coral base rock?

[360º]

so is this pretty much the same as liverock but without the beneficial bacteria?

and if i put baserock in with liverock, will it eventually become live?

 

[melosu58]

Yes it will all become live over time.

 

[360º]

so why does the LFS sell base rock for 2 dollars a pound when they can just throw it into their LR tanks and sell it for 10 dollars a pound after a couple months?

 

[uscamaro]

most people don't want to buy liverock at $7+/lb when they can get the same amount of rock for cheaper, and with a little patience.

 

[mr_X]

base rock is sometimes not as nice as live rock in that it's lacking character. boulder shaped with no nooks and crannies. that's why it's called "base" rock. it's meant as a base, at the bottom of the rock work, covered by nicer pieces.
the reason they don't put it in their tanks and turn it into live rock is that they can buy live rock for 1 dollar a pound and up. they don't need to make their own.

 

[cabezon]

so why does the LFS sell base rock for 2 dollars a pound when they can just throw it into their LR tanks and sell it for 10 dollars a pound after a couple months?

They probably do when the LR tank gets low.

 

[360º]

thanks for the responses guys.

anyone know how long it takes for baserock to become live?

 

[mr_X]

right after the tank is cycled, i would say the base rock has enough bacteria on it to be considered live.

 

[360º]

what if you put baserock into a tank thats already cycled?

 

[mr_X]

well, it may or may not cause a spike. it's best to put any dry rock in a separate container for a few days and test the water before considering it safe.
it also depends how much rock you are talking about too. if it's just a single piece and it's pretty small compared to what you have in the tank already, i wouldn't worry about it.

 

[360º]

oh ok cuz i wanna start a 15 gallon nano tank.

so i was thinking of just buying base rock, putting it in my larger tank and once it becomes live to transfer it over

 

[mr_X]

why not just put the rock right in the 15 gallon tank and cycle it in there?

 

[360º]

but if i just put base rock in and water what will start the growth of bacteria?

 

[mr_X]

a raw shrimp maybe?

 

[nxb161]

I don't spend that much on live rock even $7/lb seems like a lot, but I like the chance of hidden life on the rocks. Some are against that because of have the chance of bad critters as well as the good stuff, but its personal preference. Its good to use base rock for the base, and top it with some nice live rock.

 

[abushr]

You could also pull a piece of LR from your main tank and stick it inthe nano with your base rock....sorta jump start the LR transformation.

 

[rush]

You could also pull a piece of LR from your main tank and stick it inthe nano with your base rock....sorta jump start the LR transformation.

That is what I would do, put a large piece of LR from your main tank into the nano with the base rock. Wait a month or so and put it back into your main, or keep it there