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The use of live rock has become synonomous with marine aquarium keeping, but what is it, where does it come from, and how do you use it?
What is Live Rock? Technically-speaking, live rock is any porous rock colonized with life after exposure to a biologically rich environment. The biologically rich environment is usually a natural reef, and the rock itself is usually rubble that has been knocked off a living reef by storm damage. Live rock is also aquacultured in some places, although it has yet to be determined whether this process will catch on with consumers. Like aquaculturing, “dead” rock (sometimes sold as “base rock”) introduced to a mature marine tank will become “live” over time as it is colonized by bacteria and other organisms. Because live rock is full of life, it should be treated as a living thing. This means that after purchasing live rock at the local fish store, you should take care to keep it wet (wet newspaper draped over it in a cooler works fine for short trips), oxygenated and warm (between 70 and 80 degrees F). If you purchase live rock online, be sure it is packaged properly and shipped quickly. Even under the best conditions, some of the flora and fauna growing on the rock will be damaged and will eventually die. This is why live rock needs to be “cured.” If the aquarist purchased so-called “cured” live rock, the curing period in the hobbyist’s tank will be much shorter than if he or she purchased uncured live rock. The process of curing live rock simply refers to the dying-off of organisms damaged during transport, and the resulting chemical byproduct of this die-off—ammonia. During the curing process, no other organisms should be added to the tank, as the toxic levels of ammonia will likely kill anything but the hardiest animal. Once the live rock has cured (identified by water testing) and the desired aquascaping is complete, the aquarist should do his or her best to not disturb the rock. It is essential to allow the exterior surface to be fully colonized by denitrifying bacteria. Live rock, bacteria if used in sufficient quantities, will serve as an excellent biological filter when colonized by denitrifying. If the aquarist plans to use live rock as the system’s sole biological filtration, at least one pound of live rock per gallon of water should be added to the tank. Many aquarists add as much as two pounds of live rock per gallon—an expensive proposition when premium live rock sells for upwards of $4 per pound. One trick is to buy a combination of much cheaper “base rock” and more expensive live rock. The base rock can then be used to build the shape of the reef structure, and the live rock can be added around and on top of the base rock for its aesthetic value. The base rock will, of course, take longer to be colonized than the live rock. Alternatively, the aquarist can use a smaller amount of live rock in the display tank and then employ another biological filtration system in the sump (such as a wet-dry, trickle filter) or adjacent to the tank (like a fluidized bed filter). Regardless of whether or not the aquarist chooses to use live rock in quantities sufficient to handle all biological filtration, live rock should be a part of every saltwater system including fish only systems.
The copyright of the article Live Rock in Pet Care is owned by Ret Talbot. Permission to republish Live Rock in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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