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LIVE or DEAD ROCK (And Sand) By: ReefEdition
When you are choosing live rock, first you must know what kind of Rock you want. Hard Rock? Soft Rock? Classic Rock? Wait! Wrong forum. Where are we now? Ah yes, Reef2Reef.com!
START ROCKIN: Live rock, not to be confused with a live Rock n' Roll concert, is one of the most important aspects when it comes to supreme filtration and decor. They fall hand in hand. An empty tank will have minimal square footage for beneficial bacteria to colonize on. It also leaves no place for animals to hide. Let's be honest. A Marine tank with NO ROCK just looks bad! Yeah, some animals require open water but that is a whole other “monster.”
First and foremost you must be prepared to cough up some dough or be good at spotting killer deals. Live rock can range anywhere from $3/LB up to $13/LB or more! If you have plans on setting up a 1000 gallon aquarium, this is going to be a huge factor in deciding whether or not you have the bank to even begin. But let's say that you have unlimited funds and can be as picky as you want with rock. You should aim for around one pound per gallon. In a 50 gallon tank that is 50LBS of rock. Some rock is lighter than other rock but 50LBS of Fiji weighs the same as 50LBS of Feathers. The next concern is space. An equilibrium of weight/size must be met or you will have a tank that has a very condensed look, or the opposite: TOO MUCH.
image
Read this for great Aquascaping tips: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/re...-tips-tricks-creating-amazing-aquascapes.html
SHAPE: Rock has to look cool or else it just looks like rock. Base rock looks as dense as bone, while other types are thin, branching, and very brittle. Most rocks in the reef are coral skeleton that have grown and died over the last few gazillion years, leaving an amazing ecosystem for us to study endlessly and even take into our homes. Basing your decision off the natural reefs has the best results. Observe pictures people have taken on dive trips. Check out other people's aquariums. Even go to the zoo and see how they have their aquariums set up. Once you figure out the general shape you want it is time to go to the next level.
LOOKS: How does the rock look to the naked eye? Is it covered in ugly algae? Does it have attractive caves or places to rest future corals? The color of the rock itself will change per tank environments. Don't let algae scare you from a cool rock, as that can removed or cooked away. Even time can naturally remove the algae granted you are doing everything else correctly.
SMELL: As many rocks as I have bought and sold I can confidently say, “Smell matters!” When you go to pick up a rock, take a whiff of it. If it smells like a regular beach you have a good rock. If it puts of a rotten sulfurous smell than it will need cooked before putting it in your tank. It is that simple.
MACROVIEWING: Smells good, looks good, feels right....but what is that tiny thing crawling around?! Live rock gets its name not from having a pulse but providing a habitat for those that do. From microscopic bacteria up to the Largest of Moray Eel...Live rock provides homes for just about everything in the ocean...even the bad stuff! It would be wise to have previous knowledge on hitch hikers before you take home a baby mantis shrimp unwillingly. To prevent unwanted guests check this method out! https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/general-sps-discussion/100496-bayer-insecticide-coral-dip.html
SAND!!!! And you thought we were finished!
Sand is a little bit trickier, since used sand can be pretty useless if it is old. There are 3 main types of sand I will discuss. Crushed Coral, Aragonite, and Silica Sand.
Crushed coral is coarse and contains coral skeleton and crushed seashells are commonly used with or in place of the crushed coral. Aragonite sand what the ocean is full of. It comes is many grades, all of which can occur in nature. Aragonite is nothing more than crushed up live rock. This is the most popular and recommended type. The least acceptable, but still ok, is Silica Sand. If you have read up on the algae cycle than you know Diatoms eat Silicates. Silica sand would be a great choice if your goal is to feed these tiny organisms, but that is not what you are here for. You want clean natural sand that rocks!
DEAD OR ALIVE: Live sand is available. It contains bacteria and sometimes worms and other critters. It is not necessary to buy 1000LBs of live sand for a tank. In fact you take 999lbs of dry sand and put 1 or less LBS of “live” sand in it and it will spread. If you have live rock you do not even need to add live sand at all for it spreads right off the rock! Sand can be one of the things you can choose based off looks over other aspects of the tank. Next you want to know what grade you want. The finer the grade the softer the bed. What does your fish like?
STILL TOO EXPENSIVE: Aside from buying live rock there is the option of making your own! You do not have to be a powerful wizard either! DIY LIVE ROCK (aka ARAGOCRETE) has been used to attempt to replenish the damaged reefs along with saving the hobbyists tons of money. A simple mix of aragonite sand and concrete is all it takes. By the pound that is by far a huge chunk of change to be saved and spent on something like lighting or good pumps. By the time you are cycled and ready for coral your tank will look just as good as it would with real ocean rock. If you like this idea, learn more like Reef Keeper did here! https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/do-yourself-diy/71714-do-yourself-rock.html
You can now go to the LFS and pick out the best and sand possible for your tank! From boring old base rock to the most premium of ultra super there is, you will find that piece that screams, “PUT ME IN YOUR WATER!!!”
