Adding live rock to new tank

[rmorris2250]

I have a new tank, started with dry rock, tank is cycling fine. I am adding some live rock to get coralline to grow. Question is what do I need to do to the live rock prior to introducing it? TIA

 

[Uncle99]

Make sure it is free of any pests.
I get coralline without live rock.

 

[TwelveL16]

if its truly live rock, nothing. It will also speed your cycle up dramatically. Only thing Id consider is looking for pests.

 

[Jekyl]

Every tank will have some sort of pest or other issue to deal with along the way. Most of those issues easily cured. Nothing beats established rock and bio diversity.

 

[rmorris2250]

Make sure it is free of any pests.
I get coralline without live rock.

Can you expand, do I dip it or rinse it? You ca

if its truly live rock, nothing. It will also speed your cycle up dramatically. Only thing Id consider is looking for pests.

Thank you

 

[Jekyl]

Where's the live rock coming from?

Also you can get the same benefit by just finding a snail with some and scratching it off into a wavemaker.

 

[Uncle99]

Can you expand, do I dip it or rinse it? You ca


Thank you

You can’t due much without disturbing those things that you want in a live rock.

That’s the trade off.

Dip won’t get everything.

I dipped r rock and still got a Mantis.

 

[TwelveL16]

Can you expand, do I dip it or rinse it? You ca


Thank you

no dont dip it. Some people will say dip in high salinity but I wouldnt. Just look it over with tweezers. Only thing you really need to worry about are gorilla crabs, mantis shrimp, predatory snails and maybe parasitic isopods. Also dont leave out of water for long, sponges die fast in air.

 

[geehad420]

I would just seed coralline with the snail shell thing or get spores in a bottle. Personally wouldn’t risk the pests with live rock.

 

[exnisstech]

I won't start a tank without some live rock but I do it because it helps me pretty much skip the uglies not to add coraline. As mentioned coraline will find its way in on snails, frag plugs etc.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Can you expand, do I dip it or rinse it? You ca


Thank you

You can’t due much without disturbing those things that you want in a live rock.

That’s the trade off.

Dip won’t get everything.

I dipped r rock and still got a Mantis.

I have heard that you can put it in a bucket with hyper salinity, like 1.035, for a few minutes. This will cause the pests to leave the rock trying to get away from the high salinity. Then take the rock out and pick the pests you want to keep

 

[Fish Fan]

I’ll add that in my experience if you’re buying live rock from a tank at your local fish shop, the chances of getting critters like gorilla crabs or a mantis is much lower than if you’re getting the ocean maricultured stuff (which I highly recommend). For store bought rock, I’d be looking for things like Aptasia or bubble algae, etc. Don’t stress too much about bad hitchhikers, they can typically be dealt with. The benefits of real live rock far outweighs any negatives, in my opinion.

 

[Uncle99]

I have heard that you can put it in a bucket with hyper salinity, like 1.035, for a few minutes. This will cause the pests to leave the rock trying to get away from the high salinity. Then take the rock out and pick the pests you want to keep

You can, but nothing stops the Aptasia.
It took me years to rid the tank of that pest, only a copperband ended that one.

 

[KrisReef]

I have a new tank, started with dry rock, tank is cycling fine. I am adding some live rock to get coralline to grow. Question is what do I need to do to the live rock prior to introducing it? TIA

How far into the dry rock cycle are you?

Post an image of the live rock so folks can see what you are working with.

If the live rock is old tank rock or fish store rock I would just inspect and add.

If it is fresh out out of the ocean, cultured or harvested fresh then the picture would help direct a recommended path.

If you have other critters in the tank already, this can also change recommendations.

Lights off, or lights on?? Did you grab some rock from the ocean in FLA?

 

[dvgyfresh]

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I can vouch for live rock too. Yes, you can get hitchhikers that are not the best for your tank, but being able to introduce an increased microbiome to your tank is worth it to me. Not to mention, you can get some cool, beneficial hitchhikers too. I got brittle starfish, limpets, a hidden cup coral, and some crabs in live rock meant for a pico tank.