How long does it usually take to start seeing new stuff?

After reading all about people seeing cool stuff floating or running around after adding new LR I was wondering if this was right after they added it or months down the road? I added about 45 pounds of it but it came kinda dried up and I havent really seen anything to speak of except things like dead barnacle-like stuff I have to take out so I'm wondering if everything is dead from being too dry

 

most of the people who see hitchhikers and other stuff coming out of their rock, either got it from their LFS or ordered it online. In both cases the rock is still "Live". I dont think you will see anything come from your rock if it was dry. If you want to get the added critters from LR, I would go buy a couple pieces from you LFS, these will help seed the bacteria in your base rock and also you should get some of the additional critters that live within the new rock.

 

If you got dried rock - although perhaps no neat little things are coming out right now, you likely wont get the not so neat things then too - like nuisance algae, not so nice hitch hikers etc. You will have a lot more initial control over what is brought into the tank.

One of my live rocks i purchased at a LFS managed to house at last 2 eunicid worms - NOT a good kind of rock critter.

If you do buy some - just be sure to give it the best once-over that you can. I do not think it would take much to kickstart what you have already.

I have decided that when i upgrade my tank in the not too distant future that I am going to buy dried rock and perk it up with a couple of select pieces that I already have and see how that goes

what about your sand bed? Just curious - is it brand new as well?

 

The sand bed is only about 3 months old. I got some "live" sand from the lfs, but I'm sure not much can stay alive in a bag sitting on a shelf.

The rock is covered with some nice pink coralline growth but yeah I don't think anythings alive in it besides that. It wasn't bone dry, just slightly moist and covered in moist newspaper, but it wasn't in any water or anything like I initially expected. I guess when you get live rock from the pacific they don't ship in water because of shipping costs or something.

It sucks cause here in town the stores only get nice show quality live rock with any coralline at all once in a blue moon.

Just as well I suppose, I was worried about getting a mantis or something worse. There is some weird barnacle looking shell which sometimes I see open and sometimes closed but that's about the most interesting thing I have found.

I got the premium fiji rock from Fosters and Smith

 

That is live rock. they usually ship it covered with wet newspaper. if you buy it from your local LFS, they will wrap it in wet newspaper too. just give it some time and things will show up. i added my rock six months ago and i still find things that i didn't know was in there. some of the things in there will just need time to get large enough for you to notice. i had a mantis shrimp in mine for months before i ever saw it. i love finding all those little strange creatures........even the so called pests.

 

Well thats good to know Now if I could get the coralline to stop bleaching I'd be happy. I think it may be light levels. The purple stuff I already have in there love the light and I had a patch of bright pink growing until I rearranged the rock and it started going white. I moved the rock with the pink farther from the lights and that seems to have at least stopped the bleaching. The pink on the LR that I just got thats in direct light seems to be all white now. Jeez I didn't think I had that much output from my lights. I might try to just use actinic for now and leave the 50/50 off

 

what is your lighting? i have read that some people with halides can't get the corraline to grow because it is too much light. Once again, i would just give it time. pretty soon, you will probably have it everywhere. As everyone on this site will tell you over and over again, this hobby takes patience.

 

Not anything impressive just T5 HO
2x 54W Actinic
2x 54W 50/50

The tank is a 100g tall so its only 48" long but its a little taller than typical dimensioned 100g tanks

 

that shouldn't be too much. it might have just been shock. the rocks probably weren't under very much light prior to getting to your tank. i wouldn't worry about it, pretty soon your whole tank will be pink and purple. don't forget to buy a glass scraper, that stuff won't be removed by a sponge.

 

If you have a friend with a reef tank - you can always bring a small bit of their sand home to your tank as well to help "seed it".