Texas Holey Rock Questions

[smelleybrad]

Will these rocks grow coraline algea? What are the pro's and con's about putting some of these in my reef tank? I have two pieces I would like to put in the my 125 reef along with my live rock.

[GaryP]

Any surface with adequate light, calcium, and alkalinity will grow coraline algae.

The major con to using it, and I have in the past is that its basically dead biologically as compared to Live Rock. It doesn't have the necessary porosity to develop biologically the way that reef rocks will.

The only real pro is cost, as compared to live rock.

[wkopplin]

They will be fine in your tank.

[Instar]

I decided against the holey rock due to the possibility of veins with quartz, iron and other things like a softer silica that can dissolve and that I can not control. If it was homogenized so to speak, then I might use a couple pieces of it for base rock, but really not to much. Its very heavy compared to live rock. Its best in a fresh water cyclid tank where it can't react with all the trace elements in marine salt mixes or perhaps soaked in the ocean for a couple years to be sure, if there is such a thing as being sure all the viens of whatever are cleaned out of it. I have some that has a lot of gold in it and calcium carbonate is not gold.

[smelleybrad]

Thanks for the info. It looks good in there plus I like all the holes for the fish and other things to hide in. If I can't get it to grow coraline its going to be out.

[NaCl_H2O]

I used some of the limestone rock in my old 125g and always suspected it had something to do with my difficulty maintaining Alk and PH levels, but I can't prove that :unsure

I used it as base rock, not exposed. One concern is that ditritis will gather in the holes, and your water flow may not be adequate to keep it washed out ... and as others said, it isn't porous enough to host the bacteria that would break down the waste.

You can pick up base rock (dead calcareous rock) for less than $2/lb - A much better choice IMO.

[christerrell2k3]

i have a rather nice size of holey rock left over from the frontosa tank, but for me i have macro growing all over it, rather taking over i must say, but the nice green and black areas are starting to be encrusted in coraline, once i move the tanks ill take some pics and show ya, havnt had a problem with it though, and my flame hawkfish and coral bandid shrimp call it home... (the weirdest buddy system i have seen yet, i would almost say the shrimp is starting to gain on him on size, will take a pic of that too haaha)

[bprewit]

I just got a couple of fairly big pieces of this stuff today and added it to my tank. Pretty cool looking rock but way heavy! Have seen a few reef tanks with some of it added for looks on top of good porus rock and seems to grow coralline just fine and looks nice ones its been in a tank for awhile.