the rock is actually still "alive" if its not completely encrusted and doesnt have anything growing on it cept a little coraline? Also from pics I dont see any critters on them either. Any info would help.
pbs911
New member
This is a great thread.
I am about to fill my 90 gal with RO/DI water and am reading everything on LR and LS. I would like to do add both in segments over time, i.e 50lbs LR until cycle, then another 50lbs LR and LS. I would start with uncured LR at first and then more to partially cured hopefully avoiding die off on the LR and LS during the initial ammonia spike. It iwll also allow me to get some "better" pieces with the second addition. Does this sound like a good idea?
I am about to fill my 90 gal with RO/DI water and am reading everything on LR and LS. I would like to do add both in segments over time, i.e 50lbs LR until cycle, then another 50lbs LR and LS. I would start with uncured LR at first and then more to partially cured hopefully avoiding die off on the LR and LS during the initial ammonia spike. It iwll also allow me to get some "better" pieces with the second addition. Does this sound like a good idea?
Shoestring Reefer
New member
Sure, that's basically what I did. I added LS (5 lbs) with a cocktail shrimp, and LR (10 lbs) after the ammonia and nitrite were undectable. When the LR was added, the ammonia was only detectable for a couple of days-much shorter than the initial (LS) cycle. It was much lower, also. I thought I was testing wrong until I saw my nitrates were dropping off again, too.
For what it's worth, I put 10 lbs of live rock in my tank about 2 months ago, and it's still feeding the algae. It was shipped two-day shipping, and looked "pretty good" when it got here-lots of corraline, smelled good (didn't smell rotten), etc. I added it after I cycled with LS, and the algae blooms from the LS were done.
I don't have any fish yet, just a fighting conch and TONS of hitch hikers. I haven't fed my tank in months, and all my critters have multiplied and have NO problems finding food, judging by the amount of detritus, and the amount of algae I've harvested. I didn't scrub the LR when it got here, just put it in the tank, which is probably why there is so much food available.
For what it's worth, I put 10 lbs of live rock in my tank about 2 months ago, and it's still feeding the algae. It was shipped two-day shipping, and looked "pretty good" when it got here-lots of corraline, smelled good (didn't smell rotten), etc. I added it after I cycled with LS, and the algae blooms from the LS were done.
I don't have any fish yet, just a fighting conch and TONS of hitch hikers. I haven't fed my tank in months, and all my critters have multiplied and have NO problems finding food, judging by the amount of detritus, and the amount of algae I've harvested. I didn't scrub the LR when it got here, just put it in the tank, which is probably why there is so much food available.
Palmetto..! Amazing job.. extremely helpful thread ! My 1st tank will take shape this month (gave myself an xmas present) haha!
I'll know what I'm looking at when I'm at the LFS, and know if he's telling the truth or not! 9)
emredp: you mentioned that you were using a wet/dry filter, that would explain your high nitrates.. (also a new tank..give it sometime). The rock + DSB should be your ownly filter (apart a skimmer..)
*wow..* all these years reading is coming in handy! =)
thanks guys!
js
I'll know what I'm looking at when I'm at the LFS, and know if he's telling the truth or not! 9)
emredp: you mentioned that you were using a wet/dry filter, that would explain your high nitrates.. (also a new tank..give it sometime). The rock + DSB should be your ownly filter (apart a skimmer..)
*wow..* all these years reading is coming in handy! =)
thanks guys!
js
pbs911:
You can, but don't put any fish / critters in until your second batch cures. But I suggest you put in your 50lbs + live sand 1st, so whats on the rocks burries into your sand (making it live sand..)
Then after you can put another 50lbs.. but that'll maybe harm what came off your 1st batch .. Hmm..
just my 2cents. =)
You can, but don't put any fish / critters in until your second batch cures. But I suggest you put in your 50lbs + live sand 1st, so whats on the rocks burries into your sand (making it live sand..)
Then after you can put another 50lbs.. but that'll maybe harm what came off your 1st batch .. Hmm..
just my 2cents. =)
Incredible thread you started Palmetto!!! Thats was also nice for those of us that arent beginners, at least I got a few things out of it new. That Kaelini really rocks!!! I got about 240-260 lbs of that stuff so far and I have not been a bit disapointed, if fact I think its the best rock I have seen. What do you know about Lalo or Jakarta live rock? whats the scoop on that stuff? Curiosity is killing me.
edsherm
I am not really sure if I would want to do that. I personally would want to cure it in a seperate tank with heavy actinic lighting and pretty stiff water circulation. Bit thats just me. My resons for wanting to take that "route" is to prevent (hopefully) adding any non-desirables into my system such as Apitasia, Mantis shrimp, non reef safe crabs, snails and starfish.
