Live Rock???

[thewolfman777]

I just went to my lfs and was asking about live rock. I got the impression the guy really didnt have an extensive back ground in swf, but neither do I. I have read time and time again in these message boards that nearly everyone uses lr in fo tanks. I tried to sound knowledgable w/ the info I have pick up through all of you here, but the guys was saying that lr needs different salinity than most fish need. I keep my salinity @ .021-.022m never exceeding .023. Is this true and if so, what water parameters are needed to house lr? I tried to explain that I heard lr is good for the biological system within the tank as explained in alot of these postings. He was trying to say that lr is only good in reef tanks. He also made the point of saying that lr has parasites that can damage the fish, is this true? Also, does lr need shrimp, etc to be in the tank and do shrimp, etc need lr to survive. Is there an acclimation process for lr or can you just put it in the tank? Do you need a protein skimmer for lr? Sorry for all the questions butI would really appreciate if some of you can shed some light on this topic. Thanks!

 

[mlm]

Live rock needs the same salinity as any other saltwater fish or coral.

 

[fshhub]

lr needs the same salinity, and other parameters as fish, a higher salinity and calcium will HELP algae to grow faster(but is not required, and this high will not in any way harm the fish, and is very easy ot maintain, but teh choice would be yours) lr can survive under other conditions, but the live stuff will probably die off, but lr is not only for reefs, as you have heard here before, and lr does have all kinda critter, mostly beneficail(very), as for parasites, i find that very hard to swallow, as yes it can, but parasites generally come on a host lifeform, they cannot survive long with out one,(ex. ick, has a 4 week lifespan, and with no host, will die, so how does lr contribute there?), MOST parasite you will encounter will probably come with the fish you buy not the lr
no shrimp and lr do NOT need each other, but they generally do work well to gether(maybe even better, as shrimp can use the shelter
and as for acclimating lr, no, it does however need to be cured before adding it to a system with other life in there, if not you will get an ammonia spike form the die off, which more than likely will kill everything, but the good news is you can buy it cured, or cure it yourself in any clean(unwashed) container
HTH

 

[diatom]

*LOL* that is so funny....so the live rock that comes from the ocean need a diffrent saline level then the fish that inhabit the live rock? Interesting concept

 

[whipple]

Hey wolfman you need a new LFS but think of it this way if it comes from the same place it will use the same enviroment, When you go back to your LFS ask for help from some one else. HTH

 

[fshhub]

diatom, the fish actually come from the same water @ 1.026, too, but do as well in a little lower salinity, inverts are the ones that have the hardest time in lower salinity, but lr will do wellin a lower level, only some of the stuff on the lr may do better in the higher salinity(but will more than likely still be more than fine)

 

[diatom]

Fshhub~
Hmm maybe my post wasn't very clear. It just seems like so much common sense that the environment that they came from was the same that I am suprised that anyone whould say such a silly thing.
Now I realize that there are variations and tolerences differ for diffrent creatures, but recomending a diffrent saline level for fish then LR? That just made me laugh.