How long does LR take to look good.

[rkm]

I am new at this whole salt water thing. I have around 75#'s of LR in my tank. Most of my LR just looks plain. How long will it take to get some green, red. or purple color in it. Or when will some kind of plant or something sprout. I am told that LR hold many little creatures and etc. I have around 250w of light on a 75gal tank. I did buy some mushrooms about 3 weeks ago. They did get big. I was told they would multiply but they don't seem to be moving from the rock they are on. I also bought a rock with some star polyps on it. I was also told they would grow well and they also are still on the same rock i bought them on. It's been about 3 weeks. my levels are good and the CA is 400 or better. Maybe I just have to leave them alone.
I just see some peoples tanks and they look like a piece of the ocean. Mine looks like a dead piece of the ocean with some mushrooms on one side and some star polyps on the other. Here is a pic. on the left is the shrooms and the polyps are closed and on the right. I do have some purple color on the rocks at the top but I had those rocks since day 1 of 6 months now.

 

[rkm]

The mushrooms and star polyps are usualy full and extended. It is night time for them now

 

[azonic]

To be honest I like your rock....I don't particularly like seeing some of the rock we see with all kinds of orange and pink and stuff all over it...looks odd to me...I like fiji live rock...mine is just your basic porous rock with some purple coralline algae on it..
I wouldn't get too discouraged about it, give it some time and you will see some growth on it.

 

[azonic]

P.S. Is that a clam on your sand bed?

 

[rkm]

Yes it is a clam. I have tried to place it on the LR but it wont foot its self. It realy likes the cc so that is where it stayed. This is one of the cases so far that compact light is enough or at least it seem to be.
Thank you for the complement on the tank.
I guess I will have to wait it out.

 

[azonic]

What type of clam is it? Looks like a squamosa from what I can see of it.

 

[rkm]

It's kinda funny I realy don't know what kind of clam it is. It is kinda purple in color with some bright blue in it. It could be a maxima for all I know and the lack of light made it this color. Here is a pic I just took. It is night time and it is almost closed. It opens realy far. The clam sits about 20 in. from my JBJ 4x65w light.

 

[rkm]

Ohh thats the wrong pic. That is where i tryed to keep it. It kept moving down to the cc.
Here is the correct one.

 

[magic]

what do you feed them?

 

[rkm]

I use aragamight in my top off water, and I also use coral vital lsb i tsp every week. Other than that formula 1, and 2 when I feed the fish and bubble tip.

 

[jonthefb]

its a maxima clam. just give it some time. it takes a good 6 months to a year with calcium and carbonate supplements to develop really nice plating coralline algae, but it all depends on the rock you begin with. if you get premium stuff or aquacultured stuff you will usually see life develop much faster, however as stated above things just take time. be patient, and you will be pleasantly surprised!
good luck, and squishfish, welcome
jon

 

[rkm]

what about my suppliments are they good enough?

 

[jonthefb]

i really think you need to add a calcium and carbonate supplement
good luck
jon

 

[rkm]

The AragaMIGHT has
Calcium 381000 ppm
carbonate 590000 ppm
strontium 7390 ppm
Magnesium 1050 ppm
potassium 56 ppm
I put i tsp in a gal of water shake it and let it sit for 30 min then drip into my sump.

 

[jonthefb]

if you use the aragamight, make sure you get a calcium and alk test kit and just keep your eye on them, because they have the natural tendency to decrease in concentration in natural salt water!
good luck
jon

 

[badpacket]

I read that waiting for rock to color is about as smart as waiting for corn to grow in an unplanted field.
One website said you should try to hit up your LFS, and offer to scrape their carraline algea off the glass, and spread that on your rock to seed it.
Makes sense to me.

 

[ags]

When I first purchased LR I couldn't wait for the explosion of coralline algae growth that everyone spoke of. I waited in anxious anticipation to scraping the glass of purples, reds and pinks. Everyday I searched my tank high and low but nothing. Close to a year later I am still waiting for the uncontollable growth although 75% of my rock is completely covered. Its kinda like waiting for water to boil. The longer you stare waiting for the boils the longer it seems to take. Once you turn your back wackita your in business. Give it time, it will grow.

 

[jacknjill]

seems to me that the clam is turning brown from lack of light :thinking:

 

[jacknjill]

also i would bring your calcium up to about 450-500 to help with your coraline growth

 

[sixers3]

i waited for coraline algae to grow for over a year. Now that i have it, it looks great on the rocks....but i hate getting it off the glass. I decided to let it grow on the sides and back, but i try to scrape it off the front.