Quarantine live rock?

[ZoozFishMaster]

I know the benefits of quarantining new fish, but would it be beneficial to quarantine live rock. Can live rock carry parasites, such as ich? If so, would placing the live rock in quarantine for about 6 weeks ensure that any parasites would die off because they have no host? Thanks.

 

[Fluff]

I believe this is a personal choice but here is my opinion. Some say it's not necessary but there is a member here that got ich from live sand so... I figure better safe than sorry. If the parasite falls off the host during it's dormant stage, it has to go somewhere. Beside, QT'ing your lr also makes sure it is cycled and your not gonna spike your main tank. It also give you time to remove any unwanted hitchhikers. JMO

 

[quarryshark]

I'm a big advocate of it, but many aren't. Like Fluff said its really personal choice.
Oh and I'm the one who got ich from some live sand.

 

[ZoozFishMaster]

Thank you fluff and quarry. I guess if you really want to ensure that ich can in no way make it to the main tank, then it would be best to quarantine everything! This leads me to another question. I know ich will not affect inverts, but can inverts (even corals) possibly be a transporter of it? If so, would it be a good idea to quarantine these as well?

 

[Fluff]

I think inverts are safe but coral, beings as come are attached to rock and also full of water, I can see them carrying parasites. Honestly though, I've never quarantined a coral. One reason is I don't have the lights to accommodate a coral in my QT tank. So far I've been lucky.

 

[copi]

Newbie question: does LR require lighting? What about the likely 'hikers?

 

[ZoozFishMaster]

Live rock itself, does not require any special lighting. However, if you want more life on the rock (especially coralline algae) then you will need more intense lighting.
Hitchhikers are a good thing and to me, is what makes live rock so cool. Yes, there is a possibility of getting an unwanted hitchhiker, but from my experience, most of the stuff you get on the rock is beneficial to your tank.

 

[markh30]

I get my lr shipped to me. Obviously, this takes two to three days before I get it. In the meantime, a good portion of life attached to the rock is going to die in transit. If I put this rock directly into my main tank, there would be the likelihood that my ammonia levels would jump sharply. I put my rock in a quarantine tank for a week or two to allow the dead stuff to fall off. I do a couple of water changes, and I lightly scrub the surface of the rock before the water change. I tried using lighting before, however, this produced an algae bloom. I find that if the rock smells like stench, it's best to quarantine it.

 

[ZoozFishMaster]

Markh30, thank you for your input. I, too, understand that rock that has been shipped must be "cured" in order to prevent an ammonia spike in the main display. However, my question about quarantining live rock was not to cure it but to rid it of any parasites.

 

[markh30]

OOOPS! You are so right. Boy do I feel sheepish.

 

[ZoozFishMaster]

LOL no problem. You did share valuable information.