Reef Discussion

[Dynamic]

Hey people,

After Matt Green told me that my live rock did not look very "live" I am just wondering what I should be looking for when I go to purchase some. Photos would be great.

Thanks :D

 

[DavidS]

Hahah - it's a bit of a learning thing
My first "Live rock"
After the addition of some real live rock - anemonia and all. You can see the contrast between the real live rock and the not quite live rock on the left.

That stuff on the left my LFS sold as "Premium live rock" @ $20/kg. The rock on the right cost me about $65 for 5kg delivered.

 

[DavidS]

Colour is good. Lots of coraline is good. Sponges and stuff might die off. Look for hitchhikers good and bad - that last pic has anemonia on the bit in the middle - it's the cool green stuff... that I had to remove. My "premium" love rock got no where until I added the stuff on the right, then the tank took off. Critters everywhere.

 

[Dr. Schell]

Really, the most important thing about live rock is not what is on the outside, but what is within it. Ideally, you want your live rock to be relatively porus (light in weight). If you are on a shoesting budget (like me), you need only purchase a single piece with some intereiting coraline, etc..... If you have some "not so alive" rock added, the organisms from the purchased live rock will eventually colonise the "not so alive" rock. When I originally set up my display, I used about 1/4 purchased live rock and the rest was dead coral skeletons. Within 2 months, the coral skeletons were colonised by organisms from the purchased stuff. If I had of purchased all the rock as "live rock" is would have cost inexcess or $1000 (more than the rest of the critters within). I got away with it costing just $150. As long as you are patient, it will work. If working with "not so alive" rock, you should consider using some of the liquid bacteria to speed up the cycle. This bacteria will also colonise the "not so alive" rock.

 

[Dynamic]

I have the liquid bacteria. I just need some rock. Tossing up between purchasing some from the LFS or from someone on this site. Anyone selling live rock? lol

 

[DavidS]

As long as you get to see it then it's a start. I bought my real live rock blind - and wound up with pieces that I really can't shape the way I want, but they were certainly alive. Would be nice to be able to pick your pieces a bit. Damn living in no where. :P

 

[Dynamic]

lol

 

[Synodontis]

Hey David, you got your rock from Howitt st I take it? We do a couple of aquariums most weekends, if you can get to Melton one weekend, your more then welcome to join us on a trip around Melbourne lol. If you can put up with Jen's driving.:) Found some decent stuff for $14/Kg. That's about as cheap as I've seen it.

 

[DavidS]

Hahah - thats most certainly where I got my "premium" not so "live rock" from. It is just down the road, and its the only place I've seen here for anything remotely marine. I try to limit just buying fish from them, and other things only when they're throwing them out.

Many thanks for the invite - I may need to take you up on the offer in a couple of months. Jen's driving can't be any worse than me trying to drive through Melbourne :cool:. I've driven to Sandown once a few years ago, and I still haven't recovered from it. :P

 

[Luke]

I'm with the Doc, Most of my rock was dead , I just bought enough to seed the dead rock . Now you wouldn't know, I left mine Without fish for as long as i could tho

 

[Dr. Schell]

Colour is good. Lots of coraline is good. Sponges and stuff might die off. Look for hitchhikers good and bad - that last pic has anemonia on the bit in the middle - it's the cool green stuff... that I had to remove. My "premium" love rock got no where until I added the stuff on the right, then the tank took off. Critters everywhere.

Anemonia are pretty cool, and are fantastic in a fish only setup. The issue with some of the anemonia is that they can reproduce rapidly and are generally hard to kill. I have a large Anemonia sp. in my nanno (see video below) that have not divided or moves in the last 2 years. Both, my anemone crabs and my Percula clowns host this anemone and it is so tough that it thrives in low light. In my oppinion, we are too fast to judge anemonia for what it MAY do!. In my situation, it has behaved completly unlike it "should" and is now providing habitat for my critters.

 

[DavidS]

Nice vid doc. When I first posted pics (elsewhere) of this cool looking green stuff on a bit of live rock, I was told to remove it. Was sorta gutted - was so cool having this cool green in the tank. I think there were 3 or 4 of them I had to remove on the one bit of rock.

 

[Dr. Schell]

If in-doubt, DON'T chuck-it-out, just isolate it and see what it dose! That is what I generally do and it is a great way to LEARN! Advise from others is great, but ultimately, it is your tank and these are LIVING Creatures!!!

 

[DavidS]

I was a bit too newb at the time. If I'd have had more gear setup I'd have probably just kept the rock separate to see what happened. Would have been cool to see it get big.

 

[Dr. Schell]

yes, my anemonia is about the size of a tennis call and looks like a BTA. Stunning beastie and those who visit me, generally have no idea what sort of anemone it is. It started out as a hitch-hiker 3 years ago and was approc the size of a 5c coin and is now the size of a grapefruit. Has grown consistently, has never spit, and not moved (except when I move it). Does not move around like a BTA and is super tough. Under Actinic lights is glows like a Christmas tree and has not stung any other corals, fish or inverts. Appart from Xenia, this is one of my favourite Cnidarians.