Live rock for aquariums
Live rock as the name suggests is not a rock which is alive. Instead it is known so because of the large amount of live organisms which are living in it or on it. If you are wondering what is live rock, it is made up of dead corals and other calcareous organisms that have left behind excessive amounts of calcium carbonate. A live rock is very light because of the numerous amounts of pores on its surface. These pores lead to the live rock having an enormous amount of surface area. This surface area acts as a breeding ground for numerous kinds of organisms like algae and other microorganisms.
Types of live rock
There are quite a few types of live rock. The Caribbean live rock which is usually green or purple in color is rich in calcium and iodine and has lot of open area that makes it very light in weight. The Caribbean rock helps in very good water circulation. The main components of Caribbean live rock are coral heads that are encrusted with different microorganisms including macro algae, tunicates, sponges etc. The Fiji variety of live rock is slightly reddish in color and provides a rich foundation for corals. It also acts as an agent for biological filtration.
Found in the South Pacific, the Melanesian live rock is available in many different colors including yellow and orange. This rock is rich in coralline algae. It is flatter than other varieties but is home to lot of macro algae. The Nano variety is found in South East Asia. It is used generally in the reef aquarium and is semi-dense in nature. The South pacific variety is rich in nitrifying bacteria and worms while the Tonga branch is generally used for its mysterious shapes and large area that it provides for circulation. The Tonga slab is another variety of live rock is a porous variety and has large number of ancient coral. This live rock is a good food source for invertebrates and fish.
Live rocks are also classified as base rock which is found at the bottom of a pile and is cheaper because the number of living organisms is lesser on it compared to other live rocks. Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean Rocks are same as what has been discussed above. Another variety of live rock is the aqua cultured rock that is porous and has been left in ocean artificially to allow the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms in the ocean.
Cured live rock and uncured live rock
There are a few terms which are applied to live rock such as cured live rock, uncured live rock or seeded live rock. Cured live rock is something that has been already conditioned and that can directly go into saltwater aquarium. Uncured live rock on the other hand is something that cannot be dropped into the aquarium and needs to be conditioned first. The need for curing live rocks comes from the fact that when live rock is collected it is taken out of water and left in the sun to dry for a few days. It is then boxed to different regions. Having stayed out of water for a few days, this live rock becomes smelly and all the microorganisms breeding in it and on it are dead. The method for curing live rock involves leaving it separately in a dark room which is slightly heated in a filtered aquarium with a protein skimmer for almost a month. The live rock should be cleansed off all the dead organisms before leaving it in the filtered aquarium. Once it stops smelling and the presence of ammonia and nitrite are absent in the tanks.
Uncured live rock is much cheaper than the live rock but then it comes with the disadvantage of being smelly with lot of dead microorganisms. It is usually bought by those with smaller budgets. It is cured by cleaning the surface of all the dead organisms with a scrub or a brush. It is then left in a container with aged saltwater with an apparatus that constantly checks the ammonia and nitrite content. The uncured live rock is said to be cured when it stops emanating the foul smell.
Live corals and live sand
Live corals and live sand consist of natural reef and coral sand which is collected from the ocean. Another way is to pick up non-living coral sand and then infuse life into it. This is done by allowing bacteria and crustaceans to grow on it. The organisms growing on live sand help by becoming the natural food source for the fishes and other inhabitants inside the aquarium. Live sand is used as the base for the biological filtration that happens in a saltwater aquarium. Some enthusiasts use live sand which is very expensive while some use non-living sand eventually becomes live because of microorganisms growing in it.
There are two live rocks to choose from. Live rock for saltwater aquarium is better biological filter and has a growth of pink coralline algae on their surface. This live rock acts as excellent food source for the fish and other invertebrates you grow inside the saltwater aquarium. Saltwater aquarium looks more natural home for the live rock.
Live rock for fresh water aquarium is slightly uncommon. A big advantage of this is that the number of fishes and invertebrates you can find for saltwater are huge. You can also have live rock for freshwater aquariums where you can have pets such as fresh water fish, amphibians, snails and crustaceans. You can also sometimes create a mini reef tank with all the basic equipment. Slowly, the live rock and live sand process the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate waste toxins produced by the fishes and other inhabitants of the tank and convert them into harmless substances. This is also called biological filtration.
Protein skimmers can also be used to clean the biological waste produced in the tanks. Sea salt and substrate are other things you would need in your aquarium or reef tank too. All in all adding live rock and live sand helps make the environment inside the aquarium more natural.
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