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hello all,
i have a 55 gallon tank that i want to add some live rock to, i started the tank but now i want it to have live rock (but no corals) I have heard stories of dead pieces of live rock making the entire room smell like human defecation, is this true? do i need any special lighting to keep the live rock? i have an Aquarium Systems Seaclone 100 which i know isn't the best skimmer but will that affect the rocks?
What is a good salinity for keeping the live rock and also some fishes and inverts
also say is i want to experiment with a couple of pounds of live rock first like about 5 pounds will that affect the rocks life?

i would appreciate any help possible and thanks in advance.

Last edited by DAFRIDGE at 16-Nov-2005 20:52

Nope, the worse smell you'll get is ammonia. I've never noticed dying live rock stinking up a large area either; I have to be near the surface of the water to pick up any scent at all. This is only noticeable with uncured live rock, which will experience heavy die-off before it becomes "cured". If you buy rock that is pre-cured, there will be minimal die-off and you won't get much smell at all.

Live rock and the beneficial bacteria contained within it don't need special lighting, but some tagalongs will. You may end up with corals, coralline algae, anemones, sponges, etc. from the rock that could need more powerful lighting to survive. Whether or not you provide that lighting is dependent on how much you want to keep these extra critters.

The protein skimmer will not harm the beneficial organisms. It will actually come in handy if you buy the rock, because the skimmer will remove dissolved organic material from the water. Dying life from the rock will add plenty of these organic proteins to the water, so the protein skimmer will aid you.

The average specific gravity for a saltwater setup is from 1.023 to 1.027, what you keep it at depends on personal preference and the fish or invertebrates in your system. The bacteria on your live rock won't have a preference as far as I know.

It doesn't matter to the rock how much of it you have, but there will be an effect on the number of beneficial bacteria you can have in your tank, among other things. The more rock, the more bacteria, the more hitchhiking invertebrates, the more hiding areas/territories for fish, and all that good stuff. It would be best to add as much rock as you can at one time, because (assuming you buy uncured rock) die-off from later additions of rock will affect all live organisms in your tank. The levels of ammonia and other pollutants will rise corresponding to the death of organisms on the rock.

Last edited by sirbooks at 16-Nov-2005 21:03

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

thanks for all of the info. i am hesitant to buy large amounts at a time because of the price and risk of the rock dieing.

Nope, the worse smell you'll get is ammonia. I've never noticed dying live rock stinking up a large area either

Wait till you get a fresh batch (large batch) of rock in and start curing it in your tank! The smell will chase you right out of the house, especially if you are not aggressively skimming and have enough surface aggitation! Been there, done that....TWO times! When I set up my first sw tank, I went out of town for the weekend after adding rock. When I got back I almost had to go rent a hotel room because the die off on the rock was so bad and I didnt have a decent skimmer or enough surface aggitation. Live rock can get a really funky smell if its fresh and uncured!

How do seaclone and remora skimmers compare in aiding the curing, and then continual use?

i plan on buying rock that has already been cured from the lfs. i have a powerhead and two aqua clear 500's and the skimmer is that enough surface agiation? i have noticed that when i forget to top the tank off the sand on the bottom of my tank starts to move from the filters output. is that suffieient? i may also get another powerhead for the opposite side of the tank.

How do seaclone and remora skimmers compare in aiding the curing, and then continual use?

I've never used a seaclone, but I've heard they aren't the best. I have the Urchin, which is the same as the Remora, except an in sump version, and I like it a lot. Either is better than having none, and will aid you greatly when curing and maintaining a marine tank.

i plan on buying rock that has already been cured from the lfs

Then you should have no problem whatsoever with smell, unless you keep the rock out of water for an extended period of time.

It sounds like you have a good amount of circulation to me.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Thanks for the help. now its just buying the 55+ pounds of LR.

I bought 75 pounds of live rock that my LFS told me was most of the way through with the curing process, but, they warned, it still had just a little farther to go.

I finished curing it in the tank in our hallway, and I did get a slight ammonia reading from the die-off (this was before I added any fish) but fortunately the process was far enough along that I didn't get any odor.

I know the uncured stuff reeks, but the mostly-cured stuff was fine.