manycolors
Member
I understand everything there is to Curing/Preparing live rock but my question is, what are the addetives i need to get, if any to have colorful live rock established in my tank?
Getting Live Rock....Now What??
- Thread starter manycolors
- Start date
npage
Member
I wouldn't add anything. Let it cycle naturally. If you have good quality LR coralline will appear on its own.
One thing I would suggest is to use a reef grade salt like, Reef Crystals, Seachem ReefSalt or Tropic Marin ProReef. The higher calcium will speed up the coralline growth. Products like Purple Up are a waste if the water doesn't have the calcium to support the coralline.
JMHO.
One thing I would suggest is to use a reef grade salt like, Reef Crystals, Seachem ReefSalt or Tropic Marin ProReef. The higher calcium will speed up the coralline growth. Products like Purple Up are a waste if the water doesn't have the calcium to support the coralline.
JMHO.
manycolors
Member
I know this is probably a noobie question but, I have seen all these colored bottles in the stores... and i think there for live rock, what are these used for?
lexluethar
Active Member
Colored bottles? I personally haven't seen any bottles that said they would change rock to different colors. I've seen different colored bottles, but for different things like bacteria, PH up, things like that.
You don't need any aditives, just proper light and nutrients and it will grown naturally. You could speed up the process by scraping off some from other rocks into the tank. I didn't have any coraline (the purple stuff, comes in some different colors like dark green) algae for the first 7 months, then i upgraded my lights to MH and over the past three weeks its all i can do to keep this stuff off my glass and sand.
You don't need any aditives, just proper light and nutrients and it will grown naturally. You could speed up the process by scraping off some from other rocks into the tank. I didn't have any coraline (the purple stuff, comes in some different colors like dark green) algae for the first 7 months, then i upgraded my lights to MH and over the past three weeks its all i can do to keep this stuff off my glass and sand.
J
jrthomas40
Guest
i have just started using purple up and i used seachem's reef calcium in another tank...hoping the purple up will accelerate the purple growth
lexluethar
Active Member
Gotcha, sorry I was a bit confused. I've never used those products before so i couldn't give you any input 
Sorry
Sorry
mcbdz
Active Member
The rule is only add what you are testing for.
So, if you add something you will need test for it
If your water is kept good then, you don't need additives. The coralline usually starts really growing around 4-5 months and you will work your butt off keeping it only where you want it. There have been many post on here about people wondering why their pH is so messed up ,or alk, or cal so, you need to keep close eye on these.
snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
Yeah, mcbdz has it right, only add what you can test for. You can not test for iodine or strontium. You honestly really don't need it.
Coralline will grow if you have really good quality water, meaning zero phosphates, nitrates, ammonia (duh), nitrite etc. Magnesium is something that coralline also needs to grow, and you can test for that. Calcium is one of the main things that coralline needs to grow. If you have adequate lights, it shouldn't be a problem.
Calcium can be added by dripping kalkwasser throughout the day, also by calcium reactors, and liquid calcium. For large tanks, (180 gallons and above) I recommend getting a calcium reactor to adequately maintain high calcium levels in the water.
Have fun!
Coralline will grow if you have really good quality water, meaning zero phosphates, nitrates, ammonia (duh), nitrite etc. Magnesium is something that coralline also needs to grow, and you can test for that. Calcium is one of the main things that coralline needs to grow. If you have adequate lights, it shouldn't be a problem.
Calcium can be added by dripping kalkwasser throughout the day, also by calcium reactors, and liquid calcium. For large tanks, (180 gallons and above) I recommend getting a calcium reactor to adequately maintain high calcium levels in the water.
Have fun!
manycolors
Member
I think the easiest thing to do, and what sounds like works well is to start dripping kalkwasser... does this maintain all the levels vital for live rock? (calcum, magnesium ext.?) and how long after getting the live rock would this be a good idea to start doing this?
npage
Member
If you are not done cycling, I'd wait until your cycle is done.
Read this first - Dripping Kalkwasser: 101.
After digesting that...
Google "What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime"
Read this first - Dripping Kalkwasser: 101.
After digesting that...
Google "What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime"