FishProfiles.com Message Forums

hello!

i'm new to saltwater, so please bear with me if any of my questions are kind of silly...

anyhow, some of the live rock i bought has nice purple stuff growing on it which i believe is coraline algae. is this beneficial? if so, how can i promote it's growth?

also, does live rock need any "care?"

finally, do i need to worry about cleaning under the live rock? the only reason i ask is that when i've kept rocks, etc... in freshwater tanks, a lot of mulm and detritus seems to accumulate under them. similarly, do i ever need to stir the sand in my tank?

thanks a bunch! : )

Purple corralline algae = good.

It's a calcerous algae, therefore aided by good levels of calcium and light in the water.

Is the rock cured?

You dont really need to care for it...other than, if it's uncured, scrub it and keep up with skimming and water changes. Keep an eye on the tank levels.

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Your sand should not be stired. Make sure you have a good cleanup crew in your tank. Microhermits, snails, stuff like that. This will keep any detris from building up.

Dan


Dan

thanks! i do like the purple algae, so maybe i will get a calcium supplement to add. does it help to use up nutrients in the water?

i'm not sure if the rock was cured or uncured... it was 8.99/lb. (can) and i got it from a reputable store where it was kept in their tanks... uncured means it's been allowed to dry out, right? there are little "creatures" crawling on it and starting to come out of the holes (i got one little hermit crab this way), so i'm assuming it's healthy.

when should i add my "clean up crew?" i was told to let the tank cycle just with the rock (how long does this generally take? it's been a week and there're no significant levels of ammonia or nitrite yet) will the addition of some crabs and things help speed the process along?

thanks again for all your patience!

How big is your tank, and how much live rock is there? A few weeks is a good idea, but adding a small clean up crew after a week shoudl not be a problem. You don't want to add any fish for a while. Add about half your clean up crew in a few days, then more in a week or so. Then wait about a month to add a fish. Add only one at a time to allow your tank to adjust to the new bio load.

Dan


Dan

To answer your question. Cured is cleaned rock. Uncured is not cleaned. Uncured rock can really cause your tank to smell because of the die off on the rock. Most rock sold in LFS are cured unless otherwise stated.

Dan


Dan