obscurereef
Aquarium Advice Addict
i will probably do 2-3 inches of live sand just for the heck of it. what is the difference between live rock and dry rock? i am aware that live rocks are usually in a large tube where people run water across them(sorry about the lack of proper jargon). i have also heard that live rock might come with hitchhikers. what are the hitchhikers people keep referring to? are we talking about live bacteria that are beneficial to the tank?
is it true that after a while, dry rock does turn into live rock? why are some rock white and some rock purple/red/or other colors? i'm assuming it has to do with the algae.
Sounds good . Live rock is..well, live. That means it has micro/macro organisms that can be beneficial or harmful (hopefully mostly beneficial). You'll find lots of hitchikers like copepods, amphipods, mini brittle stars, snails, worms, feather dusters, the list goes on. Base rock is dry, has no water, nothing living on it. You know exactly what you're getting and you're not paying for the water weight. LR is sold by the pound and since it's wet, you're paying for the water . It doesn't have to be one or another. Can be half and half or whatever percentage. Yes, some companies have huge piles of rock in the ocean that they sell, some put the rock in large bins and aquaculture the LR. Like I said a few sentences up, hitchhikers are little critters hitching a ride on your rock . Google reef hitchhikers and you can see how some look.