you are confusing "live" with covered with algae. live rock is rock that is covered with bacteria. you would not be able to tell the difference between live and dead rock with the naked eye. if you simply want coralline algae to cover the limestone, you can scrape some of the coralline off of your rock with a knife or screwdriver and let it blow around the tank. that usually helps it spread faster. that and keeping calcium and
alk levels stable.