What should mature live rock look like?

[Coley88]

I’ve had my tank up and running over a year and I have a second one that’s been running for months now. I notice a huge difference in the live rock I bought and the Marco rock. This brings me to the question of what should rock in a mature system look like and what should actually be growing on them? I see all these photos of people who have tanks with rock that only has corals growing on them but nothing else. Should rock be pristine or is that just a preference to some people?

 

[MnFish1]

If your live rock is covered with coral, there is no light for major algae to grow - in theory. However, each tank is individual, some people prefer a more 'natural look' - and algae, for example, is 'natural'. Many people prefer 'pristine rock'. So I would say it's more personal preference than anything else. I would be interested to hear what the difference you see with regards to the rock. I used a mixture (90% dry, 10% live), and within months there was no difference as far as algae or other growth. One benefit of live rock is that it potentially gives fish something to nibble on, while waiting to be fed.