Live Rock - Disappearing?

sirbrently

sirbrently

Member
Ok, so this is a new one for me.. And I have done about as much research online as I can think about and I am stumped..
I have roughly 12-14 lbs of live rock in my fish tank ( good stuff, roughly 8.00$ lb) It was all stacked pretty and I was quite happy with it...
A few weeks back I noticed that there was a little rock and a hole on top of my main piece of rock (I know there was a hole because when I added a mushroom, I accidently dropped into this hole and had to dig him out to place him where I wanted him) Well, long story short - I have noticed the top of this rock developing larger holes.. and a couple pieces of what looks like (tonga branch rock - super small, almost like a stick) just appearing in this hole that is forming.. Well, I returned home yesterday to notice that there is a HUGE hole now, like I can see through this 8 inch piece of rock.. What would cause it?
I am out of town until Tuesday evening so I will put some pictures up -- Ive had SW tanks before and i have NEVER seen anything like this.. Any ideas of what is causing this?
It was amazing live rock (or so I thought) before.. As I am sitting here thinking im getting rather afraid that the rock is going to continue falling apart and end up falling and breaking the glass of my tank..
Any ideas out there?
Again, I will update this with some pictures Tuesday night...
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
I would assume that this was rock that was all ready in water at the store, because you said it was LR not dry rock. Did it have coraline algae and other things growing on it or was it barn of growth. Believe it or not some LFS take dry rock place it in with there LR and sell it as aged LR. Because what you have described it the the minerals in the rock are dissolving and that would only happen after the rock was in water for awhile. I would be concern to what minerals is dissolving in your tank.
 
sirbrently

sirbrently

Member
Here are pictures of the rock now!
both sides, and from above. its all white inside now!
Thanks.. Any ideas?



Here are the previous pictures!!

You can see how it was full 7 days ago...

Any ideas?
Thanks!
 
kiefers

kiefers

Active Member
I may have missed this but how old is your set up? There are many organisms (sponges, Urchins, worms, etc) that "dissolve" carbonate material (your live rock) the process takes many months if not years. I have no logical explanation for what you are observing. After viewing your pics, I can see it's fresh and it may have been indeed dry base rock, hard to tell for sure. I can see this from the boarder of the coral line to the freshly dissolved rock. I would keep an eye on it at night and look for any of the above critters.
 
sirbrently

sirbrently

Member
The setup is almost two months old. The rock is roughly about a month and a half old. I have been watching it.. I have not seen any critters around.. My stock includes:
2 True percs
Emerald Crab
5-6 Hermits
1 Bumble Bee snail
Roughly 3-4 snails in the tank
a few basic corals and a bubble tip for the clowns.
Water parameters are all good EXCEPT nitrates which I cannot seem to get down at all They are running about 5-10.
I ordered some stuff which arrive tomorrow (im kinda regretting it now that im starting to think i have a problem - but it was too late to cancel.
But, a brittle star is arriving tomorrow to try and clean the substrate, a green clown goby, and a couple mushrooms...
 
kiefers

kiefers

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by sirbrently http:///t/391957/live-rock-disappearing#post_3478618
The setup is almost two months old. The rock is roughly about a month and a half old. I have been watching it.. I have not seen any critters around.. My stock includes:
2 True percs
Emerald Crab
5-6 Hermits
1 Bumble Bee snail
Roughly 3-4 snails in the tank
a few basic corals and a bubble tip for the clowns.
Water parameters are all good EXCEPT nitrates which I cannot seem to get down at all They are running about 5-10.
I ordered some stuff which arrive tomorrow (im kinda regretting it now that im starting to think i have a problem - but it was too late to cancel.
But, a brittle star is arriving tomorrow to try and clean the substrate, a green clown goby, and a couple mushrooms...
It's hard to say for sure what the issue could be. Some part of me wants to ask you if you possibly have some type of shrimp like a pistol shrimp. Do you hear clicking in your tank at night, mostly 30 minutes or so after the lights go off? I ask because I do have a pistol shrimp and observed a new hole in one of my rocks, but with my busy schedule could not really remember if it was not there before or not. Either that or old age, who really knows. Lol
Does everything else in your tank look healthy?
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Are you sure that spot was hard like a rock when you purchased that piece? It could have been a sponge that was fillin that spot and i just died away from lack of food.
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
Personal I like the the look of the rock with the holes in it. Gives a natural look to it and a place for creatures to hid in. Like Snake said something could of been alive in the hole like a sponge and died during transport. Or could of been a mineral deposit that dissolved. The rock looks good in your tank.
 
