I ordered live rock out of Florida. I took 3 days to get to me in Illinois. The rock had gotten so cold, it was frozen. Some even had frost on them. Will the live stuff on the rocks be dead? Or will some of it survive? The man that sold it to me says that the rock will go into dormancy. And we will see regrowth in a week or two. But what about the little critters? Common sense tells me that everything is dead. But just hoping someone can tell me what to expect. I did put it in salt water with a heater and power head. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated.
live rock issue
- Thread starter btyboo
- Start date
Salamander
Active member
I think it should be ok after a little while. I bet there's still some beneficial bacteria and other fauna still alive in there. But that's just my guess.
Salamander
Active member
Just to clarify my post. As Bertoni said,probably most larger hitchhikers could be gone (eg pods, bristle and other worms etc). But I'd suspect the bacteria which do a lot of the filtration (a main reason for getting LR) would be alive.
Give it a chance and see what pops up. You could likely get some pods and bristle worms from a fellow local reefer to boost your population. It's easy to get a bunch of stuff in a ball of cheato clippings or a 1-2 cup scoop of live sand if you need.
Give it a chance and see what pops up. You could likely get some pods and bristle worms from a fellow local reefer to boost your population. It's easy to get a bunch of stuff in a ball of cheato clippings or a 1-2 cup scoop of live sand if you need.
demonsp
In Memoriam
I really dought it killed all the critters.But 1 good piece would reseed it all.Buy rocks for looks and versatily and the rest will fall in place.Though im sure it would be better for the price paid for unfrozen rock.If you think it will always be in the back of your mind then return and im sure you will be much happier, i would.
live rock
live rock
I have checked the ammonia and nitites, wow they are spiked. How long do you think it will take to settle down? I did add some stable, hoping it will help. I don't see alot of die off, I actually see green plants and other items that look fine. And what is the best way to scrub the rock when it's ready to be placed in my tank? Can I use a tooth brush? Thanks to all that have resonded.
live rock
I have checked the ammonia and nitites, wow they are spiked. How long do you think it will take to settle down? I did add some stable, hoping it will help. I don't see alot of die off, I actually see green plants and other items that look fine. And what is the best way to scrub the rock when it's ready to be placed in my tank? Can I use a tooth brush? Thanks to all that have resonded.
Salamander
Active member
What did you add to try and stabilize parameters? Likely something you don't need to bother with. Lots of junk products out there that don't help and can actually be a detriment.
Green plants on the rocks might not be a great thing either. Could be nuisance algae. Let the rocks cure and maybe look into "cooking" the rock (no heat involved - time and darkness) although some report limited success with this method
Green plants on the rocks might not be a great thing either. Could be nuisance algae. Let the rocks cure and maybe look into "cooking" the rock (no heat involved - time and darkness) although some report limited success with this method
The additive is called Stability. It is for new tank stabilization. It helps prevent "new tank syndrome". I thought it might help settle it down. It was just an idea. I turned the heater down and I have not had a light on the rocks. Will the levels fall faster if I clean off whatever I think is dead? And change the water? Thanks for the advice.
We changed the water today and scrubbed the black stuff and what little slime we found off. To my surprise, there really wasn't as much black stuff or dead things as I was expecting. Some of the stuff even looks healthy. Even found a couple little spots that look like zoos. But i'm not sure. I can only hope for the best. We plucked all the green plants off. That resembled algea, sea weed, and stuff like that. Thanks again.
