Adding live rock

[cadefowlr]

Hi, new here and first post. Backstory; I previously had a smaller tank that I didn’t manage properly and it got velvet and killed the entire tank. I then went a few years without a tank and then upgraded to my current tank, a Cade Reef 1500 S2 (169 total volume). I have been VERY careful to avoid that situation again and did the 77 day fallow period for my live rock before putting fish in. The tank now is about 10 months old with 8 fish and I realized I need more live rock for the fish to hide and sleep in. Every fish had been quarantined and treated by a humble fish endorsed vendor near me before adding to the tank. My question is should I fallow new live rock from my LFS in a tub with a heater and circulation pump before adding to my DT? And does it need to be the 77 days? Or is it safe to just add in? I don’t mind waiting if it will decrease the possibility of adding harmful stuff to my tank. My priority is the health of my fish. thanks for any advice.

 

[Mebbid]

You could skip the live rock, and instead add in dry rock. The dry rock is far cheaper and when put in your tank will colonize with everything that came in on your live rock. That way there's no chances of new hitch hikers coming in and 0 chance of ich or velvet. Otherwise to be 100% sure you'd need to keep it fallow as well.

A dry rock like Marco rock works well.

 

[cadefowlr]

You could skip the live rock, and instead add in dry rock. The dry rock is far cheaper and when put in your tank will colonize with everything that came in on your live rock. That way there's no chances of new hitch hikers coming in and 0 chance of ich or velvet. Otherwise to be 100% sure you'd need to keep it fallow as well.

A dry rock like Marco rock works well.

I didn’t even think of dry rock. Thank you!

 

[Fish Fan]

I'd suggest going with real live rock over dry rock. If you add dry rock, it's just going to grow nasty algae for the next 6 to 12 months. If you're concerned with fish parasites, which I am too, I would just hold the new rocks in a fish-less container for 60 days, which should be enough to starve out any fish parasites.

I'll add that the ladies who run Tampa Bay Saltwater have had their live rock holding bins DNA tested, and have shown no fish parasites present on their rocks. That said, I would still hold their rock for 60 days out of an abundance of caution.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tampa-bay-saltwater-real-live-rubble-rock.926064/post-10572027

Tampa Bay Saltwater - America's #1 Live Rock for Reef Aquariums

Tampa Bay Saltwater sustainably farms ocean aquacultured live rock and hand harvested sand. TBS Live Rock provides beneficial microorganisms, creates a less stressful environment for inhabitants and provides natural biofiltration by the lifeforms found in and on it. Healthy live rock, from our...

tbsaltwater.com

Good luck!

 

[BryanM]

^^ What Fish Fan said.

even in established systems dry rock will go through a significant stage of the uglies.

 

[Mebbid]

I'd suggest going with real live rock over dry rock. If you add dry rock, it's just going to grow nasty algae for the next 6 to 12 months. If you're concerned with fish parasites, which I am too, I would just hold the new rocks in a fish-less container for 60 days, which should be enough to starve out any fish parasites.

I'll add that the ladies who run Tampa Bay Saltwater have had their live rock holding bins DNA tested, and have shown no fish parasites present on their rocks. That said, I would still hold their rock for 60 days out of an abundance of caution.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tampa-bay-saltwater-real-live-rubble-rock.926064/post-10572027

Tampa Bay Saltwater - America's #1 Live Rock for Reef Aquariums

Tampa Bay Saltwater sustainably farms ocean aquacultured live rock and hand harvested sand. TBS Live Rock provides beneficial microorganisms, creates a less stressful environment for inhabitants and provides natural biofiltration by the lifeforms found in and on it. Healthy live rock, from our...

tbsaltwater.com

Good luck!

Ymmv

If im not mistaken Ryan from serious reefs got some parasitic copepods from their live rock and I just got some live rock from them that started growing bryopsis (but i also got a limpet hitchiker that ate it all)

 

[Uncle99]

You have live rock, safe live rock.
Use something like Carib-Sea Dry Rock so it blends seemlessly with your existing rock.
Or you take a huge risk IMM.

 

[exnisstech]

Anytime I mix live rock and dry rock the dry rock is an algae magnet. I've added dry rock to running tanks with no algae but it always starts growing on the dry rock.

 

[cadefowlr]

I'd suggest going with real live rock over dry rock. If you add dry rock, it's just going to grow nasty algae for the next 6 to 12 months. If you're concerned with fish parasites, which I am too, I would just hold the new rocks in a fish-less container for 60 days, which should be enough to starve out any fish parasites.

