What is live rock?

[RubixCube]

Im fairly new at all of this, but learning at neck breaking speed , and bought my first load of LR. I bouth 15lbs of realy nice fiji LR. It has little purple horn shaped things on it, red things, yellow and white things. Well, my question is , what are all the "things" exactly? And what is "alive" on the live rock.

Thank you (real newbie question)

 

[RubixCube]

ill try and get some pics of it tonight

 

[fishfreek]

Live rock is alive due to many things. First the bactera that call the rock home and help the rock act as a biologial filter. Second is various kinds of algae that grow on the rock. Coraline algae is what gives the rock its color and other plant like looking algae could be growing on the rock. Third is the corals that might be attached to the rock. Fourth are the bristleworms and copepods and amphipods that call the rock home. Crabs, shrimp and countless other things can live in/on the rock aswell.

It will be hard to tell what the 'things' are you hve until we can get a photo or more detailed description.

 

[reefrunner69]

Quoted from Reef Invertabrates, An Essential Guide to Selection, Care and Compatability by Bob Fenner and Anthony Calfo

"Live Rock, by definition, is a mixture of a hard, non-living mineral matrix with an assemblage of diverse living organisms on, in, and amongst it. Nearly all living phyla of monerans, protists (including micro and macro algae, protozoans and more), plants and animals make up this stony "bouillabaisse". One need only look closely to make out much of this life; scurrying amphipods, sprouting plants and algae, coral larvae, boring clams (spitting "smoke" as they mine a calcified residence), urchins and countless other organisms."

LOL, just answering the question in the title Get the pics and we can get a little more specific.