Live Rock

[dayzofspeed]

i may have the opportunity to get hold of some live rock and a tank, problem is it would be a 45min trip back by car. how would i go about stopping die off over that period of time, i need help here as this could be a real bargain if i can get it also how would i go about keeping it live until i can set the tank up, i have access to a spare heater (although its one i took out of my freshwater tank as it was running too warm for my liking) i also have some freshwater pumps i could use to keep the water moving would this work, please advise and you could get me onto the first rung of the ladder........ kevin

 

[dayzofspeed]

anyone around?

 

[sorgan]

it will be fine for 45 mins TBH, as for keeping it alive you will need a large bucket/container full of salt water thats at about 23-25c.
kepp it heated with some flow and bobs your uncle.

bear in mind that LR is shipped into the country wrapped in wet newspaper.

 

[dayzofspeed]

thats great thanks, mighty good news, although haven't told the wife about it yet lol. have no other eqpt yet and in no rush to get fully set up, once the rock's in the tank do i need to do any other maintenance to keep the rock and any hitchikers healthy, i'm assuming regular water changes will be needed for a while

 

[sorgan]

keep testing the water but aslong as there isnt any ammonia, nitrite or nitrate then all you need is heat and flow. light is good if there is stuff on thr rock you want to grow.

 

[kj23502]

If those pumps are only for freshwater you can't use them in salt. Make sure all the equipment you will be using is suitable for saltwater use. Not all equipment is, including heaters.


you don't need water to transport it. It can be out of water for a couple hours and you'll get minimal die off. When you pull it out of the tank, put it in coolers for insulation and it will be fine.

Then to keep it at your house until the tank is set up:

fill something (large container of some sort) with saltwater mixed to sea level 1.026 sg and throw in a heater and powerhead to keep the water moving. You'll have the light loving things die if there isn't light over it, including coralline algae (if it's in there for more than a couple days).

 

[dayzofspeed]

ok as i said got no other eqpt at all yet so no testing kit yet, which order of importance are the testing kits obv ammonia is top of the list i guess

If those pumps are only for freshwater you can't use them in salt. Make sure all the equipment you will be using is suitable for saltwater use. Not all equipment is, including heaters.


you don't need water to transport it. It can be out of water for a couple hours and you'll get minimal die off. When you pull it out of the tank, put it in coolers for insulation and it will be fine.

Then to keep it at your house until the tank is set up:

fill something (large container of some sort) with saltwater mixed to sea level 1.026 sg and throw in a heater and powerhead to keep the water moving. You'll have the light loving things die if there isn't light over it, including coralline algae (if it's in there for more than a couple days).

not even for a couple of days?

 

[kj23502]

not even for a couple days for what? There are a lot of parts to my response.

 

[dayzofspeed]

the pump

 

[kj23502]

Not if it's only intended for freshwater. Saltwater is highly conductive and I would not take the chance with my life. That's part of the problem.

 

[dayzofspeed]

ok thanks for the info, i needn't have worried anyway, turns out it wasnt live rock at all, was just base rock, but at least i have the info i need for next time

 

[Donya]

If those pumps are only for freshwater you can't use them in salt.

This is a bit off topic, but I'm a bit confused here, since I've honestly never seen a pump that said fw-only somewhere on the box or in the manual. What pumps carry that kind of stipulation?

 

[ozzie2011]

Donya I might be off here but I think with pumps like you might buy for a garden pond would not be usable in a sump for example.

 

[Donya]

Donya I might be off here but I think with pumps like you might buy for a garden pond would not be usable in a sump for example.

I have a couple small pond-type pumps with magnet-driven impellers that never said anything like that, although I've never had a larger one to have a look at the manual or crack open to see if it looks substantially different inside. However, if there's actually human/animal health risk due to possible electric shock when used in sw, it should also be a risk for fw with high numbers of other ions. The average mix of sw would probably still be the better conductor when compared to average fw tanks (although some fw can have a massive GH or KH), but even so I would be very wary of such a pump if electric shock is the issue.

 

[ozzie2011]

Im not an expert on this but I would say it could have something to do with rubber seals and not retardant to salt water rather than you just getting electricuted when you put them in