leximommy

ok....ive seen some live rock with what looks like anemones growing on it (maybe corals or whatever, i dont know yet..... but my question is this....)

if corals and anemones need special lighting, then wont the stuff growing on the live rock die?

also, what types of stuff have yall found on your live rock....


also..... ive seen corals and other things for sale on these little round thingys....(like this....
Small Acropora Frag, Frags & Nano Corals | Pet Solutions
Medium Acropora Frag, Frags & Nano Corals | Pet Solutions )

do you just stick these into your tank or what?

sgould

Anytime you buy live rock, you do have some die off before everything stabalizes during the curing process. The die off causes big ammonia spikes, so you never want to put "new" live rock in an established tank. It is somewhat luck of the draw as to what/how much comes on the rock and survives curing, but there is the potential for quite a variety.

The links you have are "plugs" or "frags" of a type of coral. It is a common way to aquire a coral...you buy the coral and get what ever rock it is stuck to as well. When you get them, especially the little plugs like what you see in your links, you can work the plug into a hole or crevice in your existing rock, and as the coral grows and propogates, it will often overgrow the plug and begin growing on the surrounding rock.

Keep in mind, though...most corals, including the acropora you found, do have strong lighting requirements. So you would not want to get into those until you are ready to spring for the upgrades lights.

leximommy

yea i know that lighting thing, i was just wondering....i just like to know everything i can so i know how to upgrade when the time comes and such.....

bhcaaron

She brings up a good point. Will the requirements on stronger or brighter lighting kill of anyting good within the live rock, or anything else for that matter?

(Sorry for continually butting in LexiMommy. As I said, i like following your posts. I learn more. Besides, not many seem to answer my questions. I wonder what I've done =(

sgould

Any organisms living on the rock that have specific requirements for life that are not met in your tank could be part of the die off process. No matter what you do, some of the life that comes with live rock will die...it's just part of the deal. On the other hand, plenty of other organisms will live and begin to flourish as your tank matures.

leximommy

thats okay aaron, i lookfoward to seeing what you have to say....

bhcaaron

I think my next question to the admin will be if there is a sarcasm meter on these things! ahahahahaha... and at the same time ugh.... Not sure if that was a good thing or not hehe

leximommy

lol its good.....

bhcaaron

sigh of relief

bhcaaron

So I've learned, as SGould stated, that some things will die off, no matter what, during curing. Its part of the deal. However, once established, the light itself will NOT kill the bacteria. They do prefer darker places, or at least I know most bacteria do, but, the corals and anemones and other rocks themselves, will provide plenty of shady areas.

leximommy

ok i know stuff will die off, but i mean will all the stuff that makes the live rock pretty die off?

sgould

Are you referring to the "coating" of pink, purple, red, etc? That is coralline algae growing over the surface of the rock. When I cured my rock it bleached totally white. Afterwards though, it started making a comeback. For coralline you need calcium and low phosphate.

leximommy

yes i mean all that....will it still grow if i dont have the coraline lighting ?

sgould

Different types of coralline have different requirements. If other conditions in your tank are right, it is likely you will be able to have some coralline growth even with standard lighting. My tank initially had a standard flourescent fixture with a reef bulb, and I was getting coralline growth. Here is some more basic info: http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/abo...oralline_2.htm