Live rock and base rock question ?

j007dreamer · 07/02/2006, 12:59 PM

I got about 20lbs of live rock and 20lbs of base rock in my 45 gallon tank.

I was wondering is there anything i can do to help the base rock become live ? i was told that it will once in the tank for while, but how long is a while ? cause the color in live rock really put the plain white and tan base to shame. anything i can do to move this along ?

doox00 · 07/02/2006, 01:07 PM

eventually the critters/pods/worms etc from the live rock will inhabit the base rock, the base rock should get the beneficial bacteria though as the tank cycles and the bacteria grows.

fsn77 · 07/02/2006, 01:07 PM

There really isn't a set time line for dead rock to become live rock. As the bacteria population in your tank grows, it spreads to the dead rock, along with tiny invertebrates, eventually making it live rock.

There's not a whole lot you can do to make dead rock become live rock more quickly. By saving money (vs. buying all quality LR), you'll need to give it time. The best you can really do to help it color up is keep your water parameters in line (proper KH and calcium levels will help the coralline algae along).

don954 · 07/02/2006, 01:16 PM

I had a similar mix, 70,70 for my 120 tank. I was having no luck with getting any coralline to grow, till i got a phosphate kit and figured out my phosphates were through the roof. I ran kent phosphate sponge till i was down to a reasonable level then phosgaurd. About a week after that, i noticed a pink powder looking all over my base rock, and i started dosing Purple Up daily. Now that powder is growing into nice coralline plate. Just the other day i noticed a small feather-duster colony that moved into one of my base rocks, and corpods crawling over it. I guess its now considered live rock. So with my experience, i would say 3 or more months depending on water chemistry.

07/02/2006, 12:59 PM	#1
j007dreamer Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 262	Live rock and base rock question ? I got about 20lbs of live rock and 20lbs of base rock in my 45 gallon tank. I was wondering is there anything i can do to help the base rock become live ? i was told that it will once in the tank for while, but how long is a while ? cause the color in live rock really put the plain white and tan base to shame. anything i can do to move this along ?

07/02/2006, 01:07 PM	#2
doox00 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: West Michigan Posts: 928	eventually the critters/pods/worms etc from the live rock will inhabit the base rock, the base rock should get the beneficial bacteria though as the tank cycles and the bacteria grows.

07/02/2006, 01:07 PM	#3
fsn77 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: SC Posts: 777	There really isn't a set time line for dead rock to become live rock. As the bacteria population in your tank grows, it spreads to the dead rock, along with tiny invertebrates, eventually making it live rock. There's not a whole lot you can do to make dead rock become live rock more quickly. By saving money (vs. buying all quality LR), you'll need to give it time. The best you can really do to help it color up is keep your water parameters in line (proper KH and calcium levels will help the coralline algae along).

07/02/2006, 01:16 PM	#4
don954 Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Lake Worth, FL Posts: 258	I had a similar mix, 70,70 for my 120 tank. I was having no luck with getting any coralline to grow, till i got a phosphate kit and figured out my phosphates were through the roof. I ran kent phosphate sponge till i was down to a reasonable level then phosgaurd. About a week after that, i noticed a pink powder looking all over my base rock, and i started dosing Purple Up daily. Now that powder is growing into nice coralline plate. Just the other day i noticed a small feather-duster colony that moved into one of my base rocks, and corpods crawling over it. I guess its now considered live rock. So with my experience, i would say 3 or more months depending on water chemistry.