Serving many purposes, live rock is probably the most popular material used for natural biological filtration in saltwater aquariums, particularly with a Berlin style NNR setup. Whether deciding to run a fish-only or a reef tank system with this medium, learn all the ins and outs of buying and curing, aquascaping, cycling a tank, and more about working with live rock.
FAQ - "Why is My Live Rock Turning White?". Many aquarists experience Live Rock bleaching. For the most part, this is the result of coralline algae losing its color. Here are answers as to why this happens and what you can do about it.
Live rock is not just a pile of rocks in an aquarium. Live rock not only provides houses for tank critters, it also serves as a biological filter base and platforms for corals, anemones and coralline algae. Most people have at least some live rock in their marine tanks while true reef tank enthusiasts have a lot of it in their tanks and consider it an important asset. Sold by the pound, installi…
Part 1 of your Guides series on live rock defines what live rock is, and discusses what its purpose is in a saltwater aquarium.
What is Live Rock? F.A.Q.s explains what live rock is, where it comes from, what curing is, what curing does and more.
Part 4 of your Guides series on live rock discusses various aspects of how to cure live rock, and outlines the most common or standard method used for curing it.
From start to finish, here are instructions from your Guides on how to set up and cycle a new tank with live rock in 10 easy steps, which includes details about how to aquascape the tank and arrange the rocks in Step 5.
Having the opportunity to work in the fish department at the Animal Jungle Pet Store in Kinston, North Carolina has given rise to many interesting questions from customers that want to start a saltwater aquarium. A particular question that we hear often is, when is live rock is, well, live, which is a very good one. Read the following statements and see if you agree or disagree on these points about live rock, then participate in our live rock topic poll to let us know what you think.
When uncured and even "so-called" cured live rock is first placed into an established saltwater system, is being cured or used to cycle a new aquarium with, some degree from light to heavy die-off of the organisms that reside on and inside the rocks will occur. The build-up of this dead or dying organic matter creates ammonia, so to help lessen excessive ammonia spiking problems, as well as shorten the curing time of the live rock, here is a simple way to preclean the rocks before using them.
The issue of when live rock is, live, is often discussed and debated amonungst saltwater and reef aquarists. What do you think? Participate and view the results of this poll, when do you consider live rock to be live?
The breakdown of the organisms that reside on uncured and even cured live rock contributes to the accumulation of excess organic matter in any saltwater aquarium system. In turn this will cause a build-up or spike in ammonia, which you do not want. To help avoid this and other problems that can arise, here is a standard method for curing live rock BEFORE placing it into an established or a newly set up aquarium for use. It's easy to do, beneficial, and takes just a few items to set it all up.
Curing live rock in a separate curing setup is the best way to handle it before placing it into a new saltwater system you are just starting. Unfortunately this is not always practical for everyone, as you may not have the extra room or equipment to do so. If the only container you have to work with to cure live rock in is the tank you are setting up as your main aquarium, here is a simple way to cure it inside the aquarium, preferably before you add substrate and start aquascaping the rocks.
Cured, precured, seeded - what does it all mean? Part 2 of your Guides series on live rock explains what these and other related words that refer to live rock mean, as well as defines what "curing" pertains to.
Part 5 of your Guides series on live rock covers buying points on what to look for, and questions you should ask when purchasing live rock either locally or online.
Part 3 of your Guides series on live rock provides a list of suggested guidelines to keep in mind when working with live rock, which should be read before you start buying and curing it.
The final chapter in this series from your Guides talks about what it means when you see the term "grade" of live rock, and how to choose the right types of materials to make your own.
Berlin filters have been used for years in reef tank systems. This filtration system is most popular with reef tank purists, but its simplicity and low cost makes it a winner for beginners and experts alike.
The rocks you put into an aquarium are not only decorative, but they provide housing for the fish and other animals in the tank, shelter against agression that may occur from other tankmates, and are an important biological filtration source. Here are some helpful tips on what you can do to arrange either non-living or live rocks in a saltwater system for maximum efficiency when you are aquascaping or arranging rocks in your aquarium.
Before you add substrate to your saltwater aquarium and start arranging or aquascaping either non-living or live rocks you are planning to put into it, you should first consider raising the rocks up off-the-bottom of the tank. Why? Because by doing this the rocks will be somewhat elevated above the substrate itself, which provides several benefits to the health of your aquarium in the long run.
Step 5 of your About Guides "How To Set Up a Saltwater Aquarium in 10 Easy Steps" article has many tips about how to aquascape and arrange live rock in a tank.
Before you buy a protein skimmer that is suitable for your aquarium needs, take a look at the many types one can choose from, what features they have, and what differences there are between the many models available.
From Albert Thiel, detailed steps for cleaning and preparing your live rock before introduction into your aquarium for curing and how to add live sand.
From the Reef Resources' Guide section, valuable tips and information about arranging live rock, including drawings of various aquascaping layouts you can choose to fit your aquarium needs.
From Robert Metelsky's Simplified Reef Keeping FAQ's, Robert discusses how he adds kalkwasser (calcium), iodine and strontium to enhance the growth of corals and other reef life on live rock.
From Albert Thiel's Aquarium Infobase Library, how to convert from your present system adding LS and LR.
From Robert Metelsky's
Simplified Reef Keeping FAQ's, a simple equation to help you determine how much live rock to use, as well as some basic tips about rock placement.
From The Pet Stop, great info about cured and uncured live rock and how to cure it yourself.
Here is livestockusa.org's instructions for curing live rock once you buy it and get it home, which includes an interesting tip about using the highly bioactive stuff scraped off the rock during preparation as starter "seed" material for a tank.
From Robert Metelsky's Simplified Reef Keeping FAQ's, Robert outlines how to cycle a new reef tank using only live rock, which he considers to be the best and easiest way to do it.
This Live Rock FAQ from the FINS Reefkeeper's FAQs Table of Contents covers a complete discussion about the many aspects about live rock and keeping it.
Tampa Bay Saltwater offers a "package" for starting a reef tank natures way with with live sand, live rock and some live critters.
From Robert Metelsky's Simplified Reef Keeping FAQ's, Robert gives his recommendation for what type of lighting is best for a live rock or reef aquarium.
