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hey..im not setting up any saltwater tank..however, im interested to know what is live rock and how important is it. plus, to make the water 'salty', is there any specific stuff to do it?is it ok just to use rock salt?thx in advance.

Live rock can be essential for a lot of fish that are micropredators , some fish like mandarinfish only do well in mature tanks containing live rock, it hazards of couse sometimes introducing unwanted corals anemones and polykeet worms, but you get a lot of free and very interesting organisms for practically nothing.

On the salt front theres lots of commercial preparations you can buy, like red sea salt that contains loads of minerals and nutrients that will help corals and invertabrates to flourish. Using refined table salt would be rubbish in comparison and for some species actually harmful.

the main advantage of live rock (LR) is it's benaficial bacteria. not only does it convert ammonia-ntrite-nitrate it also contains anarobic pockets(areas where oxygen does not reach) wich house bacteria the consumes nitrate and eliminates it alltogether. it is very nice stuff.

chris

Then how do you actually get or produce such live rocks?

Normally people just buy live rock, since almost every fish store that deals with saltwater and a large number of "pet" stores carry live rock. It will be sold per pound or kilogram, and each shop sets its own price on the rock depending on the quality, type, and markup. Rock from Fiji tends to be the cheapest.

Live rock is made out in the ocean, and can be "created" by nature or man. Much live rock comes from rubble zones on or near a coral reef; rocks are broken off by storms and other phenomena and collect on the substrate. Human-made live rock is typically from the state of Florida, though other locations may have offerings from time to time. A company will place "base" or "dead" rock in the ocean in a certain area, and come back out to collect it a few years later when it has become "live" with organisms.

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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."

okay..thx for the info!

very simple but is probably the most important thing you can buy for your tank.


chris

by the way, ive seen saltwater tanks without any sand...so, how did those fishes survive?

Sand isn't necessary for many saltwater fish, those that don't interact with a sandy substrate in the wild. Usually, tanks without sand have a crushed coral substrate which still buffers the water. If you're going to look into a saltwater tank, it is imperative that you research the animals you like and find out what their needs are before buying them. That way you can match up critters that are compatible in every aspect. You don't want to have a crushed coral substrate and then buy a goby and pistol shrimp pair.

Last edited by sirbooks at 31-Oct-2005 06:30

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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."