Even by doing things that way you could still have what ever hanger ons that survive the curing process, still add a formidable amount of "additional bacteria" and some coralline algae to your system that wasnt there in your system before.
Maybe my line of thought is off base here, and someone can put a better perspective on this idea. But to date this is how I have done business and I feel like it has prevented me from having a lot of the head aches that reefers sometimes have. There is nothing quiet as special as having to basically tear down a tank to get a mantis shrimp out, or catch a unwanted crab! JMHO....
I am not really sure if I would want to do that. I personally would want to cure it in a seperate tank with heavy actinic lighting and pretty stiff water circulation. Bit thats just me. My resons for wanting to take that "route" is to prevent (hopefully) adding any non-desirables into my system such as Apitasia, Mantis shrimp, non reef safe crabs, snails and starfish.
Even by doing things that way you could still have what ever hanger ons that survive the curing process, still add a formidable amount of "additional bacteria" and some coralline algae to your system that wasnt there in your system before.
Maybe my line of thought is off base here, and someone can put a better perspective on this idea. But to date this is how I have done business and I feel like it has prevented me from having a lot of the head aches that reefers sometimes have. There is nothing quiet as special as having to basically tear down a tank to get a mantis shrimp out, or catch a unwanted crab! JMHO....
British Mike
New member
Excellent article, thanks for the use Darren. Are there any reef setup experts out there. I could do with an idiots guide on how to set up a reef system???
Radicaljbr
Active member
There are a lot of good books out there.
Palmetto
Premium Member
edshern said:
Sorry, edshern, somehow I missed answering your question!
When adding rock, it is always best to cure it outside the tank- even if it is a small amount going into a large, established reef. There is a risk of adding unwanted hitchhikers or some hidden dead thing that can foul your water.
Now, that is the CORRECT answer- but, you did say "would YOU consider adding...", and I don't always do what I know I ought to do.
:smokin:
I like to sprinkle a reef with VERY SMALL AMOUNTS AT A TIME of SMALL pieces of the freshest Live Rock I can find. It is simply a matter of calculated risk- I only do this when I think the rock I have is so fresh that there will not be much dieoff. I also only add SMALL pieces in this way- fresh Tonga branch with some macroalgae is one of my favorite decorations.
I do dip the rock in high salinity (1.030) water for about 10 minutes to run any hairy devils or smashers out of the rock.
Then, I decorate the tank with no more than a few lbs. or so of small pieces that smell like ocean and watch the ammonia levels carefully for the first couple of days. If the rock is REALLY fresh, you can often get corals or other things to live that you ordinarily wouldn't. I have found numerous brain corals, galaxia, zoanthids, and all sorts of other things when fishing through Ultra-fresh rock!
Attempting to put large pieces of uncured rock into an existing tank would be foolish IMO. Large pieces can hide a LOT of rotting stuff and look great on the outside. This is why I use branch for this instead of round pieces.
Sorry for the missed response, but I thought it was worth answering for the archives if nothing else.
Again, the safest bet is to always cure OUTSIDE your existing reef as we have described previously throughout this thread. I don't want to condone any of my bad habits!
Darren,
Thanks so much for the time that you spent in answering all the questions. Again, this is such an awesome thread. I'm just now doing research on starting a SW tank and you have managed to answer all of the questions that I probably would have asked later. This is actually my first post here.
Thanks again,
Rob A
Thanks so much for the time that you spent in answering all the questions. Again, this is such an awesome thread. I'm just now doing research on starting a SW tank and you have managed to answer all of the questions that I probably would have asked later. This is actually my first post here.
Thanks again,
Rob A
newbiemarine
New member
Creepy crawlies.
Creepy crawlies.
I would love to get a clear answer on this one.
I don't really like those creep crawlies that come along with LR, and corals. If I get the LR from Fiji, or something similar, that had a lot die off, do I stand a better chance of getting it cc free? Is there any way to get it Critter free altogether? On the other hand I read that a lot of these worms and critters are good for the tank. Are they out by day? Are they visible? Do you see them crawling around by day? What kind of cc's are good for the growth of the tank? I hope that none of them are larger than a few inches:fun5: !
Creepy crawlies.
I would love to get a clear answer on this one.
I don't really like those creep crawlies that come along with LR, and corals. If I get the LR from Fiji, or something similar, that had a lot die off, do I stand a better chance of getting it cc free? Is there any way to get it Critter free altogether? On the other hand I read that a lot of these worms and critters are good for the tank. Are they out by day? Are they visible? Do you see them crawling around by day? What kind of cc's are good for the growth of the tank? I hope that none of them are larger than a few inches:fun5: !
