What's the sense in buying "Live Rock"

I, myself have a mix of base and LR and cycled my tank for over 8 weeks before adding any fish. So, if you use base rock or actually either way... make sure to take your time for the cycle to complete.

 

bacteria isnt what you pay for. it is the living critter and coralline etc... that you pay for. If you buy LR and have it shipped, it is just as live as the day the LFS got it. If you cure it, one less trip in a bag even if it was just a short one. Unless your LFS is in the Keys or something...

 

And don't forget you get a whole host of worms, stars, and other beneficial critters. Yes you can get nuisance ones too. It's a toss up. I don't really have a problem with either. Since I have plenty of critters, if I ever move up it will probably be dry with the rock I have.

 

When I started my tank about 2 months ago, I wasn't too worried about having an incredible display from day one. I bought about 60# of dry rock and about 10-15# of "premium coraline covered rock from the LFS". This was for my 55 gallon tank. Since I added all of the rock together, in 2 months most of the dry rock is 50% covered already with coralline algae and that was with old bulbs and maybe not the best water. If you keep your lighting up and water chemistry good, it will spread even faster as I am starting to see.

 

Well if people truly and fully understood the De nitrification cycle and how the bacteria work, live and die then you would know there is no such thing as cured live rock. When rock it pulled from one system with a determined bio demand or load then placed into a different system with another load then there will be die off or bacterial colony increases depending on what the loads are.

And if the rock is placed into a system that is in need of more bacteria then that L/R will not colonize any faster then a dry base rock would . Its all about the bacteria and pest on L/R I'd rather grow my one bacteria and not the added pestilence
And by the same token if there is no need for the added bacteria there will be die off and oxygen depletion and a mini cycle with a spike of ammonia or NO2 or both . Just depends on how out of balance the system it thrown .

 

Yea, what HE said!

 

lol