When you are choosing live rock, first you must know what kind of Rock you want. Hard Rock? Soft Rock? Classic Rock? Wait! Wrong forum. Where are we now? Ah yes, Reef2Reef.com!
START ROCKIN: Live rock, not to be confused with a live Rock n' Roll concert, is one of the most important aspects when it comes to supreme filtration and decor. They fall hand in hand. An empty tank will have minimal square footage for beneficial bacteria to colonize on. It also leaves no place for animals to hide. Let's be honest. A Marine tank with NO ROCK just looks bad! Yeah, some animals require open water but that is a whole other “monster.”
First and foremost you must be prepared to cough up some dough or be good at spotting killer deals. Live rock can range anywhere from $3/LB up to $13/LB or more! If you have plans on setting up a 1000 gallon aquarium, this is going to be a huge factor in deciding whether or not you have the bank to even begin. But let's say that you have unlimited funds and can be as picky as you want with rock. You should aim for around one pound per gallon. In a 50 gallon tank that is 50LBS of rock. Some rock is lighter than other rock but 50LBS of Fiji weighs the same as 50LBS of Feathers. The next concern is space. An equilibrium of weight/size must be met or you will have a tank that has a very condensed look, or the opposite: TOO MUCH.
image
Read this for great Aquascaping tips: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/re...-tips-tricks-creating-amazing-aquascapes.html
SHAPE: Rock has to look cool or else it just looks like rock. Base rock looks as dense as bone, while other types are thin, branching, and very brittle. Most rocks in the reef are coral skeleton that have grown and died over the last few gazillion years, leaving an amazing ecosystem for us to study endlessly and even take into our homes. Basing your decision off the natural reefs has the best results. Observe pictures people have taken on dive trips. Check out other people's aquariums. Even go to the zoo and see how they have their aquariums set up. Once you figure out the general shape you want it is time to go to the next level.
LOOKS: How does the rock look to the naked eye? Is it covered in ugly algae? Does it have attractive caves or places to rest future corals? The color of the rock itself will change per tank environments. Don't let algae scare you from a cool rock, as that can removed or cooked away. Even time can naturally remove the algae granted you are doing everything else correctly.
SMELL: As many rocks as I have bought and sold I can confidently say, “Smell matters!” When you go to pick up a rock, take a whiff of it. If it smells like a regular beach you have a good rock. If it puts of a rotten sulfurous smell than it will need cooked before putting it in your tank. It is that simple.
MACROVIEWING: Smells good, looks good, feels right....but what is that tiny thing crawling around?! Live rock gets its name not from having a pulse but providing a habitat for those that do. From microscopic bacteria up to the Largest of Moray Eel...Live rock provides homes for just about everything in the ocean...even the bad stuff! It would be wise to have previous knowledge on hitch hikers before you take home a baby mantis shrimp unwillingly. To prevent unwanted guests check this method out! https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/general-sps-discussion/100496-bayer-insecticide-coral-dip.html
SAND!!!! And you thought we were finished!
Sand is a little bit trickier, since used sand can be pretty useless if it is old. There are 3 main types of sand I will discuss. Crushed Coral, Aragonite, and Silica Sand.
Crushed coral is coarse and contains coral skeleton and crushed seashells are commonly used with or in place of the crushed coral. Aragonite sand what the ocean is full of. It comes is many grades, all of which can occur in nature. Aragonite is nothing more than crushed up live rock. This is the most popular and recommended type. The least acceptable, but still ok, is Silica Sand. If you have read up on the algae cycle than you know Diatoms eat Silicates. Silica sand would be a great choice if your goal is to feed these tiny organisms, but that is not what you are here for. You want clean natural sand that rocks!
DEAD OR ALIVE: Live sand is available. It contains bacteria and sometimes worms and other critters. It is not necessary to buy 1000LBs of live sand for a tank. In fact you take 999lbs of dry sand and put 1 or less LBS of “live” sand in it and it will spread. If you have live rock you do not even need to add live sand at all for it spreads right off the rock! Sand can be one of the things you can choose based off looks over other aspects of the tank. Next you want to know what grade you want. The finer the grade the softer the bed. What does your fish like?
STILL TOO EXPENSIVE: Aside from buying live rock there is the option of making your own! You do not have to be a powerful wizard either! DIY LIVE ROCK (aka ARAGOCRETE) has been used to attempt to replenish the damaged reefs along with saving the hobbyists tons of money. A simple mix of aragonite sand and concrete is all it takes. By the pound that is by far a huge chunk of change to be saved and spent on something like lighting or good pumps. By the time you are cycled and ready for coral your tank will look just as good as it would with real ocean rock. If you like this idea, learn more like Reef Keeper did here! https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/do-yourself-diy/71714-do-yourself-rock.html
You can now go to the LFS and pick out the best and sand possible for your tank! From boring old base rock to the most premium of ultra super there is, you will find that piece that screams, “PUT ME IN YOUR WATER!!!”
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