Live Rock bad for fish?

[defntleymaybe79]

I was at the LFS yesterday and I overheard that LR is not good for a fish only tank because if you medicate the fish, the chemicals will kill the micro-organisms in the rock...and this makes sense...but....my question is, am I doing anything detrimental by having 2 fish in my tank that contains live rock and live sand?

 

[aileena]

what you have heard is correct...but you are not doing anything adverse to your fish by having the LR...as a matter of fact its better because it acts as a natural biological filtration and also provides hiding places for the fish.
However there is a trade off with having LR and that is, as you mentioned, you cannot add medicines, like copper, since they kill all the inverts and basically destroy the LR...
its a tradeoff...thats all!

 

[squidd]

You really shouldn't "medicate" in the main tank anyway... Remove sick fish and place in a QT/Hospital tank to treat.
1.Most Meds will affect the LR/Biological filtration.
2.Other fish in tank may not be Ill and excess Meds could adversely affect them.
3.By moving to a "smaller" QT Less Meds are needed(cost) and it is easier to figure dosage..ie:10gal QT @1 tab per 10 gal or 55gal display with 45lbs LR do I have 30 or 40 gallons of water in there?
4. Removing fish for ICH/Hypo treatment allows "fish borne' parasites to die off in main display.
But, LR/LS in a "healthy" display will NOT harm fish, quite the opposite...It is beneficial for the overall quality of life for your inhabitants.