Live rock question

[iMi]

I just added a few pieces of live rock bought at a local store (great place). The rocks are covered with Coraline algae and look great, but there isn't a whole lot of live on them... Is this normal?

Few years ago when I had the last reef, I'd see all sorts of critters crawling around the rock and tiny little feather dusters popping up at night. I see none of those things here. Just Coraline algae.

 

[Ippyroy]

It depends on where the Live Rock came from. If it was dry rock that was added to a system, then the critters would be limited, but the micro fauna and bacteria populations would be very high which is what we are looking for. If it came from the ocean, I would think it should have lots of critters.

 

[Tamberav]

I just added a few pieces of live rock bought at a local store (great place). The rocks are covered with Coraline algae and look great, but there isn't a whole lot of live on them... Is this normal?

Few years ago when I had the last reef, I'd see all sorts of critters crawling around the rock and tiny little feather dusters popping up at night. I see none of those things here. Just Coraline algae.

That doesn’t look like real ocean live rock so probably doesn’t have much for critters. That looks like a piece of fake purple pained rock with maybe some real coralline growing over the fake parts? Is the bottom purple too?

Most rock these days is man made or dry that a LFS just sticks in a bin of water. True live rock with critters is usually found when someone is tearing down a tank or from places like KPA or gulf live rock.

 

[ReefRy]

I'm assuming your lfs cycles through a supply of dryrock in a controlled large tank or tub. They've probably added bacteria, pods, coraline spores, and not much else so as to know exactly what they're putting in your tank.

When you buy live rock from sources that mariculture their rock there is an element of randomness. You're getting all the critters that happen to attach to it and are then able to survive the shipping process.

FWIW, I think the way you did it combines the best of both worlds. Your lfs saved you at least 6 months of curing and letting nature take its course AND sold you (hopefully) pest-free, biofilm-laiden rock.

 

[iMi]

That doesn’t look like real ocean live rock so probably doesn’t have much for critters. That looks like a piece of fake purple pained rock with maybe some real coralline growing over the fake parts? Is the bottom purple too?

Most rock these days is man made or dry that a LFS just sticks in a bin of water. True live rock with critters is usually found when someone is tearing down a tank or from places like KPA or gulf live rock.

They actually have several different rocks. I bought two types. Reef rock and the branching rock (they also have Monti caps). I believe all the rock they have is aquacultured. They sell the same rock dry and it's white, so I don't believe it's painted.

The reef rock had some sponge on it, but again, very few critters.

 

[Tamberav]

They actually have several different rocks. I bought two types. Reef rock and the branching rock (they also have Monti caps). I believe all the rock they have is aquacultured. They sell the same rock dry and it's white, so I don't believe it's painted.

The reef rock had some sponge on it, but again, very few critters.

So it started dry and fake and won’t have much for critters because they probably don’t have any real live rock to mix it with or don’t want to as many people don’t want critters.

I buy my live rock from KPA and it comes loaded since it is off the ocean floor.

 

[iMi]

I'm assuming your lfs cycles through a supply of dryrock in a controlled large tank or tub. They've probably added bacteria, pods, coraline spores, and not much else so as to know exactly what they're putting in your tank.

When you buy live rock from sources that mariculture their rock there is an element of randomness. You're getting all the critters that happen to attach to it and are then able to survive the shipping process.

FWIW, I think the way you did it combines the best of both worlds. Your lfs saved you at least 6 months of curing and letting nature take its course AND sold you (hopefully) pest-free, biofilm-laiden rock.

I believe you are 100% correct as they sell both dry and live rock and aside from the reef rock, what they sell dry is the same type as what they also have available as live rock. So, this is good then? I guess I'm getting the bacteria and no risk of undesirable critters?

The other store in town was cheaper (about half the cost) but had Aptasia in their live rock holding tank, so I passed.

 

[KyRo]

That doesn’t look like real ocean live rock so probably doesn’t have much for critters. That looks like a piece of fake purple pained rock with maybe some real coralline growing over the fake parts? Is the bottom purple too?

Most rock these days is man made or dry that a LFS just sticks in a bin of water. True live rock with critters is usually found when someone is tearing down a tank or from places like KPA or gulf live rock.

I was going to post this. A few LFS here sell the same rock as this. It is live rock paint to look like coralline. I have asked to make sure and they let me know. I'm not saying this isn't coralline, but I would be weary.

 

[ScottR]

This could possibly be real reef rock which actually is man made. It’s painted to look real but it doesn’t imo. Usually the stuff I see that’s dry in the LFS is chipped and it’s very white inside. Most likely it’s just rock that they labeled as live because it’s wet. There’s no true definition of live rock however. It can mean whatever anyone wants it to mean.