sirbrently

sirbrently

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Limpid http:///t/391957/live-rock-disappearing#post_3478638
Personal I like the the look of the rock with the holes in it. Gives a natural look to it and a place for creatures to hid in. Like Snake said something could of been alive in the hole like a sponge and died during transport. Or could of been a mineral deposit that dissolved. The rock looks good in your tank.
Oh, im very happy with the way it looks.. But, as ive said before.. Im not a newbie, I had SW tanks for years-- and got sucked into it again when I was ended up snorkeling a few months back! haha. Ive just never seen anything like this. Overall, im quite happy with how this tank looks after only about eight weeks of being set up.. I also, have spent a lot of time in those 8 weeks - haha. More time in the beginning means less time in the end! :)
 
sirbrently

sirbrently

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiefers http:///t/391957/live-rock-disappearing#post_3478620
It's hard to say for sure what the issue could be. Some part of me wants to add possibly some type of shrimp like a pistol shrimp. Do here hear clicking in your tank at night, mostly 30 minutes or so after the lights go off? I ask because I do have a pistol shrimp and observed a new hole in one of my rocks, but with my busy schedule could not really remember if it was not there before or not. Either that or old age, who really knows. Lol
Does everything else in your tank look healthy?
Funny that you mention that -- i purchased a pistol.. It was doing great (the first day - about a month ago) started building its own home and did its fun little pistol thing for about 14 hours. I woke up and it was dead - **not molted** but dead. I had been watching that pistol shrimp in my LFS for about a month before.
 
sirbrently

sirbrently

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Limpid http:///t/391957/live-rock-disappearing#post_3478638
Personal I like the the look of the rock with the holes in it. Gives a natural look to it and a place for creatures to hid in. Like Snake said something could of been alive in the hole like a sponge and died during transport. Or could of been a mineral deposit that dissolved. The rock looks good in your tank.
I love the fact that my clownfish are going in there and hanging out -- one of them was actually sleeping in there when I got home tonight - before I woke them up for a photo shoot.. Maybe a nice little place to get some eggs?
 
kiefers

kiefers

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by sirbrently http:///t/391957/live-rock-disappearing#post_3478641
Funny that you mention that -- i purchased a pistol.. It was doing great (the first day - about a month ago) started building its own home and did its fun little pistol thing for about 14 hours. I woke up and it was dead - **not molted** but dead. I had been watching that pistol shrimp in my LFS for about a month before.
Sorry to read about the little guy dying on ya like that. I have a Royal gramma doing the same as your clowns. She found a little cave surrounded by my paly's and made it her own. I have a jedi mind trick monti right above those and she seems to be mesmorized by her little property.
I would personally keep an eye out on that area for a small urchin or something. Even if it is dissolving, it shouldn't be this rapid.
JMO
 
sirbrently

sirbrently

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiefers http:///t/391957/live-rock-disappearing#post_3478653
Sorry to read about the little guy dying on ya like that. I have a Royal gramma doing the same as your clowns. She found a little cave surrounded by my paly's and made it her own. I have a jedi mind trick monti right above those and she seems to be mesmorized by her little property.
I would personally keep an eye out on that area for a small urchin or something. Even if it is dissolving, it shouldn't be this rapid.
JMO
Yeah I agree--
I guess one thing that im REALLY nervous about is that if there is a problem.. the rock will dissolve to a point where it breaks in two, falls down and kills corals, fish, or god forbid, breaks the glass on my tank!! Oye. being its a nano -- I dont have a lot of room for things to be moved around... Hey, what is a "monti" haha
 
kiefers

kiefers

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by sirbrently http:///t/391957/live-rock-disappearing#post_3478654
Yeah I agree--
I guess one thing that im REALLY nervous about is that if there is a problem.. the rock will dissolve to a point where it breaks in two, falls down and kills corals, fish, or god forbid, breaks the glass on my tank!! Oye. being its a nano -- I dont have a lot of room for things to be moved around... Hey, what is a "monti" haha
Quote:
Originally Posted by sirbrently http:///t/391957/live-rock-disappearing#post_3478654
Yeah I agree--
I guess one thing that im REALLY nervous about is that if there is a problem.. the rock will dissolve to a point where it breaks in two, falls down and kills corals, fish, or god forbid, breaks the glass on my tank!! Oye. being its a nano -- I dont have a lot of room for things to be moved around... Hey, what is a "monti" haha
Montipora, an SPS.
chocolate chip Montipora. This pic is not very good. Jedi mind trick monti. Now 3X this size.

Yellow rimmed Turbinara.
 
sirbrently

sirbrently

Member
Ok, i found something BAAAADDDDD i think.... There is some sort of creature living in the rock.. i caught it chewing and digging a hole and then it went back in.. It is roughly 5 inches long...... Looks like it has teeth... What do I do????
It is severely light sensitive.... So, the pictures arent the best.. but they were the best I could do while I was almost shivering with excitement as to this discovery!!!!
Any ideas? When its "arm" or whatever comes out it looks like it has teeth on the end.. they are white!

 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I would say either a peanut worm or a possible filterfeeding clam... both are quite possible..
It could be that the clam moved itself further up into the rock... that might explain the live rock "disappearing"

This is a filter feeding clams mouth (geoduck).. typically there are somehow two of them. one sucks water in and the other expels it. (IE Bivalve)
 
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