Live Rock

[AlohaChic]

Hi....this is my first start with aquariums. I have a new 55g tank and want to know if it is necessary to have live rock?? This will be a fish only tank
I have been told that it makes for a balanced ecosystem?!?! Anyways, the fake coral is much prettier, but I want my first tank to be done the right way. Any ideas?

 

[Teelie]

While I've never kept a SW tank, I have worked with them when I was at my LFS and they are indeed necessary and vital to a healthy, long lived aquarium. They provide all kinds of creatures and bacterial support that help keep the water clean and safe for your other fish, inverts, etc.

IMO, if you can buy it, do so. They're also like Christmas presents. You never know what's inside waiting to be found until you get it. Sometimes it could be like that toy you've always wanted or a lousy pair of socks.

 

[Hazmat]

I would say you REALLY should get live rock it acts as a natural filter. As far as the dead coral, It is what it is. It does nothing for the tank but decorate. Live rock is something completely different.

Good Luck
Hazmat

 

[hyrookin]

I have 2 opinions to give you: 1. live rock is not an absolute necessity for a fish-only tank. you
can have a very healthy tank without it. I myself have a 55 gallon tank
with no live rock,and 3 of my fish are almost four years old and are vibrant
and healthy. 2. there is just about no negatives to having live rock for a fish only tank,only
positives, like what teelie and hazmat stated. so my advice would be that if you have the means,
then definitely start-up your new tank with live-rock. if it is not in your budget at this time, then
don't sweat it, your tank will be fine with-out it, as long as you are dilligent with your tank
maintenance.
hope this helps.

 

[HManOne]

Should'vd asked earlier...how much live rock do i need??

 

[leanne]

They say if you have 1lb per gallon then you can remove all other biological filtration... Not sure about mechanical filtration though.

 

[Teelie]

I would say you REALLY should get live rock it acts as a natural filter. As far as the dead coral, It is what it is. It does nothing for the tank but decorate. Live rock is something completely different.

Good Luck
Hazmat

One exception to this is dead coral can become live with other live rock in the aquarium which makes it valuable and a cheap way to get additional live rock. True live rock is more expensive than dead rock or dead coral. Here it's something like $7.00 a pound for live rock but coral bones are like $3.00 a pound. I don't know how long it takes for dead rock and coral to become seeded however.

 

[HManOne]

teelie

here (florida) live rock is about $5 per pound, which can obvisouly get quite
costly!

 

[Teelie]

Just imagine the cost in landlocked states up North. It costs more to ship it up there.

 

[leanne]

Imagine how we are in England... Figi live rock can cost up to £14 (about $20 - $22) cured and the "bog standard" stuff is about £10 (about $16). That is why I can't afford to set up a larger tank and why I have been adding my live rock bit by bit...

 

[Teelie]

I don't know why it costs so much there. Seems nearly everything is expensive there.

 

[leanne]

It's probably due to the shipping costs. Its a big pond it all has to get across... I suspect the survival rate for a lot of the creatures is lower due to the distance.

 

[leanne]

Did you know that petrol here is about 85p a litre?!?!?! That works out about $1.28 a litre (US)! And there's uproar in Canada about the high prices... My auntie complained because it cost her the equvalent of £40 to fill up her 8l people carrier - I have a 1.9l diesel that costs £45 to fill up here! It's getting that bad that I have moved towns so I now live where I work (leaving all my firends - apart from weekends) so I can actually afford to buy a house. It sounds stupid but I couldn't afford a mortgage and a car because of the petrol costs...

 

[HManOne]

yeah i dont know why it cost so much here!! Well, i guess we'll add a little at a time. I just worry that since this is my first tank, all the undesired little creatures and being able to take care of any problems....hyrookin says he had no problems without the live coral. So let me ask, if we go with some live rock, is it best to
start the cycle of a new tank with the live rock? Or can we safely add it after we add our first livestock?
Thanks for all the good suggestions!!

 

[Navarre]

With regards to live rock. There simply is no better filteration you can purcahse pound for pound (or dollar for dollar) this is natures way of keeping the sea pure and clean. Man im afraid to say is far from achieving such an effocient filter.

Also. Live rock is the only surefire way of having a filtration system that can 100% complete the ammonia cycle. Other filtratin methods are very efficient at getting the cycle as far as Nitrates but there it seems to stop. Only way to reduce the niitrares then is to replace water with water changes. live rock can remove nitrates by converting it to Nitrogen gas and then its released into the atmosphere (Calurpa can do this too but its noway as stable as liverock).

I have a totally natural system, 100 gallon tank, liverock 30 gallon sump with MM base and caulerpa. Even my water is natural and not sythetic, there reallyis no need for mechanical filtration if you stick by natural means. I wont say that i dont have other "backup" means sitting in cupbarods shouldi need them but the tank is very stable and flourishing. This would not be achieved if not for the single additon of liverock. As i alrady said, you cant buy a better filter for the price.