live rock question

[twobitt]

Has anyone heard of certain kinds of live rock increasing alkalinity in your tank? I have one piece of live rock I bought from my lfs and I'm not sure exactly what it is. I will have to take some pictures and figure out how to post it on here. Anyways I am having a serious problem in my tank with my dkh levels being way too high and they are not going down. The owner of the store where I bought the piece said certain rock can have this effect and wants me to bring it back in and exchange it for another. I really don't want to do this without even knowing if it is the source of the problem since it is a very unique looking rock and is home to many tank critters. I'm not sure exactly how to describe the rock but it looks mostly smooth with pretty flat sides and has pores in it if you look closely. It is like a cement grey in color to tan and when you look at the chipped edges it looks like it is layered like a piece of slate rock or maybe some sandstones.

 

[sepulatian]

Yes some rock such as limestone, granite, and I am sure many others will raise ph and KH. Rocks that are not "grown" rocks (meaning they are actually produced from the ground, not from living things dieing then more living things inhabiting it) are all just mineral deposits. These were sold to you as live rock?

 

[twobitt]

It is only one rock that I am concerned about. I was in the store viewing the live rock and they had an interesting looking piece so I picked it up. The rest of my rock is fiji, tonga, and marshal island. I have been adding to it slowly when I come by an interesting piece. Just bought a 20 lb piece of tonga last nite that is really unique looking and I love it. Anyways I am going to have to take some pictures and post it and hope someone can identify it because I am having no success on an id and am concerned it may be the culprit. Oh almost forgot to answer your question. I was not told specifically it was live rock when I purchased it but it was in the live rock section curing with the rest of the live rock and although not covered with corraline it did have some life like a couple of feather dusters if I'm not mistaken growing on it.

 

[twobitt]

two pictures of my live rock hopefully someone can identify what type it is and also one pick of my most recent purchase of a large piece of tonga

 

[twobitt]

Any guesses as to what type of rock this may be and whether or not it could be causing my high alkalinty problem?

 

[twobitt]

bump

 

[1journeyman]

If you are concerned about it, put it in a seperate tub of new saltwater with a powerhead. Monitor levels and see if that's the issue.

 

[twobitt]

Thanks for the reply. If noone is able to identify the type of rock for me I will definitely do that.

 

[sepulatian]

It looks similar in structure to a piece I bought last year that was labeled as base rock that was cured with the live. (sorry for the poor picture quality) If you have any doubts though, there is no harm in pulling it out and doing as 1journeyman said.

 

[twobitt]

Yeah just hoping to avoid that so I don't have to go through the hassle and because it's the home to many of my tank inhabitants. In the first picture you can see my fire shrimp poking his head out for the picture. Well that little cave is shared by him, my serpent star, yellow watchman goby, and one large snail. I think they are called mexican turbo snails or something. Anyways with the low population of fish atm it's the most interesting thing in the tank and I would rather avoid kicking them out of their home if it's possible. After all their is alot of them and they might group up against me

 

[mudplayerx]

What is your calcium level at?

 

[twobitt]

calcium level is about 360

 

[twobitt]

Originally Posted by sepulatian
It looks similar in structure to a piece I bought last year that was labeled as base rock that was cured with the live. (sorry for the poor picture quality) If you have any doubts though, there is no harm in pulling it out and doing as 1journeyman said.
Still looking for an id on this rock. I'm still having the alkalinity problem and am really hoping to avoid taking this rock out. Sepulatian I believe you may be referring to the smaller rock that is in front of the rock in question. That piece I think is just a standard fiji. The first picture shows the rock clearly and the 2nd picture is a side view but has a small piece of fiji rock in the lower part of the picture that sits in front of the rock.
:help: