H
hongkongma
Guest
I've done a thread search and haven't really found a definition of what live rock is. Silly question from a newbie.
poniegirl
Active Member
Not a silly question.
Live rock is simply rock that supports live organisms. The rock itself is not alive.
CURED live rock is rock that has been allowed to go through a nitrogen cycle and so also carries beneficial bacteria that act as a biological filter in your system.
When purchasing live rock, you should make sure it has been cured or take matters into your own safe hands and cure it before you add it to your tank. This can be as simple as a plastic bucket with airation and/or a powerhead (saltwater, of course). Treat this bucket of water with rock just as you would a newly cycling tank. Or allow it to cycle with your tank when you set up the tank originally.
Live rock can come with a multitude of "hitchhikers", in other words, little live critters. These can range from little marine "bugs" (copepods, amphipods, isopods) to some hardy zoanthids. I actually ended up with a colony of zoanthids on some rock that I bought. Granted, not very colorful zoas, but, none-the-less....
It can be entertaining to see just what you end up with when you add the live rock.
Live rock is simply rock that supports live organisms. The rock itself is not alive.
CURED live rock is rock that has been allowed to go through a nitrogen cycle and so also carries beneficial bacteria that act as a biological filter in your system.
When purchasing live rock, you should make sure it has been cured or take matters into your own safe hands and cure it before you add it to your tank. This can be as simple as a plastic bucket with airation and/or a powerhead (saltwater, of course). Treat this bucket of water with rock just as you would a newly cycling tank. Or allow it to cycle with your tank when you set up the tank originally.
Live rock can come with a multitude of "hitchhikers", in other words, little live critters. These can range from little marine "bugs" (copepods, amphipods, isopods) to some hardy zoanthids. I actually ended up with a colony of zoanthids on some rock that I bought. Granted, not very colorful zoas, but, none-the-less....
It can be entertaining to see just what you end up with when you add the live rock.