Live Rock & Base Rock

[australia]

what the difference is in them?

 

[Buddyboy67]

Live rock is very porous and has been kept "alive" in the sea or a mature aquarium, being saturated with bacteria and micro organisms that will filter the water in your tank...
Base rock however is "dead", uncultured rock that can be used as a foundation for your live rock to be built up on....if a porous rock over time it will become "live". If solid, like ocean rock, the surface will become live but the rest of the rock will remain dead as no water or organisms can get inside.

 

[australia]

okay cheers....is this live rock?

?

 

[youngfisher]

That is what live rock is, however theres nothing to say its alive. It could be dead.

YF

 

[australia]

That is what live rock is, however theres nothing to say its alive. It could be dead.

YF

im beginner and i want to keep live rock so how can i be sure its alive?

 

[youngfisher]

Well, once you add all your LR (live rock) to your tank, dont add any fish or anything straight away. You need to keep testing the water, once ammonia and nitrite are 0 and nitrate is below 10. Also if your keeping corals you want to have low phosphates. Once all your readings are good that means its fully alive. Most people that have new set ups dont have 100% live rock, be it them having the rock out of the water can cause die off. This is called a cycle, once readings are good your cycle is finished and your rock should be 100% live.

YF

 

[AK77]

The only way you can tell really is by putting it in a tank of salt water with a heater at about 26c and circulation pumps. Then add some organic matter (bit of fish food should do the trick) that will break down and create ammonia. Test the water, to see if the ammonia levels drop. If the bacteria are present, then you should see a spike in ammonia, then a drop down to zero. A spike in nitrite and a fall towards zero, then a gradual increase in nitrates - at least I think that's correct.

I remember ages ago, so poor newbie had a load of live rock and kept it stored in a cardboard box in their garage. Transformed the live rock into.... rock lol.

Get it back into the water, with the pumps and heater first!

 

[youngfisher]

AK77, just a quick question wouldnt he be better to test his rock when its in water before adding some fish food? Because if all readings are fine surely he doesnt need to add any food? And if there is bad readings then the die off will cause bacteria like ammonia for the live rock to feed on?

YF

 

[AK77]

Hi mate,

Well my thinking is this. If the rock is dead and void of all organisms, then there won't be anything to decay and create ammonia in the water. Since the water will be pure water with salted added, there won't be any organic matter in that either. By placing the rock in the water with the heaters and pumps and adding something that will create ammonia, he will be able to detect it. If the ammonia level doesn't fall after spiking and convert into a nitrite spike, which should then fall as its converted into nitrates, then you know that the rock is dead.

I'm sure other people will have an idea to test the rock. I just thought the above would provide a logical solution, as you are guaranteed to create ammonia, the results of which can be monitored to reach a conclusion

 

[jtnova13]

does the rock stay that color even after the coraline dies?

 

[seffieuk]

does the rock stay that color even after the coraline dies?

No not normally - just ensure you buy from someone off a forum or the like, you can check what sort of a poster or reputaion they have then. Must admit i don't remember ever hearing of someone buying live rock from a reefer and then finding out it isn't but i suppose it must happen!

Seffie x