conditions suitable?

We're about to get some live rock. However- before I plop $100 worth of this stuff into an aquarium (they're all connected), I want to make sure it's safe. Is LR pretty sensitive to nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, phosphorus, calcium, or anything? Do they require any special light? Sorry if these are stupid questions but I didn't see any stickies about this or anything. Thanks guys

 

not a stupid question at all. no question is stupid, we all learn from eachother. i put my liverock into my tank after a few days of letting the tank run. it's a good idea to put the liverock in when your cycling as this helps build up your biological filteration. adding liverock to an established tank is a whole different story. most of the stuff on your LR is probably dead so the water won't kill anything. it would be different if it had a bunch of different corals on it.

 

The word "live" in liverock is meant to represent the bacteria that is on the rock, not the critters that may or may not hitchike on it. Any time you add live rock to a tank, whether it's cured or uncured, you will have some die off of bacteria and whatever sponges, etc., may have been living on the rock at the time of purchase. This is why it's best to add as much of if not all of your liverock when you first start cycling the tank as this die off will cause an ammonia/nitrite/nitrate spike. If you buy live rock that is encrusted with coralline, you can expect some of it to die off and turn white but it should come back within a matter of time once your water becomes more stable. You do not need lights to keep it alive.

 

I agree with Nemo. Even LR will have a lot of dead materials on it.

Since it appears that your tanks are all connected, make sure that the LR is cured VERY well to avoid risking injury to your other tanks. (I.e....don't worry about the LR, worry about the inhabitants of your other tanks). If you don't have another tank to finish the curing process, buy the LR in smaller amounts and add it to your tank(s) in smaller amounts to minimize ammonia spikes.

 

:thumb_up:

Annick,

On another board I said that and about 30 people viciously attacked me. (I'm sure you can guess which board if you think REAL HARD : ). The Berlin Style reeftank is what made this hobby available to the masses. I.e. skimmers and LR. They didn't need no stinkin' worms back then and we don't need no stinkin' worms now. However, if you're into worms and other critters, then that's cool....I'm just pointing out that bacteria in the LR is what is doing the job for us.

 

You tell me who they were and I'll take them out at the knees for ya! I have a very good feeling that I know what board you're talking about. Speaking of "About", that's another place where someone tried to hand me my own butt when discussing the same subject.

 

Lol!!!

 

:

I wonder what board that might be? ;D

 

Thanks guys, so basically LR's main function is accomplished by the bacteria it holds, right? And I assume this is the same kind that is found in the sandbed. I've read about the curing process and can handle that. Why would there be an ammonia spike if I add lots of LR at once to an established series of connected tanks? Don't bacteria eat ammonia and nitrite?

 

Yes, most of the bacteria are going to be similar.

It really all depends on how well the LR is cured and how long it is out of the water while you are aquascaping. If it's cured very well and you spritz it with saltwater regularly while aquascaping, this isn't much of an issue. If it's not fully cured or you let it dry out while aquascaping, then the rotting and decaying algaes and animals will cause a an Ammonium spike.

Not really, they serve as an electron receptor and make it a much less dangerous substance. However, to prevent this thread from getting overly complicated, "Eat" is good enough for me.

Adding a whole lot of fully cured LR to an established tank is fine. Adding a little partially cured LR periodically to a tank is usually fine as bacteria reproduce very quickly. Adding a whole lot of partially cured LR to a tank at once could be very stressful...or it might not. It truly depends on your setup. How many gallons are we talking about? How cured is the rock? Etc.