I'll add that the ladies who run Tampa Bay Saltwater have had their live rock holding bins DNA tested, and have shown no fish parasites present on their rocks. That said, I would still hold their rock for 60 days out of an abundance of caution.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tampa-bay-saltwater-real-live-rubble-rock.926064/post-10572027

Tampa Bay Saltwater - America's #1 Live Rock for Reef Aquariums

Tampa Bay Saltwater sustainably farms ocean aquacultured live rock and hand harvested sand. TBS Live Rock provides beneficial microorganisms, creates a less stressful environment for inhabitants and provides natural biofiltration by the lifeforms found in and on it. Healthy live rock, from our...

tbsaltwater.com

Good luck!

Thank you! I’d rather wait the 60 plus days vs go through another ugly phase

 

[X-37B]

No need to quarantine live rock.
There will be some die off but it will be minimal. I have used live rock forever and never had an issue or need to quarantine it.
No ugly issues with premium live rock. I just put 35lbs GLR in my 112. Its been 3 weeks and the syatem is stable and using alk.
The benefits of live rock are overlooked by many. Many say cost but really? GLR to my door for $12lb.

 

[exnisstech]

No need to quarantine live rock.
There will be some die off but it will be minimal. I have used live rock forever and never had an issue or need to quarantine it.
No ugly issues with premium live rock. I just put 35lbs GLR in my 112. Its been 3 weeks and the syatem is stable and using alk.
The benefits of live rock are overlooked by many. Many say cost but really? GLR to my door for $12lb.

Dang I don't really need more rock but $11 lb shipped if I choose 1-3 day is pretty attractive. And I have been thinking about adding some rock to my 330g . Did you get the premium deco and how was the packaging?

 

[X-37B]

Dang I don't really need more rock but $11 lb shipped if I choose 1-3 day is pretty attractive. And I have been thinking about adding some rock to my 330g . Did you get the premium deco and how was the packaging?

Yes premium arrived in 2 days in plastic. The piece in the back is colored dead rock.

 

[Mebbid]

I'd suggest going with real live rock over dry rock. If you add dry rock, it's just going to grow nasty algae for the next 6 to 12 months. If you're concerned with fish parasites, which I am too, I would just hold the new rocks in a fish-less container for 60 days, which should be enough to starve out any fish parasites.

I'll add that the ladies who run Tampa Bay Saltwater have had their live rock holding bins DNA tested, and have shown no fish parasites present on their rocks. That said, I would still hold their rock for 60 days out of an abundance of caution.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tampa-bay-saltwater-real-live-rubble-rock.926064/post-10572027

Tampa Bay Saltwater - America's #1 Live Rock for Reef Aquariums

Tampa Bay Saltwater sustainably farms ocean aquacultured live rock and hand harvested sand. TBS Live Rock provides beneficial microorganisms, creates a less stressful environment for inhabitants and provides natural biofiltration by the lifeforms found in and on it. Healthy live rock, from our...

tbsaltwater.com

Good luck!

Thank you! I’d rather wait the 60 plus days vs go through another ugly phase

You could get the dry rock, and toss it in your sump to cure and grow bio films for the 60 days and then move it to your display to skip the vast majority of the ugly phase.

 

[sgdnycct]

I'd suggest going with real live rock over dry rock. If you add dry rock, it's just going to grow nasty algae for the next 6 to 12 months. If you're concerned with fish parasites, which I am too, I would just hold the new rocks in a fish-less container for 60 days, which should be enough to starve out any fish parasites.

I'll add that the ladies who run Tampa Bay Saltwater have had their live rock holding bins DNA tested, and have shown no fish parasites present on their rocks. That said, I would still hold their rock for 60 days out of an abundance of caution.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tampa-bay-saltwater-real-live-rubble-rock.926064/post-10572027

Tampa Bay Saltwater - America's #1 Live Rock for Reef Aquariums

Tampa Bay Saltwater sustainably farms ocean aquacultured live rock and hand harvested sand. TBS Live Rock provides beneficial microorganisms, creates a less stressful environment for inhabitants and provides natural biofiltration by the lifeforms found in and on it. Healthy live rock, from our...

tbsaltwater.com

Good luck!

Thank you! I’d rather wait the 60 plus days vs go through another ugly phase

You could get the dry rock, and toss it in your sump to cure and grow bio films for the 60 days and then move it to your display to skip the vast majority of the ugly phase.

+1

 

[cadefowlr]

Thank you everyone for the responses. Does anybody have a strong opinion of GLR vs TBS? They both seem very similar. GLR seems a little more straight forward on the ordering process.

 

[tzabor10]

I have ordered from @LiverockRocks before and would do so again. Very easy and straightforward. They are on boats several days a week so responses aren’t always immediate. I love the abundance of live sponges, tunicates, limpets, porcelain crabs and corals