Live Rock!!!

gkw · 02-07-2006, 11:29 PM

I bought about 5 lbs last week and 2 lbs today....there were no hitchhikers on the rocks last week but I got 3 very small Green Zoo looking things, 4 tiny feather dusters (2 brown, 2 orange), and 2 tiny little brown fan thingies. Oh, and a snail.

The Zoo (assuming) closes up after lights out and open back up when the light's on. It open from the center and kinda spread the green things out to form a circle.

The LR I got last week was more porous and was not cured. A lot of dead purple coraline on it. Now they are coming off along with some other things. Should I take them out and brush the loose algea out?

Also, I have a dead mushsroom on one of my rock. Does it matter in the tank? It's all white and hard.

Thanks!
GKW

Diver_1298 · 02-08-2006, 08:14 AM

I would clean them off and then put them back in. If not they will make the tank stink and go through another major ammonia cycle.

Jim

kb.bear · 02-08-2006, 11:45 AM

7 lbs of liverock IMO will not make much of an impact in a 125 gal tank

gkw · 02-08-2006, 03:44 PM

I just cleaned the worst 2 rocks and one of them have a 'dirt' wall in the bottom that formed a hole. That was nasty I had to use my fingers cause my tooth brush wasn't doing any damage to it. Overall, they looks way better than before and I vaccum the sand bed a the best I can.

BTW, I think the green circles are "polyp." They are coo.

Thanks!

Phil5613 · 02-08-2006, 07:48 PM

Hee Hee becareful when "cleaning" out holes in LR with your fingers! A resident may not like uninvited guests! They swelling goes down but the lesson is not forgotten.

rickzter · 02-08-2006, 08:02 PM

I love hitchhikers, but you do take a risk. Trust me, you might have more on there that you haven't seen.

I got two of what appeared to be small abalones from a fuzzy mushroom frag! I also got an asterina star and some other crap.

gkw · 02-08-2006, 09:19 PM

yeah, there was a tiny little brown and white (mostly brown) slug-like thing. it went in-water diving and got carried somewhere by the current and i can't find it anymore. is it a bad thing?

also, i found out i got like 3-5 more feather dusters in another rock. they lost their feathers and i only see the 2 little tentacles sticking out.

sadly, that's all i am gonna get. i will be making my own tomorrow to save on some money. those was bought for seeding.

BTW, do i need to feed the polyp or the feather dusters?

Thanks!

coral reefer · 02-09-2006, 06:20 PM

Right now, you don't need to feed anything in your tank. You have enough nutrients in your water to handle what little is in your tank now on the lr. AS far as live rock is concerned, I would add more live rock to your tank 1-1.5 lbs. per gallon. The beneficial bacteria and living organisms far outweigh the few if any bad organisms ie. Aptasia anemones, and Mantis shrimp which can be removed from your tank.
The corraline algae is dying because you don't have enough light, water movement, and calcium. The mushroom polyp, if that is in fact what it is, may be bleaching as a last ditch effort of survival(releasing zooxanthellae) due to reduced lighting. Depending on what you plan on keeping ie. fowlr, reef) I would make up my mind soon to make arrangements for lighting requirements( you need alot more wattage than you have now) to support any type of coral or inverts. You may want to read and research saltwater aquariums books and read threads on 3Reef to help you to have as few problems as possible...good luck!

gkw · 02-09-2006, 10:44 PM

actually i am planning to do FOWLR for the first 6 - 8 months after my tank cycled, so I will be more familiar with marine aquarium's water chemistry and the likes. Due to my budget, i won't be getting the required light anytime soon, so the polyp probably gonna die

. I will be doing around 3 - 5 per gallon later on.

and the mushsroom looks all dead already when i bought the rock.

Also, do I need strong lights for invert??? I thought they didn't need the strong light. I am planning to get some cleaner shrimp, pistol, pepermint, and some crabs.

Thanks!

coral reefer · 02-10-2006, 02:30 PM

3-5 watts per gallon is not bad. You won't be able to do Gonipora's, most Acros, Crocea and Maxima clams, especially if you don't have metal halides. You are fine with polyps(asst.) as well as most inverts. Anemones may be alittle tough as some need strong lighting.