Live Rock

[bethany]

i Have a new tank and i want to put live rock in it....is their any special requirements i need? like a light or vitamins?


p.s since this is my first saltwater so i want to do everything right....need all the help i can get

[sailfish250]

For just live rock all you need is a source of ammonia and nitrite (Fish crap) that will keep the bacteria housed within the rock alive and well. If you plan on growing some Coraline algae, Use a supplement, Personally i like purple tech by kent. As for lighting, the bacteria do not need any special lighting but the algae will. It all depends if your going to do a fish only tank, or a reef tank. Since your new to the hobby, i would recommend that you start with fish only, and you can change the lighting later if you decide to go to reef. This should allow for you to make mistakes, and lets face it. Humans will make mistakes and fish are far more forgiving. Hope this helps.

[gregony]

If you actually have real live rock, you just need to put in saltwater at the right temperature and move the water around. The rock will do the rest. Opinions vary on how to start up, but since I like algae, I light the rock immediately. If you don't want much algae, the longer you leave the rock in the dark the better (or so I've read, as I stated before this isn't my style). I don't know how big your tank is or any of those particulars, but you'll want to read the "before you ask" sticky's and what not. It's gonna be weeks before you'll want to put anything in there. Also, I personally don't recommend putting anything in the tank you don't want to keep forever. I've made that mistake, "oh, I'll just put a damsel in to get everything going". Not a good thing. Fish and corals are really pets. They just happen to live in water. You'll become attached to them. If you do everything by the book, there's a good chance you won't have to go through too many headaches. When in doubt, take it slow, once you put that rock in the water you created an eco system. It will thrive on its own, just do regular water changes. Buy one of those saltwater multi-test kits and keep an eye on the parameters. Keep a close eye on the ammonia and the nitrate. You'll see them increase even though all you have in the tank is "rock". If you light the tank, you'll see algae start to grow within a few days. You'll see little bristle worms in the sand, pick one the little fellas up. Hurts, don't it? They actually borrow through the rock. (seriously though, don't touch anything without gloves, the sea is a rough neighborhood).