[Dredneck]

I have a 150 gal tank and it will be getting set up next week as a reef and some fish. I still need to get some Live Rock so I can start the cycle. I can purchase some nice Fiji rock along with some showpieces at a very good price, saving money is good right now! But I am new to this and I am not sure about one thing. Is it ok to buy Live Rock that is no longer Live - to start a tank off? They already removed the rock fro their tank and cleaned it with water and stored it. Is that ok? How long will it take to become live again? Would it be a good idea to buy it and mix it in with some live - live rock ?

Thanks!

[Taras1]

Interesting -- I take it that when you say it was stored, you mean stored dry, when you say washed with water, it was fresh water from a tap. If it was dried, then I'd wash it in salt water, using a brush to clean it, getting into the nooks and crannies. Other than having some residual organic material (dead) on it, it still may have some spores from algae and bacteria, which may activate. I'd still consider it "dead" for all intents and purposes.

Many of us mix Live Rock with "Dead" or Base Rock to kick start it. The same with your sand; probably 1 part live sand mixed with 2-3 parts dry sand. You'll still need 4-6 weeks of cycling time (minimum). Just keep testing your water and when Ammonia/Nitrite reaches zero and Nitrate is below 10, you can start adding your fishes.

[Dredneck]

Thanks for your help!

[reefcouple]

This may seem silly, but whats the difference between "Base Rock" and "Live Rock", I know what Live Rock is..

Thanks.. and nice to know Taras1.

[WILLIAM1]

how many pounds of rock is it? You should have about250 lbs or more. If look at marcorocks.com they have super nice dry rock good price. All you need to do is add all the dry rock into the tank then add a couple pieces of live rock then keep on cycling soon after the rock will be live.

[reefnoob1991]

250 would be a little more on the extreme end...you only need about 1-2 pounds per gallon

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Live rock and money,you cant ever have to much lol.Remember that using the live rock dead rock theory it will take some time for your biological filter to get up to speed.If you follow this plan you might want to limit your bio load until things get going.

[eldalote2]

quick ? about live rock... is it legal to harvest it yourself as long as you were going to cure it?

[Jeremy0322]

Depends on where you are at.

[reefcouple]

Read this concerning the laws of harvesting live rock...

Office for Law Enforcement

[Bamaguy]

I bought rock for my Cichlid tank from a LFS that was called Lace Rock. It is porous and looks like it was live rock at a certain time. Can this be used as "base" rock and become "live" again if cycled with live rock?

[sundaybum]

Base rock is fine, but I have been told there should be at least one pound of live rock for evry gallon...

[pogodzib]

Originally Posted by Bamaguy

I bought rock for my Cichlid tank from a LFS that was called Lace Rock. It is porous and looks like it was live rock at a certain time. Can this be used as "base" rock and become "live" again if cycled with live rock?

There is about a 50/50 split whether lace rock is ok to use in a reef tank. About half the people say it is fine and the other half say that they get very poor coralline growth and a ton of hair algae on it.

FYI - I'm on the "do not use it" side. I've read way to many people that talk about it leaching phosphates. Some of those people have placed the rock in a bucket of fresh saltwater and tested it a little while later and they'd measure very elevated phosphate levels.

[reefcouple]

i have a couple pcs of lace, it doesnt have the hair or algae issues, the main issue for me is, its a difficult piece to place in the reef, it doesnt hold weight and is very odd in shape, so those 2 pcs in my tank are kind of a pain in the butt..

i would be so specific when you purchase your rock, get good quality pcs, a couple nice big base rocks with caves and curves, then a few branches and all with great appeal.. its so important..

tho, the rock was the most expensive thing in my tank, we bought 2 pcs last month for $300.00, but great looking pcs, they really stand out in the tank..

[pogodzib]

I think one of the reasons why some people feel lace rock is alright and others say it's not, is because it is essentially ancient reefs that is now in dry areas so it is above sea level. Since the lace rock comes from different parts of the world and has been exposed to different environmental settings, the rock itself can vary, depending on what it has been exposed to. True LR, has always been underwater at reef sites and the only contaminants are the ones found in the ocean around the reefs, which are the same contaminants that the corals are growing in.

[Bamaguy]

I went the Liverock route and removed the Lace Rock all together. If I have no way of knowing what the Lace Rock is or exactly when/if it becomes Live Rock, the it defeats the purpose if I am shooting for a 1lb and a half per gallon of live rock.
Good info though!