live rock question

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Tipton34

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Nov 2, 2011
Messages
355
My lfs only sells live rock that has been out of the water for awhile. They say it will come back, is this true?
 
I don't think so lol. Sounds like a scam for expensive dry rock. If u put it into a tank and cycle it yeah it'll become "live" but other wise it's just pretty much a rock.
 
Once it`t back in the water and the tank is cycling then the nitrifying bacteria will start to colonize on the rock again. You can also cure your LR so it`s ready to go in your tank. We have a good article about curing LR in our SW articles section.
 
It will need to start from the beginning once it's wet. Biggest problem is what dies when the rock was dried out. That organic material is still bound up in the rock. You would be better off starting with sterile rock than with this IMO.
 
It's being cycled right now. But will all the organisms on it grow back?
 
It was rock that was in a tank but was taken out. It has red spots that look like coaraline algae
 

Attachments

  • ForumRunner_20120719_181908.jpg
    ForumRunner_20120719_181908.jpg
    69.2 KB · Views: 121
Bb only last for a short time before it dies off. If its been out of the tank for more then an hour I doubt its live anymore.
 
My question is how much was it? For true live rock around my area it's 8.99 a pound and that rock is truly live as in it has the bacteria aswell as the hitchhikers. Once removed from water things don't last long so your basically buying crap rock full of dead stuff that's going to rot. If your paying live rock prices your getting hosed as you would be far better off just buying dry base rock.
 
Agreed, fortunately around me u can get live rock from the lfs, one place sells it for $5.50 and the other place $6 for regular Fiji
 
I got it for $5 a pound. It's pretty cheap for around my neck of the woods. I know the beneficial bacteria will come back in time but what about all the things attached to the rock? The stuff that grows off the rock
 
Tipton34 said:
I got it for $5 a pound. It's pretty cheap for around my neck of the woods. I know the beneficial bacteria will come back in time but what about all the things attached to the rock? The stuff that grows off the rock

It all depends on how long it's kept out of water, it's highly likely all the other stuff is dead also.
 
I'm going to be pretty mad if it doesn't after my lfs swore it would.
 
Eventually any rock or sand week become alive. The reason we buy lr is to speed up the cycling process. My tank has 35lb or base or dry rock and i'm seeding it with 5lbs of live rock.
 
Tipton34 said:
I'm going to be pretty mad if it doesn't after my lfs swore it would.
It does take awhile for all the bacteria to die off obviously the dryer it gets the more that will die i had takin 50 pounds of rock from my tank before it dried for a few weeks while i sat up another tank when i put the rock back in water star polyps began to grow after 3 weeks stars are what was on it before it dried out my advice would be to seed it put a good cured piece thats been in water and it will spread id also rinse the dieoff with saltwater before puttin it in the tank
 
danbstrong said:
It does take awhile for all the bacteria to die off obviously the dryer it gets the more that will die i had takin 50 pounds of rock from my tank before it dried for a few weeks while i sat up another tank when i put the rock back in water star polyps began to grow after 3 weeks stars are what was on it before it dried out my advice would be to seed it put a good cured piece thats been in water and it will spread id also rinse the dieoff with saltwater before puttin it in the tank

Most lr is kept in a tank wothout livestock anyway without livestock that means no ammonia which means your gonna have dieoff even if iys kepy in water so youll be fine
 
Its all the little extra critters that will be gone, in a cycled tank you can grow more bb, but not the little extra guys. No point in paying live rock prices for dry rock...

some fish stores will have dry rock laying around, and almost give it away. Bc some one messed up and it didn't make it in water like it should. Just ask,
 
danbstrong said:
It does take awhile for all the bacteria to die off obviously the dryer it gets the more that will die i had takin 50 pounds of rock from my tank before it dried for a few weeks while i sat up another tank when i put the rock back in water star polyps began to grow after 3 weeks stars are what was on it before it dried out my advice would be to seed it put a good cured piece thats been in water and it will spread id also rinse the dieoff with saltwater before puttin it in the tank

I agree you shouldn be paying cured rock prices dryrock usually runs 2$\pound
 
Hardridge said:
Go on Craigslist u can get live rock all day for 2 bucks

I have tried, no one in my aria us selling any. Even people breaking there tanks down to sell, won't split any of it, not even the animals. Like everyone has an all for my price or nothing attitude.
 
Bkmrsteel said:
I have tried, no one in my aria us selling any. Even people breaking there tanks down to sell, won't split any of it, not even the animals. Like everyone has an all for my price or nothing attitude.

Order online
 
Back
Top Bottom