My new live rock

[marinelif3]

Hey everyone! I just picked up this new live rock for my setup. I got them from a lfs they were labeled as fiji cultured live rock. They have been in the tank for 4 days now. Can you identify what kind of algae it is growing on the second rock? Is that good algae. Also, do they look like good live rock? What kind of live rock are they? They look like live lava rock, but I am not sure because there are pieces of crushed coral encrusted on it. It is also not like the dead live rock I see commonly on lfs. there is no noticeable life growing on it except for algae. Would it be possible to introduce a marine life that would grow on it? Thanks for input every1!

 

[fijiwigi]

Look like some good rocks they will become more developed over time Not much you can do to speed the process.

 

[SWFanAtiC69]

i would say not Fiji lookin at all, Almost like a Pompei live rock, but not even that im not sure. It Does look like lava rock that became "live rock" from over time somewhere and they sold it as Fiji rock. Doesnt matter now because its alive and thats all that matters, Will look really good when you start getting some good coraline on there!!

 

[cmor1701d]

The brown looks like diatoms. That's normal in a new tank and will burn out in time.

How big is your tank and how many pounds of LR is that in total?
If you are planning on just LR and a skimmer for filtration the general reccomendation is 1½ - 2 pounds of LR per gallon of tank capacity.

 

[roka64]

It does look like diatoms but I'm surprised it's only on the rock and not everywhere.

 

[marinelif3]

The tank is 10 gal, it was supposed to be a fish only setup, but I added some live rocks to help out in the filtration. Theres about a good 7 lbs of live rock in there. Im running a 20 gal filter on it, hagen aquaclear. I did not take away the medias inside because Im not running a skimmer.

What are diatoms? Is that a good thing that its growing on my rocks?
The rocks are live right? even the rock on the top left? I got them for an affordable price. I wanted to make sure I really got live rock for my money. It really doesn't matter to me where theyre from as long as theyre live that would help out in my aquarium.

 

[roka64]

Diatoms are an algae that thrives off of silicates and light. They will burn out in time. I am not sure if you rock is live. Where did you get it and was it out of water, shipped?
Do you have a liquid test kit?

 

[marinelif3]

It was inside an aquarium with a bunch of other live rocks like it. They had the tag fiji rock with it. I haven't seen them out of the water. When I got them from the pet store, they were submerged in water. I dont have a test kit, but I could get it tested in a petco or petsmart.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Looks like rock meant for a SW aquarium. Whether it's from Fiji, Tonga, or Inner Outer MidMicronesia, I couldn't tell ya... but it looks good to me.

As others have said, the algae growing on it appear to be diatoms. Diatoms aren't necessarily a "good" algae, but they're kind of a right of passage - you don't really have a choice. As the tank matures, they'll burn themselves out. A cleanup crew of trochus and astrea snails will make quick work of them as a snack and will be a welcome addition once you're sure your tank has cycled.

 

[roka64]

I would suggest you add a pinch of food and test the water in 3-4 days to see if ammonia is present. If you are reading ammonia, you will need to cycle the tank.

 

[marinelif3]

In about three weeks or so when ammonia is no longer present, do you guys think I could add a single percula clownfish? and that astrea snail?