Live Rock Question! Please Help

[Pennies2Cents]

Hi again,

I have been thinking long and hard about this one and still I cant come up with an answer. Please tell me what you think?:confused:

Where does live rock come from? The live rock at the stores look like normal pieces of flat rock! Could I do this? How long would it take.

Thanks

[Jonthefishguy]

Live rock is rock that has been harvested from designated areas within the ocean. There are numerous kind of live rock including man-made and all have endless shapes and sizes. Live rock is called live rock because of the billions of different species of life thriving not only on the outside of the rock but in the inside as well if it is porous. Live rock can become dead, lets say if left outside to dry out for a long period of time and everything died on it. It would then be called base rock. However, dead rock( base rock) can become live again over a period of time due to it being in an established aquarium for sometime in which all the little bacteria, critters, algae, and all other micro/macro organisms move back onto the rock.

[Darth-Tater]

Premium aquatics on eckhardt rd NWside has dead rock for an outstanding price. By some of that and lome live from several of the LFS around (use MAAST Sponsers :applause:) It will become live again in no time.

Tater

[SoLiD]

For DEAD Rock to become Fully Seeded Again there will be may factors to take into consideration. Some of these include Time, whether there is Actual Live Rock in direct contact with the Dead Rock, the type of Dead Rock and it's density or in other words, how porous it is. Most Floridian Live Rock Farms leave their Dead Rock in the Atlantic Ocean for a minimun of 2 years to insure that is becomes fully seeded. That's why Live Rock costs so much. HTH

-David

[Darth-Tater]

Gosh, I better throw back the 40lbs of dead rock into the ocean because it is purple full of life and 8 months old. As in life there is always exception, miracles etc. If you can afford all live rock go for it if not try the poor man's way. Or use agrecrete rock. It has never been alive but looks dang good after a few months in the tank. There are many options. Also many opinions and each one of us has at least one. That's what makes life go round in circles.

Tater

[Jonthefishguy]

When I set up my 240, I used 400 lbs of live rock to establish it. In about 3 months, it was completely covered in coraline algae and critters everywhere.

[Joshua]

I like to get the rock on the cheap and cook the life out of it before throwing it in a tank.

[Mr Cob]

My dead live rock was full of coralline algae after about 6 months and full of life after about 10-12 months. I had mature pieces of live rock sitting next to each piece of dead live rock.

I found that the coralline grew fastest in areas of constant water flow and direct light.