 

[Tamberav]

I believe you are 100% correct as they sell both dry and live rock and aside from the reef rock, what they sell dry is the same type as what they also have available as live rock. So, this is good then? I guess I'm getting the bacteria and no risk of undesirable critters?

The other store in town was cheaper (about half the cost) but had Aptasia in their live rock holding tank, so I passed.

Good or not is simply a personal choice. Some people want dry they seed themselves, some want seeded dry like what you have, and some want ocean rock with all the good and bad it comes with.

I like the real deal with all the cool critters that can grow SPS almost immediately. I remove the bad and keep the good never worry about dinos or gha.

Others want fake or dry so they have full control over what goes into the tank.

Both can work fine and each has it’s positives and negatives.

 

[iMi]

I was going to post this. A few LFS here sell the same rock as this. It is live rock paint to look like coralline. I have asked to make sure and they let me know. I'm not saying this isn't coralline, but I would be weary.

Time to make a call, I guess. Or break out a microscope and take a closer look at the algae. They have the same rock dry and it's white. Looks like bleached branching coral or some kind. I would hate to have paid this much for a painted rock.

 

[ScottR]

Time to make a call, I guess. Or break out a microscope and take a closer look at the algae. They have the same rock dry and it's white. Looks like bleached branching coral or some kind. I would hate to have paid this much for a painted rock.

It could have lots of good stuff on it. Hard to tell just by a pic. Good live rock smells like the ocean though. Nothing like your good ol nose to tell you

 

[brandon429]

great thread am following to see what's discovered about the rock

if the lfs agrees it was rec'd in water/wet and or kept in their holding vat for weeks its legit to sell as live rock. it'd take a shady lfs to misrep its holding / known history

per rrr website its cured out in huge saltwater vats/legit live at least when shipped out. if its not dried out in the chain of holding then imo its legit live, people are in it mainly for the bacteria and the benthic animals are just lucky when present. if the rock isn't super porous I wouldn't think a lot of hangers on would ride over unlike real tonga '98

 

[iMi]

It could have lots of good stuff on it. Hard to tell just by a pic. Good live rock smells like the ocean though. Nothing like your good ol nose to tell you

It does smell like ocean. I broke off a piece and it doesn't look painted. It's organic, too. Took some more pics.

Edit to clarify - I didn't physically break off the piece from another in my tank. I fished out the broken off piece that came from the same tank as the other, larger pieces I bought. So, It's possible they are different material but look the same to me.

 

[iMi]

great thread am following to see what's discovered about the rock

if the lfs agrees it was rec'd in water/wet and or kept in their holding vat for weeks its legit to sell as live rock. it'd take a shady lfs to misrep its holding / known history

per rrr website its cured out in huge saltwater vats/legit live at least when shipped out. if its not dried out in the chain of holding then imo its legit live, people are in it mainly for the bacteria and the benthic animals are just lucky when present. if the rock isn't super porous I wouldn't think a lot of hangers on would ride over unlike real tonga '98

It was in a large tank. I'd guess 90 gallon? They have two of them. They had some nice crabs in there working as clean up crew. I thought it was a little weird, but they have a huge skimmer running on that holding tank. I'll be heading up there again later in the week, so I'll be asking a lot more questions.

 

[ScottR]

It does smell like ocean. I broke off a piece and it doesn't look painted. It's organic, too. Took some more pics.

Edit to clarify - I didn't physically break off the piece from another in my tank. I fished out the broken off piece that came from the same tank as the other, larger pieces I bought. So, It's possible they are different material but look the same to me.

That’s definitely not painted and looks like good rock.

 

[iMi]

I plan to cover it up with corals anyway... but hate the idea of having painted rock in my tank. I've never seen that before, but it's been a few years since I had a reef. Is this a common thing people sell these days?

 

[ScottR]

I plan to cover it up with corals anyway... but hate the idea of having painted rock in my tank. I've never seen that before, but it's been a few years since I had a reef. Is this a common thing people sell these days?

Yeah. I hate that stuff. I’ve only used real dry or live rock. With one exception, I do have one man made rock but I liked the shape of it for my scape. But it still seems out of place.

 

[Tamberav]

I plan to cover it up with corals anyway... but hate the idea of having painted rock in my tank. I've never seen that before, but it's been a few years since I had a reef. Is this a common thing people sell these days?

yes common.

It is common because you can no longer get real reef rock except from a few places.

This is all fake painted stuff. As you can see... it is very convincing.

Coralline shouldn’t grow on the bottom of a rock so I would just flip it over and look at your original one you posted. I never bought the fake stuff but I would assume it is painted on all sides.

 

[iMi]

Ok, I hate to say it... but I think they have small broken-off looking pieces in the same tank as the fake stuff because, while they look the same, the base part looks different. The broken bit clearly looks organic, not painted. The larger pieces are whiter and look more like rock.

Not sure if they do this intentionally. But it sure doesn't seem right...