Fiji Live Rock....how long does it take to turn purple

tired_boy_mike

tired_boy_mike

Member
Hi,
I purchased 100 lbs of uncured Fiji live rock from my local pet store about 3 months ago. When I first opened the box I notice that there was not a lot of purple coraline algae which made me nervous. Since i didn't know to much about how uncured rock should look like I tried not to think about it. I spent one month curing the live rocks then put it into my 100 gallon tank. So the live rock has been in my tank for 2 months now.
Lighting: 2X 175 watts metal halide (7hours a day)
1X ocean sun 10,00k (9 hours a day)
1X ocean sun actinic (9 hours a day)
I'm beginning to see some but very few little purple dots on the rocks. How long should coraline algae take to grow? Is there something I'm forgetting to do?
please help,
tired_boy_mike
 
tired_boy_mike

tired_boy_mike

Member
When I purchased these rocks, the store owner told me that they are the same ones they he purchased for his diplay tanks. His tank has the most purple looking live rocks. He told me it would take 6 months to a year for my rocks to turn purple. Time is passing and I'm getting nervous.
I did not know that coraline algae does not like light and that it would impede it's growth. What do you recommend I should do?
thanks,
tired_boy_mike
 
tallyho

tallyho

Member
My live rock was almost colorless for 8 months, I have been adding calcium and now I have purple,lime green,wine,red,
blue,and yellow blooming everywhere.
rgds
 
steamboat1569

steamboat1569

Member
Sorry to say this, but you should have got replies to what to look out for on live rock. The most impotant thing to look for is coraline algae. The purple stuff. Keep your water quality good and add calcium. Test for calcium and keep an eye on pH and alkalinity. All these contribute to coraline. It takes time to grow this stuff, and a lot of patience, and it is one of the things that help filter your tank.
 
jonthefb

jonthefb

Active Member
yeah give it some time. Ad plenty of calcium and makesure that youmonitor your ca/alk levels. its gonna take awhile, but ene with your mh's you should get some over time. Coralline is a very slow grower and needs lenty of ca to grow. dont expect it to just pop up overnight! make sure your water params are good, and youll see it soon!
good luck
jon
 
tired_boy_mike

tired_boy_mike

Member
Thank You for all your comments. I feel a lot better now. Patience is everything... I will wait and watch the coraline algae bloom.
thanks
tired_boy_mike
 
bammbamm74

bammbamm74

Member
Remember, some coraline isn't that purple stuff. I have the stuff that looks like a platic brillo pad, it's brown and I have some nice maroon stuff too. Really pretty. I also have that stuff that's red, inflated with water and looks like a hand. That's good algae too.
 
S

starfishjackedme

Guest
Listen -
Never buy LR from an LFS. It is always overpriced and devoid of any life - it should be labeled dead rock.
The Purple will grow. Make sure your water is perfect and calcium high. Calcium is very important. Also, i think your lighting is fine. I have 400watt halides plus 880 watts of VHO over a 200 and when i added the halides - that is when the purple took off and grew like crazy.
It is much easier to buy the LR from an online importer - mine had purple all over it, and most of the purple made it through cycling.
Good luck and happy reefing bro.
 
steamboat1569

steamboat1569

Member
I have to disagree with starfishjackedme. Live rock is one of the things that I do go to the LFS for. He may not have a good one where he is, so sorry, this is really not a flame.
I found a lfs that has good live rock, but not much else. I spent hours looking at the rock, and picked the ones I wanted. Shapes that I liked, plenty of coraline, and some life that thiy did not know about that I got for free, (clams, worms, etc.).
Then I went to another lfs the next day, and stared at it for hours till I picked the ones I wanted.
for me this is the only way to go. Find a good lfs for live rock, and ou can have a beautiful tank. If you get it on line, you are stuck with what you get, unless you want to pay for back shipping it.
P.S. : People looked at me rather strange while I stared at the rock tank. Also, this is the first time I payed 300 dollars for rock.
I must be nutz, so the voices in my head tell me. They are underwater creatures.
 
S

starfishjackedme

Guest
Yeah, the lfs in Houston have no idea what good LR is, although there is some nice stuff not for sale in their display tanks. I could only wish i could find nice LR from an lfs, as i am about to buy 45 lbs more, on top of the 180 i have.
 
fshhub

fshhub

Active Member
Some of the lr i get locally also appears to be devoid of life, but believe me, IT IS NOT. It appears as thought tehy scrubbed it, but believe me, it was there and regrew. The 55 I built at work, onlyhad rock like that put in, but in a couple of months, it is growing and faster as time goes on. It is beautiful. I jsut pick out shapes. One thing i like about buying locally is that I can pick the pieces I want. Plus ther is almost no die off at all, whereas with MO ther is little chance of not having die off.
 
iechy

iechy

Member
You might consider going to buy one more piece. Get a piece with alot of growth on it and put i right in front of a powerhead. This should help it spread to other tanks more quickly. When I set up my tank I just happened to put my best piece right in front of the powerhead and now I have beautiful colors on even the rocks which were white when I put them in.
 
buzz

buzz

Active Member
My LFS sold me some awesome Fiji LR. They will not sell rock that hasn't cured for at least 6 weeks, and the life is awesome...It was filled with fan worms, some sort of little snails, and at least 5+ mini brittle stars. I'm sure there is more that I haven't even seen yet...only been about a month or so.
And, the corraline is growing just fine, in a few different colors, including purple.
 
shadow678

shadow678

Member
If you want to get on your LFS' good side, and possibly get a good deal on some rock that is great, tell your LFS that Tampa Bay gives discounts for LFS owners who buy in bulk. I am currently finishing the paperwork to carry it in my store, you may suggest to your lfs that they do the same, as everyone I have talked to has been more than pleased with this rock.
 
johnny.d.s

johnny.d.s

Member
My Fiji LR also appeared to be devoid of life, it's not give it a couple of months. I have lots of purple coraline now.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
What is your calcium level? This is key to the development of coraline. Calcium in your tank should be maintained around 400.
 
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